Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War cross-gen editions and upgrades explained

Best answer: It's a complicated mess but if you're interested in playing the next-gen version of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, you should buy a cross-gen edition copy.

• Guaranteed upgrade: Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Cross-Gen Edition ($70 at Microsoft)
• Upgrade later on: Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Standard Edition (Xbox One) ($60 at Best Buy)
• No upgrade required: Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Standard Edition (Xbox Series X) ($70 at Best Buy)
• Upgrade and extras: Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Ultimate Edition ($90 at Microsoft)

What are the differences between Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War cross-gen editions?

Activision has opted not to provide free next-generation upgrades for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. Trying to decide which edition to get though is going to get complicated. Buckle up, because there are inconsistencies depending on whether you're getting a cross-gen version of the game on PS5 or Xbox Series X.

To try and keep things simple, we've separated this into physical and digital copies by platform, breaking down what you need to know:

Physical Editions

• If you get the PS4 physical standard edition, you can pay for a PS5 upgrade later on. This upgrade will entitle you to a digital version of the PS5 standard edition, but you'll need your PS4 disc to access it. You can also play the PS4 disc on the PS5 without upgrading.
• If you get the Xbox One physical standard edition, you can't pay for an Xbox Series X upgrade, though the game can still be played on Xbox Series X through backward compatibility.
• If you get the physical standard edition on PS5, you can't play the disc in your PS4.
• If you get the physical standard edition on Xbox Series X, you can play the disc on your Xbox One.

Digital Editions

• If you buy the digital standard edition on PS4, you can pay for a PS5 upgrade later on.
• If you buy the digital standard edition on Xbox Series X, you can pay for an upgrade later on.
• If you buy the cross-gen edition on PS4, you'll get a digital PS4 copy and a digital PS5 copy.
• If you buy the cross-gen edition on Xbox One, you'll get a digital Xbox One copy and a digital Xbox Series X copy.
• If you buy the Ultimate Edition on PS4, you'll get a digital PS4 copy and a digital PS5 copy.
• If you buy the Ultimate Edition on Xbox One, you'll get a digital Xbox One copy and a digital Xbox Series X copy.

Overall, it you plan on playing this cross-gen, it's the best idea to get the cross-gen edition. It'll cost you $70 instead the standard $60, but you can play the new game immediately and then pick it up again on your new console.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War cross-gen editions What are the next-gen benefits?

The next-generation versions of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War will benefit from heavily-reduced load times, hardware-based ray-tracing, and 120hz refresh rate support. Players on PS5 will get to enjoy haptic feedback through the PS5 DualSense controller.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is set to release on Nov. 13 and will be available PS5, PS4, PC, Xbox Series X and Xbox One. The campaign promises a thrilling tale of player choice and espionage, while multiplayer is returning alongside the famous Zombies mode.

Our pick

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Cross-Gen Edition

$70 at Microsoft

Two copies, one price

The cross-gen edition of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is exactly what it sounds like: you get one copy for the Xbox One and another copy on Xbox Series X. It's essentially the digital version of the physical Xbox Series X version.

Basic stuff

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Standard Edition (Xbox One)

• $60 at Best Buy
• $60 at Microsoft

Simple and basic

This is the standard copy of the game on Xbox One, with no extra frills. You'll still be able to play it on your Xbox Series X but it won't take advantage of the new hardware.

Upgraded

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Standard Edition (Xbox Series X)

$70 at Best Buy

A little more special

This is the standard version of the game for the Xbox Series X. This version takes advantage of the new system with hardware ray-tracing and heavily reduced load times, but it can also be played in an Xbox One.

All the extras

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Ultimate Edition

$90 at Microsoft

Nothing missed

The Ultimate Edition includes the cross-gen edition of the game alongside tons of extras, including the battle pass and 20 tier skips. Grab this if you're going hard in Warzone.