Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Biggest Call of Duty Launch Ever, Sets New Single Day Game Pass Sub Record

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Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 was the biggest Call of Duty release ever, setting new day one and opening weekend records as sales on PlayStation and Steam jumped 60 percent compared to 2023's Modern Warfare III. Game Pass also benefited from Call of Duty's release, setting a new record for amount of new subscribers in a single day. Call of Duty Black Ops 6 launch last week saw strong concurrents on Steam that outperformed Modern Warfare II and III.


The leap in subscribers would seem to validate Xbox's big bet in launching Black Ops 6 straight into Game Pass, giving the service a shot in the arm in the midst of its recent growth struggles. Analysts predicted that Black Ops 6 could boost Game Pass subscribers by between 2.5 million and 4 million, but at the cost of traditional sales. But for now at least, Black Ops 6 seems to be doing just fine amid strong overall reviews, though it currently sits at "Mixed" on Steam owing to complaints about multiplayer lag and map balance.


“Thank you to our players around the world for making Black Ops 6 the biggest Call of Duty launch ever. Our goal from the start has been to bring this great game to as many players as possible wherever they are, however they play," Call of Duty GM Matt Cox said in a statement. "Black Ops 6 is an amazing game, and the response from the Call of Duty community has been incredible. This is only the beginning. Nuketown is only days away and Season 1 is right around the corner. We’re just getting started.”

Nadella announced the results during today's Microsoft earnings, which as usual focused heavily on the company's AI and cloud-based initiatives. According to Microsoft, Activision Blizzard helped drive a 43 percent rise in gaming revenue while Xbox content and services grew 61 percent. Xbox hardware dropped 29 percent.


In the wake of its successful release, Black Ops 6 looks to continue its momentum with the release of Nuketown later this week. A wealth of content is also planned for Season 1, which arrives on November 14, including new maps, new modes, and more.

We wrote in our review of Black Ops 6's campaign, "An excellent string of missions that offer variety and flexibility come together to make the best Call of Duty campaign in many, many years. Black Ops 6 is a fantastic return to form for the series, allowing the designers at Raven to delve deep into their bag of tricks and keep you guessing at every turn."

You can read our review of Black Ops 6's multiplayer right here, and make sure to check out our list of the best guns as well as our Liberty Falls main quest easter egg walkthrough.


Kat Bailey is IGN's News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.