Black Ops 6 Beginner's Guide: Release date, gameplay innovations & more

Whether you've played a Call of Duty game before or you're hopping into Black Ops 6 as a newbie, there's lots to unpack regarding Treyarch's latest addition to the series.

Below, we'll go over everything you need to know, including the release date, setting, gameplay innovations, and much more.

Release date

Black Ops 6 is set to release on October 25, 2024.

This was revealed at the Xbox Games Showcase in June and coincides with similar release dates that we've seen for previous Call of Duty games.

Setting

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The game will be set in the early 1990s during the Gulf War period, following on from the Cold War and futuristic locales of past Black Ops titles.

This was confirmed in the official reveal trailer for the game at the Xbox Games Showcase, which gave us a first look at the campaign for Black Ops 6.

The Gulf War was a conflict between the United States and Iraq that occurred between 1990 and 1991, triggered by the latter's invasion of neighbouring Kuwait.

Plenty of returning characters will make an appearance in the campaign, with Woods acting as the central persona throughout the story. He's still recovering from his injury after the events of Black Ops 2, and now has a protege under his wing - Troy Marshall, a brand new character.

Jane Harrow is another fresh face for the series and will act as the team's CIA handler. An appearance from a tech whizz and an elusive assassin is also teased, setting the scene for what seems to be an exciting spy thriller. Oh, and Russell Adler is back from Cold War, although his allegiances are teased as being unclear.

Platforms

Black Ops 6 will be released on:

• Xbox Series X|S
• Xbox One
• PlayStation 5
• PlayStation 4
• PC

This year's Call of Duty will continue the trend of bringing the series to the previous generation of consoles, as Xbox One and PlayStation 4 owners will once again be able to hop on and play. Whether this is the last year for this feature remains to be seen, but it's great that players who haven't made the jump can still enjoy the game.

What's more, we've received official communication that Black Ops 6 will be launching Day One on Xbox Game Pass for console and PC. This is huge news considering the sheer scale of the series, and the best piece of information if you're a CoD fan who is already subscribed to the service.

Developer

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Both Treyarch and Raven Software are leading the project.

It's unsurprising and expected to see Treyarch attached to a new game in the Black Ops series as it has been at the forefront of all five previous entries. However, it appears that Raven Software is joining Treyarch once more, mirroring the structure that Black Ops Cold War followed.

This has been indicated by posts on X from both developers, quoting the announcement from the official Call of Duty account. Treyarch's post used a gif from John Wick 4 that states "Yeah, I'm thinking I'm back," which Raven quoted again with another gif from the same film, stating "So it begins."

Gameplay Innovations

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Omnimovement

Treyarch has overhauled the movement systems this time around to introduce a new system that it's calling 'Omnimovement'. Players will now be able to sprint sideways and backwards as well as forwards, intending to sell further the feeling of being a highly mobile Black Ops agent.

Diving and Sliding is still here too, and looks as though players will have much more granular control over it. Just like Sprint, you can now dive and slide in any direction, too. In the brief glimpses of gameplay that we've seen, there was a player who leaps and turns in mid-air to pull off some pretty incredible shots.

Going prone has also seen some advancements. While lying down, you can now spin a full 360 degrees around with your body remaining in the same position. How this will play into gameplay, we're not quite sure just yet - but I imagine it will make for even more camouflaged camping spots for those so inclined.

Omnimovements looks like it will speed up the pace of play a tad, and will certainly cause for a new way of tactical thinking like we haven't seen in Call of Duty before.

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Intelligent Movement

With Omnimovement making traversal a little more speedy and complicated, that's called for a few new accessibility features that Treyarch is calling 'Intelligent Movement'. Wrapped up into three individual toggles that can be adjusted in the settings menu, players can choose to enable:

• Sprint Assist
• Mantle Assist
• Crouch Assist

Enabling these settings will reduce the number of inputs you need to make to perform certain actions. In the Black Ops 6 Direct, we see that a player is able to sprint, mantle over obstacles, and crouch under low ceilings without pressing any buttons when the assists are enabled.

