It's time to load up. That's because Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will be landing in October, and this next big instalment in the COD franchise looks like it'll be a real thriller with blockbuster set pieces and plenty of high-stakes missions.

Set against a backdrop of the early 1990s, Black Ops 6 will be an intense spy action shooter taking place during a seismic shift in global politics after the cold war. Expect a mind-bending story where you’re never sure who to trust and what's real!

Let's find out more about the upcoming game co-developed by Treyarch and Raven Software. From the release date and price to the action-packed, cinematic gameplay.

What is Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's release date?

Get some target practice in soon. That's because Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will be making its way onto ninth-gen gaming consoles and PC on 25 October 2024.

How much will Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 cost?

The Standard Edition of Black Ops 6 will cost £69.99, with the Vault Edition priced at £99.99. The latter will bag you a few extras though, including the Hunters vs. Hunted Operator Pack, Mastercraft Collection, BlackCell (1 Season), and a GobbleGum Pack for Zombies (more on that later...)

Can I pre-order Call of Duty: Black Ops 6?

You can get ahead of the game and pre-order Black Ops 6 right now in any Currys store — you’ll save 10% too! Or pre-purchase a copy of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 from Currys online right now.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 platforms and crossplay

You'll get to play Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One. It'll be available as part of Xbox Game Pass at launch too, and PC gamers can fire up Black Ops 6 if they're running on Windows.

Just like previous Call of Duty games, crossplay will be available from day one. So, if you're a die-hard PlayStation player, you'll still be able to go head-to-head against your mates on Xbox or PC. Or form a squad and fight side-by-side in epic online battles instead.

How to play Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

All COD games are immersive first-person shooters — it's what they're famous for! Black Ops 6 looks to be no different, but a whole new global system called Omnimovement will let you sprint, slide, and dive in any direction. So, you'll get to seamlessly chain combat manoeuvres together and move like a real-life action hero to get the upper hand on your enemies.

That's not the only innovation Black Ops 6 will offer though. There's Intelligent Movement too, aimed at letting you focus on how you want to move instead of how to achieve it. That means less worrying about which buttons or keys to press and relying on sprinting, mantling, and crouch assists to carry out complex manoeuvres with ease. You'll be ticking off those mission objectives in no time.

And speaking of missions, it’s their variety that makes Black Ops 6 look really intriguing. In one level, you'll have to stealthily make your way through an old sewer system beneath a casino and pull off an audacious Ocean's Eleven style heist. And then at the other end of the spectrum, you'll be on the frontline in bloody large-scale battles — including a full-force assault on an Iraqi desert palace.

Black Ops 6 really leans into the period it's set in too, so you'll have to interact with equipment of that era to make your way past obstacles. We're talking picking locks, hacking computers, solving keypad codes, and much more.

How many hours of gameplay will Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 have?

According to Treyarch developer Yale Miller, Black Ops 6's single-player Campaign Mode will offer about eight hours of gameplay. That's about the same length of the campaigns in previous COD titles. But with all the new multiplayer maps and the Zombies Mode — there's almost endless thrills to be had.

Who are Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s main characters?

There's a strong cast of characters in COD: Black Ops 6:

• Frank Woods: If you've played Black Ops games before, you'll recognise veteran Frank Woods. After suffering a traumatic injury at the hands of Raul Menendez in Black Ops II, Woods is now working with the CIA and will crop up a few times throughout Campaign Mode.

• Troy Marshall: Woods' protege, a natural born leader who despite possessing a strong moral compass can be prone to reckless behaviour. After an operation goes awry, both he and Woods are suspended from the CIA and forced to go rogue.

• Jane Harrow: A fearless and intelligent CIA handler who manages Woods and Marshall within the agency.

• Felix Neumann: A rogue agent recruited by Woods and Marshall after they’re exiled. He's regarded as a technical genius with unique skills.

• Sevati Dumas: An intriguing and mysterious assassin also recruited by Woods and Marshall.

• Russell Adler: The infamous CIA agent from Black Ops Cold War, with his allegiances and motivations unclear.

What Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 features are player-customisable?

There are loads of weapons you can equip your operative with in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, including new firearms that’ll appear for the first time in the franchise. A mix of off-the-shelf military issue equipment and makeshift gadgets will form your armoury, and you’ll have to think carefully about picking the right tools for each mission.

For the first ever time in a COD Black Ops game, you’ll be able to customise your HUD to suit your needs too. Want it in the middle of your screen so you don’t have to look away from the action as often? No problem!

What are the different Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 game mode options?

Campaign

Black Ops 6's Campaign Mode will take you back in time to a period of great change and turmoil. The Soviet Union has collapsed, and the Gulf War is dominating global headlines. But despite the US being the sole remaining superpower, all is not well stateside. That's because a mysterious clandestine force has infiltrated the CIA, with resisting agents branded as traitors.

You'll have to go rogue with Black Ops vet Frank Woods and his team, who are in exile and being hunted by the military machine that created them. This means there’ll be a lot more to this game than just pointing and shooting, with plenty of cloak-and-dagger spy drama. Keep your wits about you and learn who to trust — as nothing will be what it seems.

As you're playing in a twisted and covert world, the narrative isn't set in stone either. You'll have the freedom to navigate through missions however you see fit — from the intense combat to the conversations you have. Different outcomes can be achieved depending on choices you've previously made, so always think ahead as you talk, barter, and manipulate operatives throughout the game.

Then between missions, you'll hole up with your team in the Manor — a cliffside safehouse where you'll piece together puzzles within the storyline and decide how to proceed. The Manor hides a few secrets of its own too...

Multiplayer

Any experienced COD player will know that the Multiplayer Mode is where most of the fun's at. And Black Ops 6 is bringing 16 brand new maps to the party — that's 12 Core 6v6 maps, and four smaller Strike maps you can play 2v2 or 6v6. It might take a while learning where the best vantage points are at, but that's all part of the game with a new COD release. Each map will have its own story too, set after the events of the main campaign.

With the introduction of Omnimovement, your skills will make even more of a difference when playing online. Plus, the number of Hit Zones has been expanded from four to nine. Meaning that you can expect a much wider variety of visual takedowns across both Multiplayer and Campaign Modes. For example, if you fire a sniper round at an enemy's arm as they’re sprinting, that limb will snap back and spin them around. In other words — damage is far more realistic!

Zombies

Round-Based Zombies will be back in Black Ops 6. Yup, the super popular mode where you'll get to shoot through hordes of flesh-hungry, rampaging undead like the main character in a horror movie. There will be two brand-new maps — Terminus and Liberty Falls — with additional maps and experiences dropping post-launch for both Zombies and Multiplayer modes.

Any more questions?

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