In October 2023, Microsoft finalized a deal to purchase Activision Blizzard for $69 billion, which means that Microsoft now owns the iconic first-person shooter franchise Call of Duty (COD). The tech giant’s acquisition leaves fans with a burning question: When will COD come to the Xbox Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate subscription service? Let’s discuss the possibilities, including release date speculation, “Day 1” availability, and potential perks for subscribers.
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Please note: The information about the COD franchise coming to Xbox Game Pass includes rumors and educated guesswork based on historical evidence. We’ll update our readers once official release date information becomes available.
Is Call Of Duty On Game Pass?
When Is Call Of Duty Coming To Game Pass?
At the time of writing (mid-April 2024), we are still determining precisely when COD will be coming to the Game Pass subscription service. Microsoft has yet to unveil a release date officially. We do know, however, that Microsoft plans to put COD on Game Pass.
In an interview with Stephen Totilo of Game File, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer confirmed that Xbox plans to put all Activision Blizzard games, which includes the COD franchise, on Game Pass:
“Our intent is the full portfolio of games from ZeniMax, Activision Blizzard, and XGS —Xbox Game Studios —will be on Game Pass, day one. We’re doing the back end work to make them come to PC and console simultaneously.”
If we had to guess, COD coming to Xbox Game Pass will likely coincide with the release of COD 2024 (Black Ops Gulf War, according to rumors). Given that a new COD game has been released annually between October and November since 2005, an educated guess for the release date window of the first new COD coming to Xbox Game Pass at launch is October or November 2024.
The first Activision Blizzard title to release on Xbox Game Pass following the Microsoft acquisition is Diablo 4 on March 28, 2024. We may learn when COD will come to Xbox Game Pass as early as June 2024. At the end of an Xbox Podcast in March, Head of Xbox Game Studios Matt Booty mentioned an upcoming Xbox Showcase for June 2024.
No date or time for the June Xbox Showcase is available. However, several rumors, including those discussed by reputable publications, point towards COD on Xbox Game Pass and the reveal of COD 2024 at the June Xbox Showcase.
Please note: We will update our readers once official information becomes available.
Are Older Call Of Duty Titles Coming To Game Pass?
There’s a good chance that much more than the latest COD title will come to Xbox Game Pass. We think gamers may see 10 or more COD titles appear on the subscription service sometime in the future. The Xbox Series X|S consoles thrive on backward compatibility with the Xbox One family as well as some Xbox 360 and original Xbox titles.
Making an educated guess, Xbox Game Pass will likely feature both older titles from the Xbox One and newer titles from the Series X|S. We’ve included the release date and developer of the COD titles that have a good chance of making it to the subscription service first.
| COD Game | Release Date | Developer |
| COD Ghosts | Nov. 5, 2013 | Infinity Ward |
| COD Advanced Warfare | Nov. 4, 2014 | Sledgehammer Games |
| COD Black Ops III | Nov. 6, 2015 | Treyarch |
| COD Infinite Warfare | Nov. 4, 2016 | Infinity Ward |
| COD WWII | Nov. 3, 2017 | Sledgehammer Games |
| COD Black Ops 4 | Oct. 12, 2018 | Treyarch |
| COD Modern Warfare | Oct. 25, 2019 | Infinity Ward |
| COD Black Ops Cold War | Nov. 13, 2020 | Treyarch & Raven Software |
| COD Vanguard | Nov. 5, 2021 | Sledgehammer Games |
| COD Modern Warfare II | Oct. 28, 2022 | Infinity Ward |
| COD Modern Warfare III | Nov. 10, 2023 | Sledgehammer Games |
Call Of Duty Xbox Game Pass Perks & Freebies?
Since the original Warzone, the COD franchise has featured many cosmetic items that players can purchase with either in-game currency or by opening their wallets and paying real money. Microsoft already put some fantastic perks on Xbox Game Pass for various titles, including first-party offerings such as Sea of Thieves. After COD releases on Xbox Game Pass, we suspect those with the subscription service will get some cosmetic perks or maybe Battle Pass boosters to claim for free.
Will Game Pass Get New Call Of Duty Games At Launch?
Once Microsoft has dotted all the i’s and crossed the t’s to get COD games ready for Xbox Game Pass on PC and consoles, we can expect new games in the iconic FPS franchise to launch on Game Pass on the day of their launch. In the gaming industry, this is called a “Day 1” release, something Xbox Game Pass subscribers can look forward to with new, annual COD releases.
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