Technologies
Call of Duty Black Ops 6 Season 4 Reloaded Release Date Revealed
We now know when the Eclipse night club and the Fringe distillery will make their multiplayer debut.

If you enjoy smaller, quicker Black Ops 6 multiplayer experiences, the Season 4 Reloaded update has you covered with a pulse-pounding new Gunfight map.
The next big midseason update adds multiplayer maps, zombies events and gameplay features for Warzone’s battle royale mode. Whether you’re looking to earn time-limited rewards, try out your Season 4 weapons in some new places or you just want to enjoy zany map reskins, Season 4 Reloaded has something for everyone.
Here’s everything you need to know about the arrival of Black Ops 6 Season 4 Reloaded, including the release date and time, and what new content you can expect to see once the update arrives for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
When does Call of Duty Black Ops 6 Season 4 Reloaded come out?
The new Black Ops 6 midseason update will launch on July 2, including a substantial content package for multiplayer and zombies mode players. Here’s when the Season 4 Reloaded patch will come out in your time zone:
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Eastern Time: July 2, 2025 at 12 p.m.
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Central Time July 2, 2025 at 11 a.m.
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Mountain Time: July 2, 2025 at 10 a.m.
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Pacific Time: July 2, 2025 at 9 a.m.
Two new multiplayer maps coming to Black Ops 6
One of developer Treyarch’s best three-lane multiplayer maps from Black Ops 3 is making a return in Black Ops 6 Season 4 Reloaded.
Fringe is a war-torn version of a small town, where heated sniper battles take place down an open street and flankers scuttle through crowded buildings that fill up the sides of the map.
The new version of the map takes place on the grand opening of a rustic-looking distillery — too bad you won’t have time to grab a drink with all the gunfire breaking out around you. Fringe is a medium-sized map for 6v6 core playlists.
Eclipse is a much smaller map, but it has a really groovy vibe. This Avalon nightclub is streaked through with purple strobing lights, which could be disorienting in the middle of battle. Your battles here will be up close and personal: Eclipse is a small-sized map designed for 2v2 playlists, but some 6v6 playlists will also add this map to the lineup.
CODtoons: Cel-shaded map variants arrive alongside Beavis and Butt-Head event
Fan-favorite multiplayer maps are getting a cartoon glow up (or glow down?) during the CODtoons event. Cel-shaded versions of Nuketown, Babylon, Skyline, Stakeout and Grind will be added to the game in a special moshpit playlist — which means it’s fairly safe to assume you’ll be playing on cel-shaded Nuketown and Stakeout for a majority of the event.
The Beavis and Butt-Head event includes a free and premium reward track, wherein players can earn the Olympia shotgun from the original Black Ops, a Pickaxe melee weapon, an SVD full auto mod and a CQB auto conversion kit for the TR2 marksman rifle.
If you pay for the premium track, you’ll have a chance to earn cel-shaded Beavis and Butt-Head operator skins in their most famous cartoon attire. If you want to deck them out in tactical gear for the true Call of Duty experience, you’ll have to shell out even more money for the Tracer Pack: Beavis and Butt-Head.
Zombies starting room challenge is a new limited-time mode
Treyarch has acknowledged the long-standing challenge in the zombies community with an official game mode. Don’t worry about neglecting to buy the door — you physically can’t leave the starting area in this limited-time offering.
This limited-time mode is available on all of the current Black Ops 6 zombies maps, including Liberty Falls, Terminus, Citadelle des Morts, The Tomb and Shattered Veil. The space you have to work with, wall buy weapons and mystery box, perk machine and GobbleGum machine availability varies by map.
Each map will have a special high-round challenge associated with it. If you’re able to reach that round without getting downed by the zombie horde, you’ll earn 15,000 account XP points, a high-value GobbleGum and a GobbleGum pack.
Everything else coming in Call of Duty Black Ops 6 Season 4 Reloaded
We’ve covered the biggest parts of Season 4 Reloaded — but that’s not all that this update will change in Black Ops 6. Here are the other changes you’ll see with the launch of the midseason patch.
Multiplayer
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The Party Ops limited-time mode is a new free-for-all playlist where players compete in different minigames. These include controlling moving zones (which force you to dance), a version of red light, green light and more. The three top performing players will each count as victors.
Zombies
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The Abomination Challenge limited-time mode brings players back to a fully cel-shaded version of Liberty Falls. Here, opening the church door unleashes Mo, a special boss Abomination zombie that’s always in its enraged form. Mo is a real threat — this guy will gain immunity to weapons frequently fired at him, refuse to eat your tossed grenades and he can knock perk bottles out of you with his charge attack. If you can brave this challenge and defeat the boss, you’ll unlock a special calling card.
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New leaderboard events will let you test your undead-slaying prowess against other Black Ops 6 players and earn special rewards for doing so. Everyone gets something, but the top players will unlock exclusive items for stacking up zombie eliminations.
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The Grief mode is getting tweaked. Now, you can inflict more punishing effects on enemy players. Revive-based GobbleGums are outright banned, and zombies spawn faster after a zone is captured on the map. Completing Grief matches also guarantees you’ll earn a Whimsical-tier GobbleGum, which is a fun little quality-of-life update.
Warzone
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A cel-shaded variant of Rebirth Island will be available to play alongside the multiplayer maps during the CODtoons event.
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Resurgence Casual and Havoc Amped are new game modes you’ll be able to queue for. Havoc Amped lets you drop in with their full loadout in quick 15-minute long matches that ramp up as you unlock special powers when the circle closes.
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Players will now be able to call in a care package outside of the Clash game mode to earn new gameplay items, the Hand Cannon and Door Barricade.
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The Loot Master perk is the next way you can augment your Warzone loadout. It’s a simple perk, letting you spawn more loot from supply caches.
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The Search and Destroy contract is a new way to get discounts at buy stations — if you can hold off against enemy squads for long enough to set off a bomb.
Black Ops 6 Season 4 Reloaded will be released for free on July 2 for PlayStation, Xbox and PC. If you want to keep an eye on when we’ll get a double XP weekend in Season 4 Reloaded, keep up with our coverage here.
Technologies
You’ll Soon Be Able to Buy Walmart Products Through ChatGPT
OpenAI’s chatbot already connects to Etsy and Shopify. Now you can buy bananas too.

