On August 13, 2020, Big Hit Entertainment held a corporate briefing where the agency confirmed that the new album would be released in the fourth quarter of that year. On September 27, Big Hit uploaded a teaser poster with the album's name, also announcing the release date. Preorders for the deluxe edition began the following day. On October 30, BTS teased the title of the album's lead single "Life Goes On" on Twitter. On November 10, the band posted the album's track list and digital cover. Three days later, they held an unboxing session of the album which was broadcast live on their YouTube channel. Nine months after Map of the Soul: 7, Be was released worldwide on November 20, 2020, through Big Hit, in conjunction with a music video for "Life Goes On".
