It's been nearly 12 months since the Earth finished its last rotation around the sun and that means one thing: a new Call of Duty game is coming out soon. This year is a Treyarch year, which is significant because Treyarch games are usually received better and more highly anticipated than Infinity Ward or Sledgehammer titles.

Black Ops 6 had a fairly successful beta weekend last month, which showcased perfectly why Treyarch games are viewed so fondly. Even for Call of Duty standards, Black Ops 6 is being hyped up a decent bit amount ahead of its launch.

Due to the steam it's generating, we understand a lot of new or returning players are going to take the plunge into the world of Black Ops. Let's take a look at everything you need to know about Black Ops 6.

Release Date and Time

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will release at 12:00 a.m. EST on Friday, October 25.

Location | Time Zone & Release Date

--- | --- Los Angeles | 9 p.m. PST October 24 New York | 12 a.m. EST October 25 London | 5 a.m. BST October 25 Seoul | 1 p.m. KST October 25 Sydney | 3 p.m. AEDT October 25

There is no early access to either the campaign, multiplayer, or zombies for Black Ops 6.

Editions and Pricing

Black Ops 6 has two editions that are available for purchase. There is the "Standard Edition" and the Vault Edition."

The standard edition costs $70 USD and the vault edition costs $100 USD.

There aren't nearly as many differences as you may expect. The vault edition comes with operator pack cosmetics, weapon blueprints, and the season 1 battle pass (season 1 isn't expected to start until around November 14 to 21). All non-cosmetic content is included in the standard edition of the game.

Major Changes

As with any CoD, there are a bunch of minor changes that don't matter too much, however, Black Ops 6 is bringing three major changes with its launch. These changes are:

• Omnimovement
• Hostages
• Sniper Changes

Let's take a look at each one individually.

Omnimovement

Omnimovement is Black Ops 6's main innovation and marketing beat. Through the power of omnimovement, players can now sprint backwards and sideways. Players can dive to the left or right and backwards. Players can also shoot while in midair during a dive.

Movement in Black Ops 6 is set to be a major area with lots of room for improvement and skill expression. We've got a whole guide on omnimovement that will teach you everything you need to know. It could be revolutionary for the CoD franchise and truly separate bad players from good players or good players from great players.

Hostages

When sneaking up behind players in recent Call of Duty titles, you've been able to perform an execution. An execution is a slower and strategically bad way of killing someone that forces them to sit through a long and over the top animation. It's basically just used for BM'ing. In Black Ops 6, when sneaking up behind someone, players will have the option to take them hostage as a human shield instead of executing them.

This is, admittedly, not something that is going to be groundbreaking and significantly alter how multiplayer in Call of Duty is played. However, it should be a fairly interesting mechanic that produces some funny moments for players.

Sniper Changes

The list of changes to snipers in BO6 is a short list, but there's only one change that matters. ALL shots from the torso and up are one shot kills in Black Ops 6. This is a significant change.

Sniping in Call of Duty has always been weird and struggled to fit in with how the majority of players play the game. The developers have struggled over the years with finding ways to balance a weapon type that should be able to kill in one bullet, but can't be too good at doing that one thing.

How do you balance a weapon that is designed to kill in one shot? Does it require a lot of skill because you have to hit one accurate shot? Or does it require zero skill because there's zero tracking and recoil management and all you have to do is hit the guy one time?

Those are the questions the developers have struggled to answer over the years, and in recent CoD titles snipers have been fairly weak. Making every sniper a one shot kill from the torso up will be a major buff to the strength of snipers in this title. It may end up even being too generous, we'll just have to wait and see.

Game Modes

Call of Duty is known for having a wide variety of different game modes to play. Black Ops 6 shouldn't be any different. Players should expect:

• Team Deathmatch
• Domination
• Kill Confirmed
• Hardpoint
• Search and Destroy
• Control
• Warzone* (Resurgence and Battle Royale)
• Ranked Play*
• Party Modes**

*: Ranked Play will not be available until the launch of season 1. This is expected to be around November 14 to 21.

**: Party modes aren't always available at launch, but are typically added at some point during the games life cycle.

***: Warzone is technically a different game, but will receive massive changes to make it much more like Black Ops 6.

Miscellaneous

It would be impossible to cover everything about this game in one singular article, however, here are some rapid-fire miscellaneous things about BO6 players should know:

• Black Ops 6 will be on Xbox Game Pass at launch.
• The game will feature a new "Omnimovement" system that will allow players to sprint in all directions.
• The game will feature a new "Hostage" system that will allow players to take hostages as human shields instead of executing them.
• The game will feature a new "Sniper" system that will make all shots from the torso and up one-shot kills.
• The game will feature a new "Warzone" map that is set in a new location called "Resurgence."
• The game will be released on both Steam and Battle.net.
• The game will feature a new "Battle Pass" system that will allow players to earn rewards by completing challenges.

