Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 won't offer early access to its campaign mode, breaking a new trend set by the latest Modern Warfare games

A player wearing a gasmask and holding a gun in the upcoming PS5 game, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. — (Image credit: Activision)

It's bad news for anyone eager to dive into Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's campaign mode, as Activision has confirmed that for the first time in two years, players won't be offered early access to the single-player story ahead of the first-person shooter's multiplayer launch.

Looking at Call of Duty's recent releases, both Modern Warfare 2 and 3 (the 2022 and 2023 versions, respectively) offered fans who pre-ordered the games around a week of early access to their campaign modes. This was a move that went down well with many at the time, as it gave players the time to enjoy the story without feeling the need to rush into the multiplayer mode to make sure they didn't fall behind with their PvP skills. However, publisher Activision has now confirmed that this won't be happening this year for Black Ops 6.

In a statement sent to Charlie INTEL, Activision says that the "team is fully focused on October 25," and is "excited about all the game has to offer across Campaign, Multiplayer and Zombies." It continues: "This year, we made the decision to ensure the community gets to dig in to any and all modes that they want at the same time, so we are back to one massive global launch moment October 25. As such, there is no Early Access beat this year for Black Ops 6, just the countdown to launch."

It's not that there's been no early access to Black Ops 6 at all, as the FPS recently wrapped up a multiplayer beta period, allowing players across all platforms to get stuck into the action and try out the fancy new omnimovement options. However, with that beta window now closed, it's back to the countdown for the game's full release next month, which may now feel even further away than ever for those who were banking on an early campaign launch.

For more games like Call of Duty, be sure to check out our roundup of the best FPS games.

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