Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is a day one Xbox Game Pass release in a major move for Microsoft's subscription service

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 teaser
(Image credit: Activision)

Update: Xbox has confirmed Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is a day one launch with Xbox Game Pass later this year. 

Earlier today, May 28, Xbox announced a major boost for its subscription service: Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will arrive on Xbox Game Pass on day one when it debuts later this year, for both PC and console players alike. This is the first huge change Microsoft has made to Call of Duty releases since it acquired Activision.

The original article follows below.

Original: It seems like Xbox has mistakenly revealed that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will be coming to Xbox Game Pass on day one later this year.

According to The Verge reporter Tom Warren, the Xbox Game Pass app on Android and iOS devices has notified users via a push notification that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is "coming to Xbox Game Pass on day one later this year." However, clicking the link in the notification itself sends users to an Xbox Wire page that doesn't exist at the time of writing, though it does have a URL that mentions playing Black Ops 6 on Game Pass right from day one.

Therefore, it seems as though the push notification was accidentally sent out to Xbox Game Pass users on mobile devices ahead of time, and an official announcement. It could be that Xbox will officially announce the news later today, May 28, but a report earlier this month claimed Xbox would make an announcement about Call of Duty on Xbox Game Pass during Summer Game Fest next month in June.

Given that Xbox usually makes its announcements around 7 am PT/10 am ET/ 3pm BST, it looks like the announcement could be coming later today. Keep an eye out on Xbox's social media channels, and the Xbox Wire itself, later today for the potential official announcement about Black Ops 6 on Xbox Game Pass. While this sort of thing has happened before - hello Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 - it looks like something is going on.

What we definitely know is that a Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Direct is airing next month on Sunday, June 9, immediately after the main Xbox Games Showcase 2024. The Xbox-oriented showcase will be kicking off at 10 am PT/1 pm ET/6 pm BST, so the Black Ops 6 Direct will likely start around two hours after the initial showcase begins. 

Take a look at our upcoming Xbox Series X games guide for an overview of all the exclusives Xbox currently has in the works.

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.

Read more
A player wearing a gasmask and holding a gun during the shooter, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
Call of Duty season 2 brings back Gun Game and a fan-favorite Zombies weapon we haven't seen in 10 years
A close-up of the Doom Slayer in the upcoming PC game, Doom: The Dark Ages.
Xbox Developer Direct kicks off 2025 with Doom: The Dark Ages, South of Midnight, Clair Obscur, and a "surprise" fourth game
A player wearing a gasmask and holding a gun during the shooter, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
10 Games like Call of Duty that you should play now
Avowed screenshot showing hammer swinging at skeleton
Upcoming PC Game Pass games you need on your radar for 2025
Two Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 players using omnimovement to dive past each other on the Skyline map
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Season 2 brings back a beloved game mode fans have been begging for, but all I care about is a practically meaningless bug fix
Upcoming Xbox Series X games header image featuring State of Decay 3, Fable 4, The Outer Worlds 2, and South of Midnight
Upcoming Xbox Series X games for 2025 and beyond
Latest in Call of Duty
A player wearing a gasmask and holding a gun during the shooter, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
Call of Duty season 2 brings back Gun Game and a fan-favorite Zombies weapon we haven't seen in 10 years
A player wearing a gasmask and holding a gun during the shooter, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
136,000 Call of Duty accounts have gotten banned since ranked launched for Black Ops 6: "We’re not slowing down in our mission to shut down cheaters"
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War reportedly surpasses Red Dead Redemption 2's huge development costs, with a massive $700 million budget
Black Ops 6
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 makes headshots deadlier while cutting back on weapon sway and recoil: "We will be keeping a close eye on sniper balance after this change"
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 movement.
Black Ops 6 player spent nearly 20 hours grinding to Prestige without getting a single kill, all by spamming Spy Cams
Black Ops 6 Zombies
Call of Duty hacker says "I had my fun" after reportedly getting thousands of Warzone and Modern Warfare 3 players falsely banned
Latest in News
Lunar Remastered Collection
"Will today’s players still enjoy a game from 30 years ago?": JRPG icon Kei Shigema says he was thrilled to see Lunar getting a remaster even after all this time
Nick Offerman as Bill and Murray Bartlett as Frank in The Last of Us episode 3
The Last of Us season 2 showrunners tease a "gorgeous" episode akin to season 1’s Emmy-nominated Bill and Frank story: "Just you wait"
The Witcher 4 screenshot with Ciri using sword and sorcery to fight an ancient monster
CD Projekt boss says "cutting-edge single-player games" – you know, like The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2 – will "continue to enjoy great popularity" despite industry shifts
Cyberpunk 2077
Despite releasing exactly zero new games, CD Projekt bagged $120 million in profit for 2024 – the Witcher and Cyberpunk studio's third-best result ever
Muse
Daredevil: Born Again midseason trailer teases Matt Murdock’s violent fight with Muse, including a gory scene straight from the comics
Batman looking over the city during Batman: Arkham City, one of the best PS3 games.
The PS2 Batman Begins game was considered such a "disaster" that Christopher Nolan turned down a Dark Knight-inspired game