Call of Duty 2024 Preview: Everything You Need to Know

Get your headset on and hands warm—it's time to dominate some noobs in Call of Duty. Well, it certainly will be later this year, at least. We've gotten a new Call of Duty every year since its second title in 2005 and it's sure to be no different in 2024. 

Call of Duty has been in hot water lately after the last installment, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, was met with the worst review average for any core Call of Duty entry in the franchise’s 20-year history. Oof! Can this year’s game turn things around for the storied shooter series?

While nothing has been officially confirmed about Call of Duty 2024, there have been lots of leaks, rumors, and reports. Will this game reignite the player's love for Call of Duty? Or will it just be another let down in a series that’s arguably losing steam? Here’s what we’ve heard.

What is Call of Duty 2024 about?

According to leaks obtained by Windows Central, Call of Duty's 2024 release will be the sixth installment in the Black Ops series. Since the original Call of Duty: Black Ops in 2010, the sub-label has focused on storylines and missions set around past conflicts including the Cold War and Vietnam War, along with more futuristic battles.

Reportedly made by developer Treyarch, Black Ops 6 (yet to be officially named) will be set amid the Gulf War, "multiple sources familiar with Activision's plans" confirmed.

The Gulf War started in 1990 as the first major conflict between Saddam Hussein's Iraq and a coalition of over 30 countries led by the United States. This was sparked by Iraq's invasion of Kuwait and concerns over Iraq's possession of weapons of mass destruction.

The war concluded in 1991 with a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United Nations on the terms that Iraq withdrew from Kuwait and dismantled their weapons of mass destruction—a detail which later became crucial to tensions with Iraq.

The multiple wars with Iraq have been criticized by many, and according to reports, Black Ops 6 will attempt to explore this complex conflict. Subtlety arguably hasn’t been the strongest suit of this first-person shooter series, however—and like other major game franchises, it has typically shied away from controversial subject matter despite tapping into real-life conflicts.

What else do we know?

We are likely going to see classic Black Ops multiplayer maps returning, including Grind and WMD, according to Insider Gaming. This is a surprise to absolutely no one as the Call of Duty franchise has been living off nostalgia since its golden years. In fact, last year’s Modern Warfare III launched with a full set of decade-old maps right out of the gate.

A round-based Zombies survival mode has also been reported by multiple leaks and sources. This is a change back to the old-school way of approaching the Zombies game mode after Call of Duty moved towards a larger-scale, sandbox-style experience.

Leaks suggest that there may be two maps available at launch that will have returning features like the mystery box, pack-a-punch, aether crystals, and large ammo caches. There are also reports of a "dark aether field emitter," but no one is quite sure what this is yet.

As expected, the Call of Duty Warzone battle royale experience is going to get an update in line with the new launch, leaks suggest, with action returning to the original Warzone map Verdansk, according to Insider Gaming.

When is Call of Duty 2024 coming out?

This has yet to be confirmed, but Call of Duty games normally release in October or November. Last year’s Modern Warfare III shipped on November 10, for example.

Activision reportedly intends to continue its yearly release schedule into the foreseeable future. According to Insider Gaming, there are titles planned for release all the way up until 2027 when Sledgehammer Games—the main Modern Warfare III studio—will make its return.

Which platforms will Call of Duty 2024 hit?

Nothing’s been confirmed yet, but we certainly expect to see the next Call of Duty game launch on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and Windows PC.

The wild card here will be whether the game also releases on the expected Nintendo Switch 2 console, which is widely reported to release later this year. The last Call of Duty on a Nintendo platform was way back on the Wii U, though Activision and Microsoft recently signed an agreement to put the series back on Nintendo systems in the future.

Surprisingly, Call of Duty 2024 could still be coming to older consoles too. Documents provided to Insider Gaming from an Activision data breach referenced the new game (codenamed “Cerberus”) being released on past-generation consoles like the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. However, plans could certainly change even if the leak was indeed accurate.

Edited by Andrew Hayward