Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is now officially confirmed for release in 2020. The next major release in the Call of Duty franchise is a direct sequel to Call of Duty: Black Ops and is planned to launch on November 13. That launch date is confirmed only for PS4 and Xbox One, but Black Ops Cold War has 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 of Black Ops Cold War on 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 that PlayStation 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 of Black 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 of Black Ops Cold War is 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 and Xbox Series X versions of the Black Ops Cold War standard 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 of Black Ops Cold War has been confirmed as $69.99.
The pricing is obviously quite confusing, as Activision appears to be working around PlayStation and Xbox 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 some Black Ops Cold War purchasers to pick up the wrong version of the game.
Perhaps the simplest answer for Black Ops Cold War players is simply to wait. Both the PS5 and the Xbox Series X are likely to launch right around the same time as Black Ops Cold War. Once those release dates are known, and pre-orders for next-gen consoles have been made, Black Ops Cold War players will better know which version of the game they should buy.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War releases November 13 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X to follow.
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