Later this year, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will mark the franchise's debut as a launch day title for Xbox Game Pass. However, Microsoft could give subscribers an early treat with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
According to Insider-Gaming, the 2023 blockbuster shooter is coming to Xbox Game Pass later this month. Microsoft has not yet made the announcement, but the report was corroborated by Windows Central.
To be clear, this would be the most recent Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, developed by Sledgehammer Games and released last year. The third entry in the rebooted Modern Warfare sub-series, following 2022's Modern Warfare 2, the game was met with mixed reviews. Many felt that the campaign was underwhelming, but praised the multiplayer portion of the game, which blended older maps with modern gameplay.
News of the possible addition of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 comes after Microsoft just announced a price increase for its Game Pass service. This week, Microsoft nixed its Xbox Game Pass for Console plan, while introducing the new Xbox Game Pass Standard for $14.99 per month. The new plan still offers access to the Game Pass library, which means Modern Warfare 3 will probably still be included, but it does not include perks such as playable Day One releases. This means Black Ops 6, which releases later this year and was announced as playable through Game Pass on Day One, will no be included.
Instead, to play Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 for free through Game Pass, you'll need either Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass, both of which went up in price. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate now costs $19.99 per month, up from the previous price of $16.99. PC Game Pass also increased from $9.99 to $11.99 per month, but still includes Day One releases.
None of this was unexpected though as there were reports that Microsoft was heavily weighing the costs and benefits of making Call of Duty a Day One game on Xbox Game Pass. Many felt that doing so would water down the value of the blockbuster franchise, which typically sells millions of copies yearly. In the end, Microsoft did decide to announce Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 as a Day One title for Game Pass, but they are gatekeeping it behind the more expensive tier.
In addition to Modern Warfare 3, there have also been report that older Activision games could start coming to Game Pass this month as well, including Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is set to release on October 25, 2024. Despite being owned by Microsoft, the blockbuster shooter will still be available on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.