Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is out in days. And it’s among the first Call of Duty content to make it to Xbox Game Pass.
Get ready for more hyper-realistic guns that fetishise firepower, explosives that launch enemies like rag dolls, and devastating killstreaks that rain death from above.
Whether the campaign is great or a dud, like that of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, it’s going to kick off another year-long bout of multiplayer mayhem.
The Black Ops 6 name makes it part of a 14-year-old family, one of the most beloved offshoots of the entire Call of Duty universe.
This is what you need to know about it, including its imminent release date and sure-to-be divisive gameplay.
It’s coming out soon
It’s officially confirmed: Black Ops 6 will land on October 25, on PlayStation, Xbox and PC. Plus, it will be the first game in the series to launch on Xbox Game Pass, too (though Modern Warfare 3 is technically the first CoD game to be added to the subscription service).
This is also the first new entry in the series to come out since Microsoft acquired COD’s developers, Activision Blizzard.
When can you preload Black Ops 6?
You’ll be able to preload Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 from October 21 at 4pm, UK time, for PC players, Xbox owners, and the PlayStation 5 crowd.
Set aside at least 102GB for the install on PC.
How big is the Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 download?
We know so far the preinstall on PC takes up 102GB, and that’s figure is repeated in the spec recommendations. This is lower than previous Call of Duty epics, because the multiplayer Warzone content has been separated out to save our SSDs.
The Xbox store suggests it’s a 83.05 GB download, while X account PlayStation Size claims the campaign alone is 37.4GB on PlayStation 5. We’re not close to the 300GB sizes reported earlier in 2024. But, when you add additional content modules not included in these base downloads, we may still be looking at a much higher number.
It’s set in the Gulf War
Though the storyline has still been kept tightly under wraps, we do know about the premise. This Black Ops game is a direct sequel to Black Ops II and Black Ops: Cold War, and takes place in the 1990s, during the Gulf War.
It also features some returning characters. There’s Frank Wood, who’s now wheelchair-bound after the events of the last game, and Russell Adler, who seems to kick off the game when he reappears after having gone missing.
He brings ominous news. Apparently, the CIA has been infiltrated, and nobody can be trusted: anybody who stands up to these shadowy power players will be called a traitor and kicked out.
Players will be stepping into the boots of new guys Troy Marshall and CIA handler Jane Harrow, who (along with Adler, and some other have-a-go-heroes) must go off-grid in order to save the world, recruit a team, gather their resources and set off to investigate what’s happening.
The levels
The mission designs in Black Ops 6 look like a whole lot of fun. In one, the team has to sneak into a Bill Clinton fundraising gala in order to infiltrate a CIA black site beneath it (and yes, before you ask, familiar faces from the era will be popping up too, including George Bush, Margaret Thatcher, and Saddam Hussein).
It looks like the levels will be a mix between linear and open-world, which Modern Warfare III gave us a taste of (even if they didn’t quite manage to pull it off).
With locations including the US, a desert in Iraq (apparently the biggest map the makers have ever built) and even the Russian steppes, there will be a fun mix of terrain with which to test out your weaponry and tactics.
Tactics are set to play a much larger role this time around. Treyarch (the games makers, a subdivision of Activision Blizzard) have hinted that there will be a number of ways to solve missions this time around, including bartering, negotiating and using the good old art of conversation (in addition to shooting the living daylights out of enemies, of course).
There’ll also be something called the Safehouse: basically, an abandoned KGB base turned refuge on the coast, where you can regroup between missions, talk to allies and decide what to do next. And, of course, uncover the building’s secrets.
The weapons
One of the most exciting bits of any Call of Duty game. Of course, since it’s set in the Nineties, the game will feature era-appropriate weaponry – and, given that the team is operating undercover, that’s set to include quite a few DIY modifications.
Plus, for the first time, the game will also feature a dedicated melee slot for weapons. In the past, there have only been two (barring Modern Warfare III, which gave players an extra pistol) but now there’s a third.
