Black Ops 6 release date and everything we know about multiplayer, Zombies & campaign
Activision BlizzardBlack Ops 6 is the next Call of Duty title, launching in 2024. With the release on the horizon and plenty of details revealed, here’s what we know about the game so far.
It’s been four years since Treyarch’s last mainline Call of Duty entry, Black Ops Cold War. While they’ve helped the other developers bring Zombies and Ranked Play to their respective games, Treyarch have become the first COD dev team to be given four years to work on their title.
That’s given them time to develop an entirely new COD experience with some huge changes for the franchise.
Black Ops 6 release date & start time
Black Ops 6 will release on Friday, October 25, 2024. If you’re on console, it’ll release at midnight local time on October 25, but if you’re on Steam and Battle.net, the time will differ per region. Here’s a breakdown:
- Los Angeles – 9 PM PT (Oct 24)
- Mexico – 10 PM CST (Oct 24)
- New York – Midnight ET (Oct 25)
- Brazil – 1 AM BRT (Oct 25)
- London – 5 AM BST (Oct 25)
- Paris – 6 AM CEST (Oct 25)
- Stockholm – 6 AM CEST (Oct 25)
- Johannesburg – 6 AM SAST (Oct 25)
- Dubai – 8 AM GST (Oct 25)
- Seoul – 1 PM KST (Oct 25)
- Tokyo – 1 PM JST (Oct 25)
- Sydney – 3 PM AEDT (Oct 25)
ActivisionPre-load times
The pre-load for Black Ops 6 will be available on Monday, October 21 at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET / 5 PM BST across all platforms.
If you’ve pre-ordered or are subscribed to Game Pass, you can start preloading multiplayer, Zombies, and the campaign ahead of time. However, if you’re on Battle.net, you can already pre-load the campaign and multiplayer, with Zombies presumably arriving on the 21st.
Platforms
Black Ops 6 will release on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC (Steam & Battle.net).
Although the game is available on last-gen consoles, those versions will be missing a couple of key features.
While Microsoft signed a deal with Nintendo in 2022 to bring future COD titles to their hardware, there has not been any word on Black Ops 6 on Nintendo Switch.
Is Black Ops 6 on Xbox Game Pass?
Yes, Black Ops 6 arrives on Xbox Game Pass Day One. So, if you’re already subscribed to Game Pass PC or Ultimate, you won’t have to pay a penny more.
You could upgrade to the Vault Edition if you want some extra cosmetics and extra CoD Points, though.
All BO6 editions & prices
| Edition | Platform | Cost | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Edition | PC | 69.99 USD / 69.99 GBP | Base game |
| Cross-Gen Edition | Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5 | 69.99 USD / 69.99 GBP | Base game with cross-gen compatibility |
| Vault Edition | PC Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5 | 99.99 USD / 99.99 GBP | Base Game Hunters vs Hunted Operator Pack Mastercraft Collection BlackCell Battle Pass Season 1 GobbleGum Pack |
| Vault Edition Upgrade | PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5 (digital editions only) | 30 USD / 30 GBP | Hunters vs Hunted Operator Pack Mastercraft Collection BlackCell Battle Pass Season 1 GobbleGum Pack |
If you pre-order Black Ops 6 before its October 25 release date, you’ll also get the Woods Operator Pack and Reflect 115 Camo to use in MW3 and Warzone.
Game Pass subscribers can use the Vault Edition Upgrade to get that content without having to buy the $100 edition. You don’t have to be on Game Pass either, as long as you’ve digitally bought Black Ops 6, you can upgrade at any time.
PC system requirements
| Minimum Requirements | Recommended Specs | Competitive/4K Ultra Specs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating System | Windows 10 64 Bit (latest update) | Windows 10 64 Bit (latest update) or Windows 11 64 Bit (latest update) | Windows 10 64 Bit (latest update) or Windows 11 64 Bit (latest update) |
| Video | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 / GTX 1650 or AMD Radeon RX 470 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080Ti / RTX 3060 or AMD Radeon RX 6600XT, or Intel Arc A770 | NIVIDA GeForce RTX 3080 / RTX 4070 or AMD Radeon RX 6800XT |
| Video Memory | 2 GB | 8 GB | 10 GB |
| CPU | Intel Core i5-6600 or AMD Ryzen 5 1400 | Intel Core i7-6700K or AMD Ryzen 5 1600X | AMD Ryzen 7 2700X or Intel Core i7-8700K |
| RAM | 8 GB RAM | 12 GB RAM | 16 GB RAM |
| Internet | Broadband Internet connection | Broadband Internet connection | Broadband Internet connection |
| Storage | SSD with 102 GB available space at launch | SSD with 102 GB available space at launch | SSD with 102 GB available space at launch |
Setting and time period
Black Ops 6 is set during the Gulf War in 1991, marking a first for the Call of Duty franchise. Activision has explored WW2, modern military combat, and even the distant future, but Black Ops 6 will be the first COD game to cover this conflict.
