Can you upgrade Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War to the next generation for free?

As we stand on the precipice of a next generation of games, the question on the lips of many fans of the Call of Duty franchise is what the Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X versions will bring to the franchise. With a revamp of the franchise's engine when Modern Warfare reboots in 2019 and work continuing in the battle royale spin-off Warzone, it should be prepared and ready for the boost that will come with the new material.

However, as the game is also seeing a release on current-gen consoles, figuring out what to buy if you're planning on upgrading your system can get a bit tricky, especially with the number of editions available. for games such as Call of Duty.

In the case of Black Ops Cold War, there will be no free upgrade to the next generation. Either way, upgrading from PS4 to PS5 and from Xbox One to Xbox Series X will incur a fee. Game FAQs provide details on the processes, but it's not immediately clear what purchasing each version does for you.

To help you figure out what you'll need, we've broken it down by consoles.

Playstation

Digital Standard Edition - PS4

If you purchase the Standard Edition of the game from the Playstation Store, you will have access to the full game on the console. After the game is released on PS5, you can choose to purchase an upgrade from the PS4 version of the game to the PS5 version. Fees for this upgrade have yet to be announced.

If you choose not to purchase the upgrade, the PS4 Digital Edition will also let you play the game on PS5, but you will not get the benefits of upgrading to the next generation, such as higher frequencies. Faster images, load times and visual upgrades. .

Standard Physical Edition - PS4

An upgrade to the next generation version of the game will be available for purchase from the Playstation Store for those who wish to play the PS5 version of the game. However, players will need to insert the PS4 disc version into the disc tray. the PS5 in order to have access to the next generation version after an upgrade.

This means that if you are looking to buy a disc copy of Black Ops Cold War on PS4 and later want to upgrade and play it on PS5, you need to buy the PS5 which comes equipped with a disc tray. There is no option to upgrade the physical version of the game if you buy the digital-only PS5.

Next Generation Standard Physical Edition - PS5

Purchasing a physical copy of the game for the PS5 will allow you to play the game on the PS5 that comes with a disc drive. If you own a digital version of the console, you will not be able to use your physical edition of the game to play it.

Xbox

Digital Standard Edition - Xbox One

There is currently no confirmation as to whether an upgrade from the Xbox One digital version of the game to the Xbox Series X digital version will be available to fans for purchase. They are currently pointing to the cross-gen version of the game if those looking to pre-order aren't sure.

However, the Xbox One version of the game is expected to be available to play on Xbox Series X via backward compatibility without the added power of the console, similar to the PS4 version on PS5.

Standard Physical Edition - Xbox One

Unfortunately, it is not possible to upgrade a physical copy of the game from Xbox One to Xbox Series X. You will either need to purchase the Next-Gen bundle of the game or purchase an Xbox Series X version of the game once. . he is free.

Next Generation Standard Physical Edition - Xbox Series X

The purchase of a physical copy of the game for the Xbox Series X will include two versions of the game. One copy for the Xbox Series X and one copy for the Xbox One. If you purchase this version of the game once it is released, you will have access to both generational versions of the game.

Intergenerational Bundle and Ultimate Edition

For those looking to make sure they're ready for the next-gen version of the game once it launches, Activision offers two bundles for the game.

The first is the inter-generation bundle. This is a digital copy of the game that will be made available to you when it is released on the current generation, and will be in your game library after you set up your next generation console. These bundles only work on generations of the same console. This means that purchasing the Playstation Cross-gen bundle will provide a PS4 and PS5 copy of the game, and purchasing the Xbox bundle will provide an Xbox One and Xbox Series X copy. You cannot mix and match consoles if you have plan to move from Xbox to Playstation, or vice versa for the next generation.

The Ultimate Edition of the game will grant the same as the Cross-Generation Bundle, providing copies across generations, but will also include many extras for players, including a number of exclusive skins and the Battle Pass Bundle, which includes 20 free levels jumps.

Whichever version you purchase for any platform, the game will support cross-progression on all platforms, so if you upgrade from the current generation version of the game to next generation, you can be sure you can continue the way you do on your new console. .