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Black Ops 6 isn’t the only Activision Blizzard game coming to Xbox Game Pass this month

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A soldier stands outside in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
Activision

It’s October, which means it’s Call of Duty season for Xbox and Activision. So expectedly, Xbox Game Pass’ offerings for the second half of the month into November are all about Activision Blizzard.

October 25 is the big day for Call of Duty fans. The next entry in the shooter series, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, is hitting cloud, console, and PC for Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers. Modern Warfare 3, which was the first Call of Duty game added to the service in July, is also specifically coming to Xbox Cloud Gaming on October 25, along with Call of Duty Warzone.

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A lot of what’s coming to Black Ops 6 is standard Call of Duty fare: new multiplayer maps, Zombies mode, and a single-player campaign. However, developer Treyarch and Raven Software have added a new movement system called Omnimovement, which allows the player to spring into action in every direction. Players will also get the old Prestige system back for progression, along with a fully customizable HUD.

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Activision announced Tuesday that preloading begins at 9 a.m. PT on October 21. It’ll roll out on PC from 4 a.m. to 11 p.m. PT.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 - Global Launch Gameplay Trailer

Xbox Game Pass will also get StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft 2: Campaign Collection on PC for Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers on November 5. Players can still use Battle.net to play the multiplayer for free, but with Game Pass, the single-player campaigns — including all the expansions — have been upgraded with 4K and widescreen support.

If you’re not into Call of Duty or StarCraft, there are (surprisingly) other games coming to Game Pass in the last half of October. You can check out the full list below.

  • South Park: The Fractured but Whole (Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard) — October 16
  • Donut County (Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard) — October 17
  • MechWarrior 5: Clans (Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass) — October 17
  • Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass) — October 25
  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Game Pass Ultimate, Cloud) — October 25
  • Call of Duty: Warzone (Game Pass Ultimate, Cloud) — October 25
  • Ashen (Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard) — October 29
  • Dead Island 2 (Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass) — October 31
  • StarCraft: Remastered (Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass) — November 5
  • StarCraft II: Campaign Collection (Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass) — November 5

DLC and game updates

  • Core Keeper (Xbox One) — October 17

Game Pass Ultimate perks

  • Monster Hunter Now: MHN Bundle
  • Throne and Liberty: Clay and Mischievous Bundle
  • Free Digital Comic GONE #1 by Jock from DSTLRY

Leaving October 31

  • Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery
  • Headbangers
  • Inkulinati
  • Lonely Mountain’s Downhill
  • Mineko’s Night Market

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Carli Velocci
Carli Velocci
Contributor, Games
Carli is a technology, culture, and games editor and journalist. They were the Gaming Lead and Copy Chief at Windows Central…
Black Ops 6 might be the biggest Call of Duty release ever
Soldiers near a train in Black Ops 6.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is on track to be the most successful Call of Duty release in the franchise's history thanks to a record-breaking launch, according to Activision and Microsoft.

The companies revealed that Black Ops 6 had the biggest three-day opening for the series by many metrics. It had the most players, most hours played, and the most total matches, according to a post on X (formerly Twitter). The game also got a shout-out during Microsoft's quarterly earnings call on Wednesday.

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After the backlash surrounding the Zombies mode in Modern Warfare 3, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has returned to the round-based roots we all know and love. Well, the structure might be familiar, but this mode has more than its fair share of new tricks that will see you getting swarmed in seconds if you can't learn to adapt. If you're familiar with how Call of Duty handles its Zombies mode, you will know that there's a lot more you need to know besides just shooting zombies if you want to make it to the later rounds. If you want to survive as long as possible, we have the key tips and tricks to withstand the zombie horde in Black Ops 6.
The basics still apply

There are a few tips from past Zombies games that will serve you well here in Black Ops 6 that are worth a quick reminder. Starting off with the need to conserve ammo in the early game. Zombies are weakest in the first handful of rounds, but ammo is incredibly scarce. You can't count on getting more when you need it, so save as much as possible and try to melee as many zombies as possible. Only shoot if you get swarmed, need to save a teammate, or when a boss or elite shows up.

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Kill Order gameplay in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.

The concept of a Wildcard might sound like a risky endeavor in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, but this part of your loadout isn't random at all. We haven't seen this system since Cold War, and even those who remember it from that game will need to learn all the new cards there are in Black Ops 6. You can only equip a single Wildcard on your loadout, but they are powerful enough to completely redefine your playstyle. So far, there are only six to unlock while grinding through the levels with your friends, but picking just one is still a tough choice, especially if you want to use a permanent unlock on one after hitting Prestige. We've ranked all the Wildcards in Black Ops 6 so you can always have the winning hand.
All Black Ops 6 Wildcards, ranked

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Perk Greed - Level 54
The last Wildcard you unlock is easily the most powerful. Perk Greed lets you unlock a fourth Perk to your loadout instead of being limited to three, which can borderline break the game if you choose the right set of Perks. It is also the most versatile of the Wildcards since it gives you the most options to play with instead of a specific bonus you may not find useful. It can also more easily unlock the special bonus buff you get for equipping three Perks from the same category.
Gunfighter - Level 33
Right in the middle of the unlock list, Gunfighter is one Wildcard you could easily make a case for over Perk Greed in some situations. This one increases your attachment points for your primary weapon by three. If you're rocking a top-tier weapon already, this Wildcard can let you tweak its stats even higher. We rank it second because it only applies to one weapon and thus is a bit more limiting.
Overkill - Level 24
For such an early Wildcard, Overkill is quite a powerful choice. This card lets you equip any weapon (except melee weapons) in your Primary and Secondary slots instead of the ones typically reserved for each. That means you can build a loadout with two Primary weapons and be far more versatile on the battlefield. Instead of having to trade off range, damage, rate of fire, mobility, or any other aspect of your game, you can cover almost all your bases by picking two Primary weapons that cover each other's weaknesses.
Prepper - Level 45
Field upgrades are powerful, don't get us wrong, but having two instead of one isn't always that much of a game-changer. It's a bit less useful than Gunfighter only because field upgrades are more situational and require more attention to use to their full potential. If that's you, then this is a great choice.
Danger Close - Level 38
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Tactical Expert - Level 15
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