In July 2026, Activision launched the PlayStation 4 and 5 ports of Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and 2, but the releases have been met with significant disappointment from players. The ports are priced at £35 ($40) each, totaling £70 ($80) for both games, excluding downloadable content (DLC) packs. This pricing strategy is unusual, as many game re-releases typically include all associated content. Players must pay an additional £26 ($30) for each season pass to access the map packs, leading to a total cost of £52 ($60) for all add-ons, but this offer is only valid until August 6, 2026. Despite the high price, the ports do not offer substantial enhancements to justify the cost. Digital Foundry criticized the ports as "low effort," noting that they provide minimal improvements over the original versions available through backward compatibility on Xbox. The games do not utilize the PS5's hardware capabilities, lacking features such as 4K output and a 120Hz framerate option. Additionally, modern features like a field of view (FOV) slider and separate sensitivity settings are absent. The only notable upgrade is the output resolution of 1080p, which is higher than the original Xbox 360 version's 608p, but this can also be achieved through backward compatibility on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. Players were left to discover the limitations of the ports after their release, as there was little marketing or communication from Activision prior to launch. There are also concerns regarding cross-play support between PS4 and PS5, as well as matchmaking pools for players who own the season pass versus those who do not, which could significantly limit the player base.
