Call of Duty: Upgrades of the Next Generation of Black Ops Cold War Explained

This year’s Call of Duty game will be available on both current-gen consoles (PlayStation 4 and Xbox One) and next-generation consoles (PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X). The good news is that Activision and developers Treyarch and Raven Software will support cross-generation cross-play for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. Less comforting is the somewhat confusing upgrade path that Call of Duty players may experience when they plan to buy Black Ops Cold War on a current platform this November and later upgrade to the next-gen version.

Black Ops Cold War will be available in both physical and digital forms on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. (The game also comes to Windows PC, where it is sold digitally through Battle.net.)

Players who have the standard physical version of Black Ops Cold War on PS4 will be able to upgrade to the PS5 version via the PlayStation Store (apparently for a fee, as the standard next-gen version of the game costs $ 10 more than the standard current-gen version). If you want to play your physical PS4 copy of Black Ops Cold War on PS5 (with the next generation upgrades), you need to have the disc in the system. That means that if you’re in the market for the discless Digital Edition of the PlayStation 5, you Black Ops Cold War PS4 disc does not allow you to upgrade.

Players who have the standard physical version of Black Ops Cold War on Xbox One will not be able to upgrade to the Xbox Series X version, as PlayStation players can.

However, Activision notes:

Both current generation versions (PlayStation 4 and Xbox One) will be playable on their respective next-generation consoles via backward compatibility by inserting the disc into the console. But, the game does not include next-generation features such as higher frame rate, hardware-based ray tracing, faster loading times, and more.

Activision will also be selling physical versions of the game for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, for $ 69.99 each. For the Xbox Series X, that physical copy will be playable on both Xbox One and Xbox Series X. (A PS5 physical copy will not work on a PS4.)

Image: Activision

The simplest way to play is probably the Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Cross-Gen Bundle. That digital package, which costs $ 69.99, will be available on current and next-gen PlayStation and Xbox consoles.

Here is the official description of Activision of the Cross-Gen Bundle for each platform from them Black Ops Cold War Editions FAQ:

PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5: Purchase the Cross-Gen Bundle on PlayStation 4 and receive a digital right to both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 versions of the game. The version of PlayStation 4 will download directly to your console anytime Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War launches on November 13th. The PlayStation 5 version of the game will be automatically downloadable from your account library when the PlayStation 5 launches later this year. If you purchase the Cross-Gen bundle on PlayStation 5, you will also be entitled to the PlayStation 4 version of the game.

Xbox One and Xbox Series X: Purchase the Cross-Gen bundle on Xbox One and receive a digital right to both the Xbox One and Xbox Series X versions of the game. The Xbox One version will download directly to your console anytime Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War launches on November 13th. The Xbox Series X version of the game will be automatically downloadable from your account library when the Xbox Series X launches later this year. If you purchase the Cross-Gen bundle on Xbox Series X, you will also be entitled to the Xbox One version of the game.

Activision also sells a Ultimate Digital Edition for $ 99.99, which includes the Cross-Gen Bundle and some additional digital items, such as a pass for Cold WarThe first season, skins, blueprints, and more.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War comes to PlayStation 4, Windows PC, and Xbox One on November 13. PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X versions are expected to arrive when these consoles launch.