Here’s When You Can Start Playing Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
This year's Call of Duty is ditching some of the series' launch traditions.
Another year, another Call of Duty game. This year’s entry, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 marks a particularly important one for the long-running first-person shooter series. Not only will fan-favorite developer Treyarch be back in the saddle for its action-packed campaign, some new features like the game changing omni-movement and the day one launch on Xbox Game Pass makes this year unlike most others.
Here’s everything you need to know about the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Release Time
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is the first game to feature Max Payne-like mobility options called omni-movement.
On PC, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will launch Friday October 25 at 12 a.m. ET, and at corresponding times worldwide. Players on the west coast for example, will have a bit of extra time before bed Thursday night, as the game will launch 9 p.m. PT.
On console, the game will roll out regionally on October 24 between 4AM PT and 11PM PT, and corresponding times elsewhere.
Unlike past Call of Duty entries, there will be no early access period for an of Black Ops 6’s modes.
“The team is fully focused on October 25th,” an Activision spokesperson said last month. “This year, we made the decision to ensure the community gets to dig in to any and all modes that they want at the same time, so we are back to one massive global launch moment October 25th.”
Players can preload the game ahead of time right now.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Platforms and Game Pass Info
Black Ops 6’s PC launch times around the world.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will launch on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Every version of the game will launch with the same features, as Microsoft (following its purchase of Activision Blizzard last year) is ditching console exclusive content. PC players will be able to access the game via PC Microsoft Store, Steam, or Battle.net.
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass PC, and Game Pass Console subscribers will also have access to Black Ops 6 day one. It is the most important addition in the history of Microsoft’s Netflix-like video game service, which has struggled despite its consistent flow of excellent games. The launch of Black Ops 6 is likely to give it the shot in the arm it needs.
These players will only have access to Black Ops 6 so long as their subscription is active. The game will be available to download on PC and via streaming on Xbox Cloud Gaming. It’s worth noting that for players with unfinished business in 2023’s Modern Warfare 3 or Warzone, those legacy titles will also be available on Xbox Cloud Gaming starting October 25.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Download Sizes
There will be no early access for this year’s Call of Duty.
Any Call of Duty veteran knows that these games are massive. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is no exception, though on PC its markedly smaller than the last few years.
On PC, Black Ops 6’s campaign and multiplayer modes comes in at 56 GB total. That’s small fries compared to Modern Warfare 3’s 149 GB requirement.
The file sizes on console, however, are considerably larger. On PlayStation 5, where only the campaign is available for pre-load, the game comes in at roughly a 37.5 GB download. The PlayStation 4 version comes in at 17.4 GB for both single player and multiplayer modes.
On Xbox, campaign and multiplayer requires 98.6 GB of space total.
If you’re someone with more moderate internet speeds, it may be wise to download the game ahead of Friday’s launch.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Vault Edition
While Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 won’t offer players early access, there is still a premium edition of the game available for purchase. The $99.99 “Vault Edition” of Black Ops 6 will net players the Hunters vs. Hunted Operator skins, Mastercraft weapon skins, one season of additional XP, COD points, 20 Battle Pass tier skips and more, and a 12-pack of GobbleGum, which grants players special one-time use abilities in Zombies mode.
Game Pass subscribers who want access to these perks can pay an additional $30 for access to these Vault Edition features.
