Call of Duty continues to dominate the charts as the most-played game on Xbox and PlayStation after a free trial weekend

As a dedicated gamer who has been following the Call of Duty franchise for years, I must say that the latest release, Black Ops 6, has been nothing short of extraordinary. Despite its rocky start in terms of post-launch content and integration issues with Warzone, it has managed to dominate the gaming charts on both Xbox and PlayStation consoles. The game’s limited free trial period and double XP event during the holiday season certainly helped boost player numbers, but the real magic lies in its partnership with Call of Duty: Warzone, which allows players to enjoy both games within the same launcher.

The recent CODMas events have also been a major draw for me and many other gamers, even amidst the controversy surrounding the use of AI-generated images for in-game rewards. As a fan of Squid Game Season 2, I’m particularly excited about the crossover event between Black Ops 6 and Netflix’s hit series.

However, I must admit that I have been frustrated by some of the performance issues and underperforming cheat mitigation efforts in Black Ops 6’s season 1 launch. But despite these hiccups, I find myself drawn back into the game time and time again. It seems that the developers at Treyarch have done something right with this one!

I’m also intrigued by the impact of the game’s inclusion in the Game Pass subscription service on player numbers and sales data. Concerns about cannibalizing Black Ops 6’s sales numbers seem to have been unfounded, as the title continues to hold down the top spot on both sales charts and most-played charts alike.

In closing, I must say that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has truly taken over my gaming life, leaving me wondering how I ever managed without it! And hey, at least the game’s performance issues are a small price to pay for all this fun – just don’t tell the developers I said that!

The latest installment of Call of Duty: Black Ops, specifically version 6, has faced a bumpy ride with its seasonal post-launch content, notably in terms of its compatibility with Call of Duty: Warzone. Despite these challenges, the game has been unstoppable atop the sales charts. Remarkably, as per a report from Circana, Call of Duty HQ, the common launcher for the last three premium COD titles and Warzone, claimed the top spot as the most-played game on Xbox and PlayStation consoles during the week of December 21.

Here are the top five most-played Xbox games for the week: Fortnite came in second place, followed closely by Marvel Rivals at third. The Grand Theft Auto 5 Remastered climbed up to fourth position. Roblox maintained its fifth spot. On PlayStation, the top five looked quite similar to Xbox’s; however, NBA 2K25 took over Roblox’s spot as number five.

During the holiday season, Call of Duty saw an increase in popularity thanks to a free trial period and a double XP event. On the other hand, Black Ops 6 is included in a bundle with Call of Duty: Warzone, which can be played for free via the Call of Duty HQ launcher. This combined offering makes it challenging to determine which game is attracting more player engagement, as the player bases from both Warzone and Black Ops 6 are merged into a single pool.

On Steam, Circana’s rankings showed a marked contrast with those of console leaderboards. Marvel Rivals dominated the top position, closely followed by Helldivers 2, Path of Exile 2, Counter-Strike 2, and Balatro. Call of Duty HQ ranked sixth on Steam. As reported by SteamDB.info, Call of Duty HQ boasted a 24-hour peak of 103,356 concurrent players on the PC platform. However, it’s important to note that Call of Duty is also accessible via Battle.net, Windows through the Microsoft Store, and PC Game Pass. Therefore, Steam’s concurrent player numbers do not provide a complete or accurate depiction of the game’s overall player base on PC.

1. It’s been suggested that the Call of Duty CODMas events have played a role in maintaining higher player numbers, despite criticism faced by Activision and their development teams over the use of AI-generated images for in-game rewards. Now that CODMas is wrapping up, Activision is advertising a limited-time event featuring a collaboration between Black Ops 6 and Netflix’s Squid Game Season 2. However, this new event has also sparked player dissatisfaction due to the introduction of a premium “Event Pass” microtransaction offered alongside it.

The release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 sparked discussions in the gaming industry about how its inclusion in the Game Pass subscription service might impact player counts and revenue figures. However, it appears that fears of Game Pass eating into Black Ops 6’s sales were unwarranted, as the game remains dominant on both sales rankings and playtime charts.

Miles Leslie, a director for Call of Duty at Treyarch, has praised Game Pass’ impact on Black Ops 6. In an interview with the BBC, he stated that “it’s given people who were hesitant or had some reservations, those who may have taken a break from gaming, a chance to re-engage and experience the game again.

Despite some initial difficulties, such as suboptimal anti-cheat measures and performance problems during Black Ops 6’s season 1 launch, players seem unfazed and continue to engage with the game. The challenges encountered don’t seem to be significantly impacting their enthusiasm for the game.

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2024-12-31 16:39