When is Call of Duty coming to Xbox Game Pass?

Here's when we can expect Call of Duty on Microsoft's popular subscription service

(Credit: Activision/Microsoft/The Shortcut)

Now that Microsoft’s protracted takeover of Activision Blizzard is finally complete, the biggest question on everyone’s lips is when is Call of Duty coming to Xbox Game Pass.

Microsoft’s acquisition grants them access to a plethora of fantastic IPs and popular series, such as Diablo, Overwatch, Crash Bandicoot, and many more. But it’s the Call of Duty franchise that gets the tills ringing and continues to attract millions of players every single year.

Currently, you’ll have to shell out $70 for each new Call of Duty release – and that’s just for the standard version of the game. But thankfully, that won’t be the case for much longer. Microsoft releases all its first-party games on Xbox Game Pass on the day of release, and that will include Call of Duty in the future.

When will Call of Duty come to Game Pass?

(Credit: Activision)

Don’t expect to see any Call of Duty games or Activision Blizzard titles on Xbox Game Pass until at least 2024. Speaking on the Official Xbox Podcast, Microsoft’s CEO of Gaming Phil Spencer said that fans will have to wait a little longer before we see the likes of Diablo 4 or Spyro the Dragon on Xbox Game Pass.

“Now that the deal is closed, we’re starting that work,” said Spencer, in response to when Activision Blizzard games will come to Xbox Game Pass. “The Twitter handle [Activision Blizzard’s official account] talked about 2024, I think that’s accurate.

“I would love it if there was some kind of secret celebration drop that’s coming in the next couple of weeks. There’s not. Definitely, when we think about the new games that are there, I would be straight with people. If we were going to put them in the subscription this year, I would tell people. And I know there’ll be some disappointment about that. This acquisition is definitely long-term.”

Will Modern Warfare 3 be on Xbox Game Pass?

(Credit: Activision)

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is bound to break all sorts of sales records when it releases on November 10, but you’ll be waiting a while before it comes to Xbox Game Pass.

Shortly after Microsoft’s takeover was confirmed, Activision Blizzard posted an announcement on X saying, “It’s awesome to see anticipation building for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. As we continue to work toward regulatory approval of the Microsoft deal, we’ve been getting some questions whether our upcoming and recently launched games will be available via Game Pass.

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“While we do not have plans to put Modern Warfare 3 or Diablo 4 into Game Pass this year, once the deal closes, we expect to start working with Xbox to bring our titles to more players around the world. And we anticipate that we would begin adding games into Game Pass sometime in the course of next year.”

Will older Call of Duty games come to Game Pass?

(Credit: Activision)

Almost definitely. Microsoft quietly fixed the matchmaking servers of older Call of Duty games for Xbox 360, a move that likely indicates they’re coming to Xbox Game Pass soon. Older Call of Duty games remain extremely popular, especially for nostalgic fans who still enjoy playing online. It’s also fun to revisit the campaigns of earlier games if you prefer Call of Duty’s single-player mode.

Which Call of Duty games could come to Xbox Game Pass?

There are a myriad of Call of Duty titles that could be added to Xbox Game Pass in 2024, but there’s no guarantee Microsoft will want to bring every title into its subscription service straight away.

Fans will be expecting to see every Call of Duty title on Xbox Game Pass at some point, though, so here are all the Call of Duty games that could end up on Microsoft’s service.

• Call of Duty 2

• Call of Duty 3

• Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

• Call of Duty: World at War

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

• Call of Duty Black Ops

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 2

• Call of Duty: Ghosts

• Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 3

• Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered

• Call of Duty: WW2

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 4

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019)

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered (2020)

• Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War

• Call of Duty: Vanguard

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022)

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023)

Will Call of Duty games remain on PS5?

If you’re a PS5 owner, there’s no need to fret about the future of Call of Duty. Microsoft has signed a binding 10-year deal that will keep Call of Duty on PlayStation platforms, as well as bringing the games back to Nintendo consoles. Call of Duty will also be available on PC and eventually cloud services such as Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Xbox chief Phil Spencer also reiterated on the Official Xbox Podcast that there won’t be any exclusive content or perks for Xbox Series X|S Call of Duty players. Parity will remain with the PS5 versions so PlayStation gamers won’t be getting a lesser product or locked off from certain content.