Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 is nearly upon us, and gamers will be able to boot up the game and try out its single-player campaign, round-based Zombies mode and multiplayer within hours. Depending on your region and platform of choice, the game will launch at different times. Read on to find out exactly when you can get boots on the ground.
Black Ops 6 launches with a campaign set during the Gulf War in the early 90s’, the first round-based Zombies mode in years and 16 brand-new multiplayer maps, with an old favorite returning just days after launch in the form of the original Nuketown map. The free-to-play Warzone integrates with Black Ops 6 mid-November, with a brand new Resurgence map joining the rotation and all of the Black Ops 6 guns as well as its exciting “Omnimovement” system.
For Xbox Game Pass subscribers, Black Ops 6 will be free-to-play, though you’ll still be able to spend money on in-game purchases, including the Battle Pass which will launch with Season 1.
Here’s when you can start playing the main game on Steam, Battle.net, Xbox and PlayStation.
PC Release Times
Black Ops 6 launches on PC at 9pm PT on Thursday, October 24th. This means that the game will go live at the following times based on your timezone on Steam and Battle.net:
When Can You Play Black Ops 6?
Microsoft Store players will follow the same release schedule as console players.
For console players, the calculation is a bit easier. Basically, Black Ops 6 goes live on the Microsoft Store, Xbox and PlayStation at midnight local time on Friday, October 25th.
New Zealand Trick
This means that theoretically you could switch your region in-game and unlock the game early, though this always comes with a risk of endangering your account as it is technically against the terms of service. Players do this every year, however, and I’ve yet to see anyone get in trouble for it. The so-called “New Zealand trick” allows players in later regions to start playing much earlier. Midnight in New Zealand on the 25th is 4am PT on the 24th. Players who choose this path do so at their own risk.
You can read my interview with Treyarch on Black Ops 6’s smallest maps and Gunfight mode’s return right here. Check out my impressions of the game here. I’ll also have a review up once I’ve had time to play the full campaign, Zombies and multiplayer here on this blog. Stay tuned.
Game Pass Details
Black Ops 6 is the first Call of Duty game to launch on Xbox Game Pass, following Microsoft’s official acquisition of Activision Blizzard last year. However, there is a minor catch here. Game Pass Core and Game Pass Standard subscribers will not gain access to Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 at launch.
In other words, Black Ops 6 will only launch for PC Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers. If you already have one of those tiers, you’ll be able to play on launch day alongside everyone else. If not, you’ll need to upgrade to a higher Game Pass tier or purchase the game separately.
Black Ops 6: What's New?
Black Ops 6 is the return of the subseries started more than a decade ago, and takes the alternate history and applies it to the Gulf War and early ‘90s America. The game comes with the three big Call of Duty staples, as usual: campaign, multiplayer, and zombies. Unlike last year’s title, this zombies mode returns to its classic round-based variant.
The big new feature for this game is omnimovement, which drastically improves players’ ability to maneuver the battlefield in and out of combat.
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