How to Play Early: The New Zealand Trick

If you’re wondering how the New Zealand trick works in Black Ops 6, you’ve come to the right place.

It’s no secret that the much-awaited Black Ops 6 official launch is right around the corner but many players want to dive into the game a little early ahead of its release.

That’s where the New Zealand trick comes in as it allows you to play the game 24 hours earlier than the rest of the world. But what exactly is this strategy and most importantly, is it even safe? Let’s break it down.

The New Zealand trick is a clever workaround used by gamers to access digital releases of games earlier than their official launch time. The trick is based on time zone differences.

Since New Zealand is one of the first countries to enter a new day due to its position near the International Date Line, games released at midnight in New Zealand are technically available hours earlier than in other parts of the world like the US or Europe.

When it comes to Black Ops 6, players change their console’s region settings to New Zealand, which allows them to download and play the game as soon as it becomes available in that country—several hours before it’s officially out in their own region.

How to Use the New Zealand Trick

To use this trick, one must follow these steps:

1. Go to your console’s settings and change your region to New Zealand.
2. Restart your console.
3. Go to the PlayStation Store or Xbox Store and search for Black Ops 6. The game should be available for download.
4. Download and install the game.
5. Once the game is installed, you’ll be able to play it.

It’s important to mention that you’ll also need to change your address to New Zealand in Call of Duty account settings. On top of that, the trick doesn’t work for Steam or Battle.net players.

Is the New Zealand Trick Safe?

The New Zealand trick falls into a bit of a gray area. Technically, players aren’t doing anything illegal—there’s no hacking or altering of the game files involved. They’re simply taking advantage of the console’s built-in settings to access content earlier.

However, it’s important to note that publishers like Activision may frown upon this tactic. While no one has been banned for changing their console’s region, it could potentially violate terms of service and players run the risk of getting locked out of future updates or content if there’s any fallout. Activision has historically been lenient on this but there are no guarantees.

Fixing Packet Burst Issue

Dealing with lag or disruptions while playing Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 can be incredibly frustrating. This problem occurs when data fails to properly reach the game server, causing delays, stuttering, or, in the worst-case scenario, match disconnections.

Due to its widespread impact during the beta, which disrupted the experience for thousands of players, knowing how to fix it is crucial to enjoying the game. This guide will walk you through various methods to fix the Packet Burst error in Black Ops 6.

What Causes the Packet Burst Issue?

The Packet Burst issue is usually caused by network interruptions, which can be linked to a player’s internet service provider or faulty in-game settings. Here are some solutions to fix this problem in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6:

Solutions

• Check your internet connection. It may seem straightforward, but the first step in addressing this error in Black Ops 6 is to ensure your internet connection is functioning correctly. A poor or unstable connection can create issues when attempting to access online services, which can negatively impact your gameplay experience.

• Restart your router. If you’ve tested your connection and found no visible issues but are still encountering the Packet Burst issue in the game, try restarting your internet router. This can help reestablish the performance and potentially resolve any underlying problems.

• Use a wired connection. If all else fails, the best option is to switch to a wired Ethernet connection. This approach can help eliminate any potential wireless connectivity issues and should offer a more stable connection overall.

• Limit On-Demand Texture Streaming. Despite Call of Duty removing the option to disable On-Demand Texture Streaming completely, BO6 allows you to limit its usage to avoid negatively impacting your gameplay experience. To do this, navigate to the game’s settings and set the On-Demand Texture Streaming option to Minimal.

• Check server status. A reliable way to determine whether the issue is on your end is to check the status of Activision’s servers. Typically, during a new CoD game launch, the servers experience problems due to the sudden surge of players, which can result in functionality issues and even temporary crashes. By checking the server status, you can verify whether the problem lies with your connection or if you simply need to wait for the devs to resolve the server issues.

• Reset shader pre-loading (PC). For PC players, pre-loading shaders can cause Packet Bursts, and resetting them clears your cache and helps reduce the amount of VRAM used during match loading. You can do this by navigating to the Graphics settings section of Black Ops 6. Under the Display option, simply click on 'Restart Shaders Pre-Loading.'

Black Ops 6 is nearly here, are you ready?