If this doesn't suit your playstyle, you can turn these settings off at any time in the options menu.

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Customisable HUD

For the first time in a Call of Duty game, you'll be able to customise your Heads Up Display to meet your specific needs.

HUD elements like the minimap, ammo counter, score feed, and much more can be placed pretty much anywhere you'd like on the screen. We saw a few examples of the mini-map being displayed in the bottom left as opposed to the top left where it's traditionally resided for years.

Another wild layout saw most of the game's HUD elements centred around the crosshair, with the rationale being you don't have to look away from the action.

This feature is likely to be very popular for streamers who want to customise how their game looks around their streaming elements. However, this is also an excellent accessibility feature for your average player who wants to set up their game as it best suits them.

Zombies

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It would be sacrilege for a Treyarch game to omit a Zombies mode, but Black Ops 6 is continuing the trend with round-based Zombies returning in the new title.

We don't know a huge amount about this mode just yet, but Treyarch has confirmed that it will be picking up the Dark Aether storyline where it left off in Cold War.

There will be two brand new maps to explore at launch, with both promising to be packed with secrets, weapon unlocks, and deadly enemies to take down.

Carry Forward Content

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While weapon, equipment, and Operator unlocks previously carried forward from MW2 to MW3 in 2023, that won't be the case for Black Ops 6. Instead, we'll be starting completely from scratch with a whole new set of weapons, and no wacky Operator skins running about the maps.

The only exception to this is the Woods Operator pack, which is included in the Vault Edition of Black Ops 6. You'll be able to use those Operator skins in both MW3, Warzone, and Black Ops 6 when it launches later this year.

Vault Edition

The Vault Edition is a premium tier of access for Black Ops 6 which can be pre-ordered before the game releases in October.

Players who fork out a bit of extra cash will earn the Mastercraft Collection, which includes a bunch of weapon blueprints to use in Multiplayer and Zombies:

1. Jackal PDW
2. Ames 85
3. LE 7.62
4. Marine SP
5. Combat Knife

COD NEXT Event

Start date

The COD NEXT Event is set to take place on August 28, 2024, and is when we'll next hear more about Black Ops 6. An official start time is yet to be announced, but I'll update this guide once we know for sure.

As for how long the event will last, we also don't know just yet. Previous COD Next events have run for as long as four hours, so it's likely that we can expect a similarly lengthy deep dive into what makes Black Ops 6 tick.

Where to watch

COD NEXT 2024 will be simultaneously live-streamed across Call of Duty's YouTube and Twitch social channels:

• YouTube
• Twitch

What to expect

Activision has teased that COD NEXT will be home to the Worldwide Multiplayer Reveal of Black Ops 6, giving us a much deeper insight into how the new gameplay mechanics will affect online play. Expect lots of new information regarding weapons, maps, progression systems, and maybe even ranked modes.

Previous events that Call of Duty has hosted have seen high-profile streamers and professional players fly out to play a preview build of the game live on stage, with commentators and developers walking viewers through the new advancements in this year's game.

Trailers

Above is the gameplay reveal trailer of Black Ops 6, which gives us our first proper look at the game's campaign and setting. We see returning characters such as Mason, Woods, and Adler, all within the Gulf War setting.

The first tease trailers we got for Black Ops 6 was the initial "wake up (rushmore) #thetruthlies" teaser.

This video shows body cam-style footage of two people at night in a mountainous landscape, which is eventually revealed to be Mount Rushmore. The four faces covered are with blindfolds, spelling out 'The Truth Lies' and then what we now know to be the Black Ops 6 Cerberus logo.

Joining the Rushmore teaser is 'The Truth Lies', another live-action tease ahead of the official Direct.

This trailer features numerous key political leaders who were involved in the Gulf War, including Saddam Hussein, Margaret Thatcher, Bill Clinton, and George H.W. Bush. Whether their involvement is limited to just the campaign is yet to be seen.