OpenAI and Walmart will soon offer shopping via AI through ChatGPT, the retail giant said in a press release on Tuesday.
While using ChatGPT’s Instant Checkout feature, customers can buy groceries, electronics or other essentials within the chatbot interface.
Walmart has its own AI assistant in its app named Sparky. With Sparky, customers can ask questions about products and get summaries of reviews to find the best item.
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«For many years now, e-commerce shopping experiences have consisted of a search bar and a long list of item responses. That is about to change,» Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said in a statement. «There is a native AI experience coming that is multi-media, personalized and contextual. We are running towards that more enjoyable and convenient future with Sparky and through partnerships including this important step with OpenAI.»
When asked for comment, Walmart referred to its press release. Walmart also said it wouldn’t discuss the financial terms of the agreement at this time.
«We’re excited to partner with Walmart to make everyday purchases a little simpler. It’s just one way AI will help people every day under our work together,» OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in a press release.
OpenAI referred to Walmart’s press release when asked for comment.
The latest deal with Walmart comes as OpenAI tries to make ChatGPT an all-in-one shopping experience. AI chatbots are increasingly being used as vehicles for online shopping. They can synthesize reviews from across the internet and give people direct answers to shopping questions. Already, ChatGPT connects with Etsy and Shopify with its Instant Checkout feature, allowing people to buy directly. OpenAI also added more shopping features in ChatGPT Search earlier this year.
(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)
Technologies
OpenAI Will Loosen ChatGPT’s Mental Health Guardrails and Allow Erotica for Adult Users
Sam Altman said the company will ease limits for adults after rolling out age verification.

ChatGPT is treading cautiously right now, but the chatbot may become more risqué by the end of the year.
In recent weeks, the generative AI chatbot has been operating under somewhat stringent limitations, as OpenAI tried to address concerns that it was not handling sensitive mental health issues well. But CEO Sam Altman said in a post on X Tuesday that the company would ease some of those restrictions because it’s «been able to mitigate the serious mental health issues.»
Though Altman didn’t elaborate on what tools are being used to address the problem, OpenAI recently announced new parental controls in ChatGPT.
CNET reached out to OpenAI for details, but the company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)
Other changes are also expected. Altman said the company could allow «erotica» for verified adult users as it implements an «age-gating» system, or age-restricted content, in December. The mature content is part of the company’s «treat adult users like adults» principle, Altman said.
Altman’s post also announced a new version of ChatGPT in the next few weeks, with a personality that behaves more like the company’s GPT-4o model. Chatbot users had complained after the company replaced 4o with the impersonal GPT-5 earlier this year, saying the new version lacked the engaging and fun personality of previous chatbot models.
«If you want your ChatGPT to respond in a very human-like way, or use a ton of emoji, or act like a friend, ChatGPT should do it (but only if you want it, not because we are usage-maxxing),» Altman wrote.
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After OpenAI was sued by parents who alleged ChatGPT contributed to their teen son’s suicide, the company imposed an array of new restrictions and changes, including parental controls, alerts for risky behavior and a teen-friendly version of the chatbot. In the summer, OpenAI implemented break reminders that encourage people to occasionally stop chatting with the bot.
On Tuesday, the company also announced the creation of a council of experts on AI and well-being, including some with expertise in psychology and human behavior.
This comes as lawmakers and regulators are ringing the alarm on the risks AI tools pose to people, especially children. On Monday, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed new restrictions on AI companion chatbots into law. Last month, the Federal Trade Commission launched an investigation into several AI companies, including OpenAI.
Technologies
Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Oct. 15 #591
Here are hints — and the answers — for the NYT Strands puzzle for Oct. 15, No. 591.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.
Today’s NYT Strands puzzle is a fun one, once you understand the theme. Some of the answers are a bit tough to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.
I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.
If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.
Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far
Hint for today’s Strands puzzle
Today’s Strands theme is: Going up?
If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Not an escalator, but…
Clue words to unlock in-game hints
Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:
- ROTATE, LOBE, NOPE, RATS, STAR, SAME, LOSE, VOTE, BUTTE, SAMS, BAMS
Answers for today’s Strands puzzle
These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:
- ALARM, OPEN, CLOSE, LOBBY, GROUND, BASEMENT
Today’s Strands spangram
Today’s Strands spangram is ELEVATORBUTTONS. To find it, look for the E that’s three letters to the right on the bottom row, and wind straight up, and then straight down.
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