Call of Duty: Black Ops and its futuristic sequel, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 are now available on PS4 and PS5. However, as fans of these older titles have flocked to the PSN Store to purchase them, they’ve been hit with a one-two punch of disappointment.
Firstly, there is no online cross-play for either Black Ops or Black Ops 2 on PS4 and PS5. If you own either game on PS5, you can only connect with other players on that platform and the same goes for PS4. Although these games will hardly struggle to rally players on either console at launch, it’s a frustrating caveat that could impact lobby wait times further down the line.
No official reason was given for this segmentation though it may have something to do with Activision’s fear of hackers potentially hijacking the PS4 version, spoiling the fun for everyone. One of the biggest reasons why PlayStation fans are so hyped for this Call of Duty duo is due to the proliferation of cheaters and hackers who have made those older PS3 versions a nightmare to play for the past several years.
Another fumble with these rereleases is the way Activision is handling DLC. Instead of each game being a definitive edition of both Black Ops titles that bundles in all of the post-launch map packs, the DLC is being offered as an additional upgrade. Those who decide to fork out some extra cash are unwittingly narrowing their matchmaking pool as the games attempt to link them with other COD fans that have the DLC installed.
Black Ops, Black Ops 2, and their respective season passes on PS4 and PS5 are being sold with a heavily discounted launch price tag. Between now and August 6th, 2026, the base games are 50% off (£17.49 down from £34.99) with season passes at 67% off (£8.57 down from £24.99) as long as you’re on PlayStation Plus.
Given that these are ports and not remasters, exactly how much value they offer is up for debate though it hasn’t stopped them from both charting on the PlayStation Store sales charts.
