As fans eagerly twiddle their thumbs and refresh their browsers, the anticipated reveal of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 looms like a blockbuster waiting to drop its first trailer.
This thrilling addition to the iconic Black Ops saga, a joint masterpiece by the gaming maestros at Treyarch and Raven Software, promises to be this year’s adrenaline-pumping entry in the Call of Duty series.
Details are as scarce as ammo in a heated multiplayer match, but we do know that the full reveal will follow hot on the heels of Xbox’s Summer Showcase on June 9. Notably, this will be the first Call of Duty game to strut its stuff under the Xbox Games Studios banner, thanks to Microsoft’s high-profile acquisition of Activision Blizzard in December 2023.
Hold onto your controllers, folks – it’s going to be a wild ride!
When will COD Black Ops 6 be released?
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s grand unveiling is set to dazzle audiences right after the Xbox Summer Games Showcase on June 9, and it’s likely that a release date will also be announced then. Traditionally, Call of Duty titles hit the shelves between October and mid-November to catch the holiday shopping frenzy, and there’s no reason to believe Black Ops 6 will deviate from this well-worn path.
Over the past decade, the earliest a Call of Duty game has launched was October 12 (Black Ops 4 in 2018), and the latest was November 13 (Black Ops Cold War in 2020). So, it’s safe to bet that Black Ops 6 will drop somewhere within this four-week window. Historically, the Black Ops series leans toward early November releases, with four out of five games launching in the first two weeks of the month.
However, this year marks a significant shift as Call of Duty operates under the Xbox and Microsoft banner for the first time. This change means it now has to fit into Microsoft’s bustling release calendar. Xbox’s fall lineup is stacked, with heavy hitters like Obsidian Entertainment’s Avowed and MachineGames’ Indiana Jones and the Great Circle also vying for attention.
According to a May 2024 leak from The Verge, Xbox aims for a late October launch for Black Ops 6, departing from the early November slot fans are used to. This timing might help Microsoft align its other major releases, with Indiana Jones potentially claiming November and Avowed eyeing late September or early October.
Adding another twist to the Black Ops 6 release saga is the potential for it to debut on Xbox Game Pass alongside its full-price digital and physical releases. With Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard finalized, Call of Duty joins the ranks of first-party Xbox titles like Halo, Gears of War, and The Elder Scrolls, which typically launch on Game Pass.
Although it’s not officially confirmed that Black Ops 6 will land on Game Pass on day one, The Wall Street Journal suggests it’s likely. Industry analyst Daniel Ahmed supports this move, explaining that it’s beneficial for Microsoft. By offering Black Ops 6 on Game Pass, while still selling it at full price on other platforms like PlayStation 5, Microsoft can reap the rewards of in-game purchases typical of live-service titles.
“This is the right move for Microsoft,” Ahmed says, highlighting how this strategy can also work for other Xbox first-party games. Even with Call of Duty remaining multi-platform, a Game Pass release makes sense, adding value to the subscription and potentially swaying non-Xbox gamers to make the switch.
All eyes are on the Xbox Summer Games Showcase for the official release date, but one thing is certain: the Call of Duty landscape is about to get a whole lot more interesting.