Gunsmith gets some modifications
Seasoned CoD players spend plenty of time tinkering with their weapons in Gunsmith, but it can be frustrating to swap parts around, only to see your rifle's stats take a hit.
To make life easier, Treyarch says that every new attachment in BO6 will, for the most part, boost your weapon instead of nerfing it. Furthermore, you won’t have to worry about different add-ons messing up specific enhancements, like aim down sight speeds.
Now, each attachment serves a singular, positive purpose – for example, a rear grip will consistently improve handling, with some grips even boosting your firing speed while on the move.
To further streamline Gunsmith, almost all optics will be shared across all weapons in a weapon class. Unlock a red-dot sight for a submachine gun (SMG), and you’ll be able to use it for other SMGs in the same category. All other attachments will remain unique to their allocated weapons, however.
There are some new features
The biggest of these is the new ‘Omnimovement’ system, which will come into play during the Multiplayers – and which the developers have promised will change the way the game is played for the better.
What this means is that players will be allowed to sprint, move and slide in any direction they please, including backwards – where, before, you could only do so in a straight line, now you can dive around to get out of the line of fire. And, even when the player is prone, a new option will let them slowly turn around from a lying position.
Plus, there’s extra freedom in the form of Treyarch’s new intelligent-controls system. This includes auto-mantling, which allows players to vault obstacles without even pressing a button, or indeed squeeze through small holes without pressing X (that’s the auto-crouch setting). Lastly, you can take human shields for the first time. Or shoot through doors.
Multiplayer is bigger and better
Not to worry, multiplayer fans; there’s stuff for you here, too. The multiplayer is its own beast entirely, and features 16 maps at launch, including 12 6v6 maps, and four Strike maps, which can be customised to suit 2v2 or 6v6 playing modes. However, they will be based on maps from the series campaign.
There will also be three classes from which to choose your warrior: Enforcers (whose specialty lies in hunting and killing people), Recons (who gather intel about enemy movements), and Strategists (who disrupt enemy objectives or distract them).
You can’t take your MW3 items with you
Alas, when Black Ops 6 launches, you won’t be able to play multiplayer with the countless skins and customised weapons you’ve purchased on MW3.
Treyarch says it’s treating the upcoming game like a fresh start, with new weapons, operators, and calling cards on offer.
Not only would your fluorescent MW3 loot look out of place next to the old-school guns, but it would probably make the whole experience feel more bloated as a result. That’s the last thing CoD needs, seeing as it can already be confusing for newcomers.
Of course, some players will relish the idea of a back-to-basics Black Ops. Getting offed by a killer Santa in MW3, with a gun that turned your corpse into a blunt, felt like you were being trolled.
Meanwhile, everyone else can take consolation from the fact that MW3 items will still be available in Warzone, along with the latest Black Ops 6 content.
The Prestige system is back
Where do you go once you’ve completed the campaign, won countless multiplayer matches, and killed several battalions’ worth of players? Well, you jump to Prestige.
The classic progression system is back, giving players special rewards to strive for by resetting their rank and unlocked gear when they reach level 55. While it’s not compulsory, it feels satisfying to see that levelling bar inch forward instead of remaining static. Plus, you’ll have bragging rights over others with your exclusive Prestige icons, operator skins, and emblems.
Those who played the beta in September have already gotten a head start, with the option to reach a maximum level of 30.
Completing all 10 Prestige ranks will promote you to Prestige Master, with 1,000 levels to climb through, also with additional rewards. The grind truly never ends.
Yes, there will be zombies
The new game will see the return of Call of Duty’s beloved Zombies mode. This will take the form of its own mini-campaign, picking up after the events of the Cold War, in the storyline dubbed Dark Aether.
There will be two maps for players to work through: Liberty Falls (a small American town) and Terminus, an island that is also a prison, Alcatraz style. And you can look forward to a choice of four main characters to play as: pick your fighter and get slaying.
