Call of Duty is finally fixing its awful UI with an update ahead of the release of Black Ops 6

by

What you need to know

  • Call of Duty’s shared game launcher, Call of Duty HQ, will receive an update with a UI overhaul on Monday, October 21.
  • The UI update is in preparation for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, which players can preload at the same time.
  • The UI update will not be completed until the start of Season 1, which does not yet have an announced release date.

As someone who has spent countless hours navigating through the labyrinthine UIs of Call of Duty games, I can wholeheartedly say that this upcoming update is music to my tired eyes. The new UI overhaul for Call of Duty HQ, which will be unveiled on October 21, promises a more streamlined and user-friendly experience.

As a tech-savvy gaming enthusiast, I’ve heard plenty of gripes about Call of Duty, but the user interface (UI) of the last two titles, Modern Warfare 2 and Modern Warfare 3, seems to be at the top of everyone’s list. The UI, with its infinite loop of horizontal tiles, is reminiscent of many video streaming platforms. However, a long-awaited update arriving on October 21 for the COD HQ launcher promises to rectify this issue with a more organized, stacked tile design.

Read moreApple Maps now works on your Windows PC... sort of

The upcoming update is being made specifically for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, and it will introduce a number of modifications to the launcher prior to its release. Previously, the Call of Duty team has hinted at changes for COD HQ, and during an interview with Treyarch leadership at Call of Duty NEXT, they mentioned that they are on a path to reach their desired destination regarding the launcher, describing it as a “journey” towards where they want to be.

Starting from Monday, October 21, following the pre-launch update for Black Ops 6, players will have an opportunity to test out a fresh user interface for Call of Duty, abandoning the Call of Duty HQ name. This new UI design incorporates game tiles that give users direct access to their entire Call of Duty collection, with each game having its own unique interface. After the release of Black Ops 6, both Call of Duty: Warzone and BO6 will appear on the main tab of the COD UI, while all other games in your Call of Duty library can be found under the “All Games” tab. This setup allows you to easily navigate to any Call of Duty game you own or even purchase those that you don’t have yet.

A prominent spotlight will display trending game modes, maps, and Battle Passes that might pique a player’s interest, while a section called “Hot Picks” will additionally emphasize fresh deals and sequences. The tile labeled “Last Played” will function as a convenient shortcut for players to rejoin the game or mode they played last, with this tile acting as an extra “Hot Picks” option until you play a game after the update for the first time.

Under the new user interface, Black Ops 6 and Warzone will be highlighted as standalone games for download, aiming to reduce the overall size of Call of Duty on your system. Earlier concerns about Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 requiring over 300GB of storage were based on the assumption that it would be installed alongside the Call of Duty HQ launcher, Warzone, Modern Warfare 2, and Modern Warfare 3 all at once. However, players can now choose to download and install these games individually or in combination, allowing for better management of storage space. For instance, you can uninstall the single-player mode of Black Ops 6 after completing the campaign, freeing up additional storage space on your device.

Read moreRemnant 2 announces third and final DLC 'The Dark Horizon' on its birthday, and its release date isn't far off

Warzone won’t download automatically. If you don’t already have Warzone installed, you can find it in the UI (User Interface) alongside Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and download it separately. Those who already have Warzone installed will continue to receive updates as usual.

For those who have already preordered Black Ops 6 and have a previous Call of Duty game installed, an automatic update will be applied for preloading, much like past updates. This update includes both the new UI and Black Ops 6 itself. As a result, you might notice a substantial file size for your preload. On the other hand, if you’ve preordered Black Ops 6 but don’t have any Call of Duty game installed yet, you can start the pre-load from your chosen platform’s storefront.

Treyarch’s team has been working on a project they call “Time to Fun”, aiming to reduce the time players spend navigating menus before jumping into their preferred games and modes in Call of Duty. The upcoming update prior to Black Ops 6’s launch is part of a larger, three-step plan, with phase 1 beginning on October 21 when Black Ops 6 pre-load and the new UI are introduced. After Black Ops 6 launches on October 25, phase 2 will commence, lasting until Season 1’s start date (which has not been announced yet), during which Black Ops 6 will replace Modern Warfare 3 as the main game tile on the Home tab.

Read More

2024-10-17 20:39