Activision’s Strategy for Black Ops 6: Expect Smaller Downloads and a Sleeker Interface

by Drew Bryant · August 18, 2024

Earlier this week, Activision released a comprehensive outlook on the launch roadmap for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. A key focus of the community blog post is addressing the download size of the new game.

In recent years, fans have expressed frustration with the large file sizes of AAA games. Call of Duty, with its various modes like Multiplayer and Zombies, along with yearly releases and updates for Warzone, has consumed substantial hard drive space. A rumor earlier this year suggested that file sizes could exceed 300 GB on installation, a concern that was quickly addressed by the Call of Duty team.

Modern games often exceed 100 GB, which is a significant portion of a user’s hard drive. Activision aims to tackle this issue.

In the months leading up to the Black Ops 6 launch on October 25th, the Call of Duty development team will implement updates to streamline the interface, provide direct access to games, offer more control over downloads, and enhance streaming technology to reduce file sizes.

Below, we provide an overview of the key updates and the changes to download sizes as outlined by the Call of Duty team. For the complete roadmap and detailed blog post, click here.

Roadmap Introduction

As we look ahead to Call of Duty®: Black Ops 6, we’ve been working on ways to improve the Call of Duty experience by optimizing menu navigation and offering smaller and more customized downloads, plus other benefits for your Call of Duty library.

We’ve heard your feedback, and along with our own testing and learnings, have worked to optimize the way players access and download Call of Duty. This begins by revamping the experience formerly known as Call of Duty HQ.

Moving forward, as a result of upcoming changes, players will have:

A new streamlined interface
Direct access to games
More control over your downloads, including Call of Duty: Warzone™ content
Expanded streaming technology to reduce file sizes

These changes will be rolled out in phases as a series of downloads. After these larger initial updates, future Call of Duty downloads will decrease in size and existing files will take up less space on your device.

As a thanks for your patience, we’re gifting all players with in-game consumables, which will be delivered when you first log into Call of Duty after the Season 5 Reloaded update.

Download Sizes and Experience

This is where you come in. The process begins with a download – a big one. But downloading now will pave the way over the next several weeks and ultimately lead to a better experience when Black Ops 6 arrives.

This initial download will not permanently add the stated file size to the storage space that Call of Duty takes up on your device. The update is reorganizing game files and adding new tech to prep the way for the full player interface arriving in October. Once complete, Call of Duty’s footprint will decrease due to these file optimizations.

PlayStation® 5 players will acquire this update via four separate downloads. The initial download will be similar to other updates that are needed before booting up Call of Duty. The next update will be triggered within the Call of Duty experience – a download when first accessing Modern Warfare III or Call of Duty: Warzone. After the second update is completed, there will be another download when accessing Modern Warfare III and a final download when accessing Call of Duty: Warzone.

The PS5 requires split downloads due to differences in file organization. The initial download may be larger in size for players who also have Modern Warfare II content installed.

Players on other platforms will acquire the entire update via a single download, similar to other updates that are needed before booting up Call of Duty.

Thank You for Bearing with Us During This Update

As a thank you to the community for completing this download, we’re gifting players a pack of Battle Token Tier Skips and 2XP Tokens. From the start of Season 5 Reloaded (August 21) until the end of Season 5, players who complete the download and log on will receive:

10 1-Hour Double Player XP Tokens (10 Hours Total)
10 1-Hour Double Weapon XP Tokens (10 Hours Total)
10 Battle Pass Token Tier Skips

These tier skips and tokens will be delivered when you first log into Call of Duty after the Season 5 Reloaded update.

At Season 1, Black Ops 6 and Call of Duty: Warzone will remain the featured titles, but players will be able to instantly launch into both Black Ops 6 and Call of Duty: Warzone.

We will follow up with the associated download sizes for this update and more details around the new user interface before it goes live in October.

Black Ops 6 Download Sizes

As a result of these updates, Black Ops 6 will be a smaller download at launch than Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare III. Since we are still in game development, and in the process of final optimizations, it’s too soon to share final download sizes yet. We plan to have final specs for Black Ops 6 in October. We will share the file size details as soon as we have them.

Players with the previous updates installed who purchase Black Ops 6 will automatically download the title as an update to their existing install.

New or returning players without Call of Duty installed can download Black Ops 6 from their platform storefront.

Starting with Black Ops 6, games will have their own individual user interfaces designed to easily get players into the modes and content they want to play.

Players will get a partial preview of the Black Ops 6 user interface during the Black Ops 6 Multiplayer Beta and at the Call of Duty: NEXT showcase event!

We think you’ll like the upcoming changes… Stick with us while we get through the first big transitional update for Season 5 Reloaded and then reap the benefits of the new system on the way to the Black Ops 6 Multiplayer Beta, launch, and into our seasonal content.

As we approach the highly anticipated launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, these updates and enhancements promise to significantly improve your gaming experience. With a more streamlined interface, reduced download sizes, and advanced streaming technology, Activision is dedicated to addressing community concerns and optimizing game performance. We appreciate your patience and enthusiasm as these changes roll out. Stay tuned for further updates and prepare for an exciting new chapter in the Call of Duty franchise. For the complete roadmap and more detailed information, be sure to check out the full blog post.