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Call of Duty Vanguard ranked mode release date, ranks, and more

Vanguard is getting a ranked mode - here's everything we know about it so far, including some thoughts on how it could work based on previous games

Vanguard ranked mode: A male operator in a beanie hat and burgundy leather jacket points a camo painted gun as a battle rages around him

Call of Duty Vanguard is getting its own competitive ranked mode, and while the game’s lead studio, Sledgehammer Games, is in charge of creating a great gameplay experience, it’s outsourcing work on the ranked mode to another Activision studio.

Not only will Treyarch be creating the Zombies experiences in Vanguard, but the studio will also be lending Sledgehammer a hand in developing Vanguard ranked. Very few definite details are known just yet, but Treyarch has teased a couple of bits of information already. Vanguard’s ranked mode will tie in more closely than ever with the Call of Duty League, Activision’s big-money franchised esports competition.

So what will the Vanguard ranked mode look like, how will you potentially climb the ranks, and when is it expected to be released into the World War Two shooter? Here we round up all the information we know so far.

Vanguard ranked mode release date

Call of Duty Vanguard’s ranked mode will be added to the game in 2022, according to Activision. No specific date has been confirmed, but it will likely launch just before or at the same time as the Call of Duty League kicks off.

The 2021 season of the CDL officially began in early February and Black Ops Cold War’s League Play mode was launched in tandem. Expect a similar release date and strategy for Vanguard’s ranked mode too, as the 2022 CDL season will likely kick off at a similar time (late January or early February in 2022).

Vanguard ranked mode explained

We’re yet to receive full details about Call of Duty Vanguard’s ranked mode, however there are a few bits of information that we can go off to explain how ranked will work.

When ranked was announced, co-developer Treyarch mentioned that it would contain “Ranked Skill Divisions” and “visible Skill Ratings”.

Vanguard ranks: A female operator with a reloads a bolt action sniper rifle. She's wearing a white Soviet military uniform

Ranked Skill Divisions could be interpreted in a couple of ways. They could potentially act exactly like the Skill Divisions in Black Ops Cold War’s League Play ranked mode, whereby they were groups of 50 similarly skilled players competing against each other. However, Skill Divisions could be reworked to replicate more typical ranked systems, where each Skill Division is a certain tier on a longer ranked ladder, similar to the Apex Legends ranks.

Visible Skill Ratings will likely be visual representations of your Skill Division.

Call of Duty: Vanguard ranks

We are currently unaware what the Vanguard ranks will look like or be called, however, we can assume that with Treyarch lending a hand this year, they could be similar to last year’s Black Ops Cold War League Play ranks.

In League Play, ranks were simply numbered from 1-30, but at five-rank intervals, players would receive some cool, animal-themed badges to flex their rank. These badges could also be upgraded in appearance by placing highly in Skill Divisions.

A soldier in a red beret and green military gear grits his teeth as he fires a submachine gun

Vanguard ranked rewards

Treyarch has promised that “new ranked rewards” will be on offer for Vanguard’s ranked mode, but no details on exactly what they are have been revealed yet.

In Black Ops Cold War, there was very little in the way of rewards for playing in League Play. Aside from XP and your ranked badges and calling cards, there were no other cosmetic rewards for playing the competitive mode. This could potentially change with Vanguard, though.

That’s everything we know about Vanguard’s ranked mode right now. We can’t wait to see what Sledgehammer and Treyarch have cooked up for competitive players this year. If you’re wanting to take your best Vanguard STG 44 class into a more gruelling multiplayer arena, Vanguard’s ranked mode will certainly be the place to do it.