Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold Waris now officially confirmed for release in 2020. The next major release in theCall of Dutyfranchise is a direct sequel toCall of Duty: Black Opsand is planned to launch on November 13. That launch date is confirmed only for PS4 and Xbox One, butBlack Ops Cold Warhas been confirmed for both PS5 and Xbox Series X as well. Those interested in cross-gen compatibility may want to do some research before pre-ordering, though.
To start, Activision is selling standard edition copies ofBlack Ops Cold Waron PS4 and Xbox One for the industry-standard price of $59.99. These copies of the game will run on both PS5 and Xbox Series X respectively, but will not include the upgraded next-gen versions of the game, they’ll just be the current-gen versions of the game running on next-gen hardware. Note thatPlayStation gamers will be able to purchase a next-gen digital upgrade, but Xbox gamers will not.
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For those wanting to avoid the confusion of next-gen upgrades, Activision is selling a cross-gen version ofBlack Ops Cold War, too. This digital version of the game will include a copy of both the PS4/Xbox One version of the game, as well as the PS5/Xbox Series X version at no extra cost when it launches. The catch is that this cross-gen version of the game costs $69.99 instead of the standard $59.99. Alternatively, an$89.99 Ultimate Edition ofBlack Ops Cold Waris also available and includes the cross-gen version of the game, as well as other DLC.
Finally, it is confirmed that there will be PS5 andXbox Series X versions of theBlack Ops Cold Warstandard edition. It isn’t entirely clear, but it appears that the physical copies of the PS5 version of the game will not run on PS4, though the Xbox Series X version may run on Xbox One. Pricing for the next-gen PS5 and Xbox Series X standard editions ofBlack Ops Cold Warhas been confirmed as $69.99.
The pricing is obviously quite confusing, as Activision appears to be working around PlayStation andXbox policy encouraging publishers to provide next-gen upgrades for free. Activision is, clearly, opting not to do that. The result is likely going to lead someBlack Ops Cold Warpurchasers to pick up the wrong version of the game.
Perhaps the simplest answer forBlack Ops Cold Warplayers is simply to wait. Both the PS5 and the Xbox Series X are likely to launch right around thesame time asBlack Ops Cold War. Once those release dates are known, and pre-orders for next-gen consoles have been made,Black Ops Cold Warplayers will better know which version of the game they should buy.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold Warreleases November 13 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X to follow.
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