When Microsoft announced Black Ops 6 was coming to Game Pass upon launch in October, everyone thought it would be the first Call of Duty (CoD) game to be added to Xbox’s all-you-can-play gaming service.
But, that may not be the case. Instead of waiting months to play CoD, Game Pass subscribers may get thrust into the virtual battlefield as soon as this month.
New reports suggest Modern Warfare 3, the latest release in the long-running series, will pip Black Ops 6 to the Game Pass post later this July. They come on the heels of Microsoft’s announcement of a Game Pass price hike, which will see the service’s cost rise by up to 25 per cent in September.
Here’s what we know about the Call of Duty games coming to Game Pass this year, and how much you’ll have to pay to play them.
When is Call of Duty coming to Game Pass?
Microsoft, which purchased CoD studio Activision Blizzard for a record $69bn (then £56bn) in 2023, has confirmed that Black Ops 6 will launch on Game Pass and other platforms on October 25.
Before then, word is Microsoft could surprise drop Modern Warfare 3 on the gaming service later this month. At least that’s what specialist news sites Insider Gaming and Windows Central are hearing from their industry sources. The latter also revealed that other Activision games, including Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, will be added in the coming months.
If Microsoft really wanted to generate hype, it could also drip-release a bunch of older CoD entries in the lead-up to its big Call of Duty Next event on August 28, or even add them all at once.
How much is Xbox Game Pass after the price hike?
After all, the company is in need of some goodwill after announcing a divisive price rise for Game Pass, its second since last August.
Starting in September, monthly charges for PC Game Pass will rise by £2 to £9.99. Meanwhile, its priciest and most popular tier, Ultimate, with access to cloud gaming, will go up by £2 to £14.99 per month.
Microsoft is also launching a Standard subscription in place of its console tier (which has been discontinued for new subscribers from July 10), albeit without day-one game releases. The UK price of the new plan has yet to be confirmed, but it could cost around £11.99 based on US currency conversion.
As widely expected, the new prices are being introduced ahead of the launch of Black Ops 6. Set amid the backdrop of the first Gulf War, the new game unites series veterans Franks Woods and Russell Adler with fresh heroes to take down a shadowy deep state.
As for how all of this affects CoD fans on Xbox, it’s pretty straightforward: you will still need Game Pass Ultimate to play CoD in all its glory on Microsoft’s console. That’s because, alongside Game Pass for PC, Ultimate is the only tier that gives you access to online multiplayer and the full, unrestricted library of Game Pass games (including day-one titles).
