Xbox Game Pass has a huge library of well over 100 titles, and each month, a new handful joins the ever-growing collection. But while these monthly offerings often contain at least one or two worthy additions, the main draw for many Game Pass subscribers is the promise that any first-party Microsoft games will be added to the service on day one. For years, this has been a fairly mutually beneficial system for Xbox Game Pass, with subscribers getting AAA blockbuster experiences for a fraction of the retail price, and first-party franchises managing to draw in a wider audience.
Of course, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 probably didn't need the boost in audience numbers, but its appearance on Xbox Game Pass is a huge win for subscribers. And while Black Ops 6's success on Game Pass is also undoubtedly a big win for Microsoft after the almost $70 billion acquisition of Activision-Blizzard, the company might have just shot itself in the foot, setting expectations that can't be easily matched again.
Best Games On PC Game Pass
Silksong, Clair Obscur, Doom, and Minecraft are only a few of the great games on PC Game Pass.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Has Raised Expectations for Xbox Game Pass
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Has Been a Huge Success for Xbox Game Pass
For the last few years, Call of Duty has been experiencing another steady decline, with the poorer quality of each entry impacting both critical and commercial success. 2021's Call of Duty: Vanguard sits at a 73 on Metacritic, 2022's Modern Warfare 2 is at a slightly higher 75, and last year's Modern Warfare 3 has a devastatingly low 56, being the lowest-rated entry in franchise history.
The Call of Duty franchise desperately needed a return to form after last year's disastrous entry, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has been just that. Finally offering the complete package of a great campaign, an additive multiplayer mode, and the return of round-based Zombies, Black Ops 6 has earned some incredibly positive reviews, with outlets like VG247, Forbes, and NME all giving the game a perfect 10. Black Ops 6 currently sits at an 85 on Metacritic, which is the highest score the franchise has seen since 2011's Modern Warfare 3.
On top of critical acclaim, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has earned some extreme commercial success. In a recent earnings call, Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, stated that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's launch was the "biggest Call of Duty release ever." Nadella also stated that Black Ops 6 "set a record" for new Game Pass subscribers on launch day. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has been a major success on all counts, but while that's exciting now, Microsoft may not be able to replicate those numbers anytime soon.
Xbox Game Pass' November and December Line-Ups Might Not Be Able to Reach The Same Heights
Xbox Game Pass still has a fairly strong line-up for the rest of 2024. This month sees the launch of both Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl, two long-awaited sequels that seem to be improving on their predecessors in some major ways. But while Flight Simulator and STALKER are franchises that certainly have their dedicated fans, their popularity is a far cry from Call of Duty's.
The same can even be said for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Rounding out Xbox Game Pass' 2024, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle sounds like it's shaping up well according to recent previews, and it seems to be offering an adventure game experience that Xbox players rarely get. But even a blockbuster, decades-old franchise like Indiana Jones is unlikely to pull in the same numbers for Game Pass as Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 83 /100 Critics Rec: 91%
- Released
- October 25, 2024
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Suggestive Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Treyarch, Raven Software
- Publisher(s)
- Activision
- Engine
- IW 9.0
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- Yes - PlayStation, Xbox, PC
WHERE TO PLAY
Forced to go rogue. Hunted from within. This is Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
Developed by Treyarch and Raven, Black Ops 6 is a spy action thriller set in the early 90s, a period of transition and upheaval in global politics, characterized by the end of the Cold War and the rise of the United States as a single superpower. With a mind-bending narrative, and unbound by the rules of engagement, this is signature Black Ops.
The Black Ops 6 Campaign provides dynamic moment-to-moment gameplay that includes a variety of play spaces with blockbuster set pieces and action-packed moments, high-stakes heists, and cloak-and-dagger spy activity.
In a best-in-class Multiplayer experience, players will test their skills across 16 new maps at launch, including 12 core 6v6 maps and 4 Strike maps that can be played 2v2 or 6v6.
Black Ops 6 also marks the epic return of Round-Based Zombies, the fan-favorite mode where players will take down hordes of the undead in two brand-new maps at launch. Post-launch, players can look forward to even more exciting maps and groundbreaking experiences dropping into both Multiplayer and Zombies.
- Cross Save
- Yes - PlayStation, Xbox, PC
- Prequel(s)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Call of Duty: World at War
- Franchise
- Call of Duty
- Number of Players
- 1-4
- Split Screen Orientation
- Vertical or Horizontal
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unknown
- PC Release Date
- October 25, 2024
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- October 25, 2024
- PS5 Release Date
- October 25, 2024
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC
- Genre(s)
- FPS
- How Long To Beat
- 8 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
- File Size Xbox Series
- 216 GB (October 2024)
- Local Co-Op Support
- 1-2 Players
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
