When Will Call of Duty Be On Game Pass?

Ever since the news that Microsoft was gearing up to acquire Activision Blizzard, a number of high-profile discussions have emerged surrounding one of Activision's biggest franchises — Call of Duty. PlayStation fans in particular have been kept on the edge of their seats, wondering what the deal means for the future of the franchise on Sony's platforms. As it turns out, Microsoft and Sony have both agreed to a 10-year contract, one that keeps Call of Duty on PlayStation consoles. But where does that leave Xbox players?

One of Microsoft's biggest draws for their console is the Xbox Game Pass library, giving players immediate access to a varied catalog of games. Some titles make their way to Game Pass on day one, others see an arrival further down the line. Given Microsoft's commitment to adding a wide range of Activision titles to the service already (e.g. Overwatch, Diablo), players are keen to learn exactly when Call of Duty will get the same treatment.

Update 25 September 2023: This page has been updated to reflect the latest information reagrding when Call of Duty will arrive on Game Pass.

When Is Call of Duty Coming To Xbox Game Pass?

At the time of writing, neither Activision or Microsoft have given a timeframe for when the Call of Duty titles will make their way to Game Pass. That said, there are a number of indications that the franchise could be on the way to the library.

An official blog post from Microsoft previously claimed that Call of Duty games would eventually find their way to Game Pass. As directly discussed by Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, "Game Pass empowers developers to bring more games to more players, not fewer.  We intend to make Activision Blizzard’s much-loved library of games – including Overwatch, Diablo and Call of Duty – available in Game Pass and to grow those gaming communities." Though this doesn't give any official release date or window, it does hint towards Call of Duty's addition to Game Pass in the future.

Another, though less-tangible, indication is Activision's recent push to fix the servers of old Call of Duty titles. Games like Modern Warfare 2 (2009) and Black Ops (2010) have been surging in popularity once more, all owing to the fact that they're in a much more playable state. So why now? It's possible that these games are getting some long overdue TLC in orde to get them in better shape for a rollout across Game Pass. Again, there's been no confirmation that this is the case, but it does seem plausible. The playercount across these previous-gen titles certainly proves that demand is high enough.

Will Modern Warfare 3 (2023) Be On Game Pass?

No, Modern Warfare 3 (2023) will not launch on Xbox Game Pass and likely won't arrive on the subscription service for some time. The reason for this, and for why none of the CoD titles are yet to arrive on Game Pass, is largely down to Activision's existing agreement with PlayStation. 

During the FTC v. Microsoft court case, it was stated that Call of Duty is not approved to arrive on Xbox Game Pass until 2025 at the earliest. Given Modern Warfare 3's release later this year, we can abandon all hope of the title being a day one Game Pass launch. 

For more Call of Duty news, be sure to check out our dedicated section or some of our MW2 Guides & Tutorials below:

Modern Warfare 2 Guides - Jack Links Skin | Unlock All Operators | Check Server Status | Get Twitch Drops | Post-Credit Scene Explained | Unlock Gold Camo | Get Burger Town Operator | MGB Nuke | Unlock Every Weapon | All Killstreaks| Safe Code Locations | Check KD Ratio | XP Farm Trick | Chopper Gun Glitch | Weapon Tuning | Change Name Color | Hardcore Tier 1 Mode | Turn Off Crossplay | Steam Deck | Raid: Atomgrad | How To Play "Support A Team" | Unlock Orion Camo | Aim Assist Settings | 

Modern Warfare 2 Fixes & Issues- Best NVIDIA GeForce Drivers | Dev Error 6036 | MW2 Missing Items | Unlimited Tactical Sprint Bug | Stuck On Installing Bug | Display Name Not Allowed Bug | Gold Camo Not Unlocking | Voice Chat Not Working| Display FPS Counter | 

Best Modern Warfare 2 Loadouts -  Best Weapon Tier List | M4 Loadout |  PDSW 528 Loadout | TAQ-V Loadout | M4 Loadout | Fennec 45 | No Recoil M4 Loadout | SA-B 50 Loadout | Kastov-74U Loadout |