The Gulf War started in 1990 and lasted a year, between Iraq and a 42-country coalition led by the United States. The main countries involved were the USA, UK, France, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Kuwait.
As it’s set during the Gulf War you’ll be able to visit Iraq, but the campaign will also take you around the world including southern Europe and Washington DC.
ActivisionIs there campaign early access?
No, Black Ops 6 won’t feature campaign early access – single-player, multiplayer, and Zombies will all go live on October 25.
The previous two games, MW2 and MW3, let Vault Edition owners play the campaign over a week early but this year, it all arrives at once.
Major changes: Omnimovement, Prestige & perk categories
Treyarch have made two significant changes in Black Ops 6. The biggest is the introduction of omnidirectional movement, or simply Omnimovement, that completely switches up how players traverse the maps, both in multiplayer and battle royale.
Omnimovement allows players to sprint and dive in any direction (along with improvements to vaulting and traversal) and even shoot while diving. For the players that excelled in the slide cancel era with that movement skill gap, Omnimovement increases that gap even further.
Not only that, but Treyarch have brought back the classic Prestige system, letting you begin anew to climb the ranks again while earning new rewards.
Traditional perks also return, albeit with a slight twist, as they come under one of three categories: Enforcer, Recon, and Strategist.
Taking three perks in the same category will reward you with a boost, almost like an additional perk, incentivizing players to go for different playstyles without restricting them to any one set of perks per slot.
All multiplayer maps and modes
ActivisionMaps
Core
- Protocol
- Payback
- Skyline
- Lowtown
- Subsonic
- Rewind
- Scud
- Red Card
- Babylon
- Derlecit
- Vorkuta
- Vault
- Nuketown (November 1)
Strike
- Warhead
- Stakeout
- Gala
- Pit
Black Ops 6 arrives with 16 brand-new maps at launch with the classic Nuketown returning later. 12 of these are your classic 6v6, and the final four are Strike maps that can be played 2v2 or 6v6.
Modes
- Team Deathmatch (6v6)
- Domination (6v6)
- Search & Destroy (6v6)
- Kill Confirmed (6v6)
- Free-For-All (8)
- Hardpoint (6v6)
- Gunfight (2v2)
- Headquarters (6v6)
- Kill Order (6v6)
- Control (6v6)
- Face-Off Variants
- Hardcore
- Infected (post-launch)
- Ranked Play (Season 1)
These are all the modes we know about so far but expect more to be added as the seasons go on.
Weapons revealed so far
DexertoAssault Rifles
SMGs
Shotguns
LMGs
Marksman Rifles
Sniper Rifles
Melee
- Knife
Secondaries
- GS45
- 9mm PM
- Cigma 2B Launcher
These are only the weapons available in the beta, with even more arriving with launch. You can also check out all the Scorestreaks, Equipment, and Field Upgrades revealed so far.
Round-based Zombies returns
ActivisionRound-based Zombies returns in Black Ops 6, giving players what they’ve been clamoring for for four years.
It will arrive on October 25 with two maps, Terminus and Liberty Falls, and it will also continue the Dark Aether narrative that started in Black Ops Cold War. A set crew returns offering “deeper story interactions,” but you can also take an Operator of your choice.
While previous games had open-world versions of the mode, Treyarch confirmed BO6 will exclusively have round-based content, with more maps added through the live seasons.
Trailers
The first Black Ops 6 trailer teased the game’s setting, showing prominent figures from the early 90s such as Bill Clinton, Saddam Hussein, Dick Cheney, and Margaret Thatcher.
The Gameplay Reveal Trailer arrived on June 9, giving further insight into the game’s Gulf War setting and confirming Woods and Adler’s return alongside new character Troy Marshall. We also got a small glimpse at Omnimovment.
August 6’s Terminus Cinematic Trailer showed off one of the brand-new Zombies maps arriving at launch. Here, we get a taste of the island in the Philippine Sea where you’ll be battling the undead, as well as setting up the playable crew – Grigori Weaver, Elizabeth Grey, Mackenzie ‘Mac’ Carver, and Maya Aguinaldo.
A couple of days later, the Terminus Gameplay Reveal showed more of the map’s locations, weapons, Perk-a-Cola machines, and drivable boat.
Call of Duty Next revealed the other Zombies map, Liberty Falls, and the cinematic trailer gave us a look at the West Virginia town where you’ll be taking down hordes of the undead and Richtofen’s return.
CoD Next also unveiled multiplayer for the first time, and the multiplayer reveal showed off the maps, weapons, Operators, Omnimovement, and new mechanics like body shields.
The full Liberty Falls trailer revealed more of the large-scale Zombies map including a comic book shop and bowling alley.
The Global Launch Gameplay trailer arrived on October 7 and gave us a look at more campaign footage including a trippy dream sequence, a tank shooting down a plane, and internal strife between our main characters.
Black Ops 6 will also integrate with Warzone with the Season 1 update, so you can check out everything we know about the new Area 99 map and all the quality of life changes.