Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War lands on Xbox Game Pass as September wave rolls in
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War joined Xbox Game Pass on September 8, 2026, bringing one of 2020's biggest sellers to Microsoft's subscription service — a monthly catalogue that lets subscribers play a rotating library of games for a flat fee. The first-person shooter is available on Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, and PC Game Pass, with cloud streaming support for those playing on phones, tablets, or browsers rather than a console or gaming PC GameSpot.
Developed by Treyarch and Raven, Black Ops Cold War is set in 1981. Its campaign follows CIA officer Russell Adler as he hunts a Soviet spy codenamed Perseus, alongside the series' signature multiplayer and Zombies modes. The game was the best-selling title in the United States for all of 2020, according to industry tracker NPD data cited by GameSpot.
This is the latest Call of Duty entry to reach the service after Microsoft completed its acquisition of publisher Activision. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 both launched day-and-date into Game Pass — meaning they were available to subscribers the same day they went on sale at retail. Black Ops Cold War arrives the other way: a six-year-old title joining the catalogue well after its initial release.
Xbox had flagged the addition in its September Game Pass Wave 1 newsroom post on September 1, 2026, listing the game for Cloud, Console, and PC on Game Pass Ultimate Xbox Wire. That same post announced several other titles heading to the service in September, including RuneScape: Dragonwilds, SpeedRunners 2: King of Speed, and The Royal Writ.
The broader September wave brings a mix of genres to subscribers. Once Human, a free-to-play survival game, is available now on Xbox Series X|S with Game Pass. Hot Wheels Infinite Rush entered Early Access on September 7. The week of September 7–11 also sees the release of Mewgenics among other new Xbox titles Xbox Wire. EA Play members gained access to EA SPORTS NHL 27 this month, and arcade shooter Railbreak DX is out now on Xbox Series X|S with Xbox Play Anywhere support.
Departures are part of the Game Pass cycle too. Cyberpunk 2077 left the service in September's first wave of outgoing titles, as Windows Central reported on August 31 Windows Central.
For Call of Duty players who skipped Black Ops Cold War at launch or have since moved platforms, the Game Pass addition removes the purchase price as a barrier — the game is now available to anyone with an active subscription. Whether that pattern continues for older Call of Duty titles will depend on Microsoft and Activision's catalogue decisions going forward.
Separately, Activision has announced "The Haunting," a seasonal content drop for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Call of Duty: Warzone Season 06, though release timing details remain to be confirmed Call of Duty Blog.
