Two of the most beloved entries in Call of Duty history just showed up on PS5 with almost no warning. Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010) and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (2012) are both available right now on PS4 and PS5, ported by Iron Galaxy in partnership with Activision. The ports were confirmed back in June, but the actual launch dropped this week, and there is quite a bit worth knowing before you hit buy, especially if you want the full experience.
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What you're actually getting for $40
Here's the thing: these are ports, not remasters. Iron Galaxy has not rebuilt anything from the ground up, and Activision has been clear about that. The product descriptions for both games explicitly describe them as offering "a classic Call of Duty experience," which is a polite way of saying the visuals, mechanics, and multiplayer structure are exactly as they were over a decade ago.
That also means no cross-platform multiplayer. If you were hoping to squad up with friends on PC or Xbox, that is not on the table here. Both games are $40 each at full price, and there is no bundle option that combines them.
PlayStation Plus members get a significant discount through August 6: each game drops to $20, cutting the entry cost in half. That window is tight, so PS Plus subscribers who want both games will want to move quickly.
The DLC situation, explained
Each game's season pass is priced at $30. PS Plus members can grab each pass for $10 through August 6, which brings the total cost for a complete Black Ops or Black Ops 2 experience down to $30 for subscribers during the discount window.
The season passes bundle additional multiplayer maps alongside extra Zombies content, which was a major draw for both titles originally. For players who mainly care about the base campaigns and standard multiplayer modes, the $20 PS Plus price is reasonable. For anyone who wants the full Zombies experience, budget accordingly.
Why this matters for the franchise right now
Activision is clearly leaning into nostalgia while the franchise continues forward. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 launched last year and brought the Black Ops sub-series back into the spotlight, and these ports feel like a direct response to renewed interest in where the series came from.
The next brand-new Call of Duty title is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, currently set to launch this October on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC. Activision is clearly keeping the pipeline full, and dropping two classic ports in the lead-up to a major release is a smart way to keep players engaged across the shooter games genre.
What most players miss is that Black Ops 2 in particular holds up remarkably well in terms of multiplayer map design and Pick 10 create-a-class, even by current standards. Getting it on PS5 hardware, even without a visual overhaul, gives a new generation of players a legitimate reason to understand why the community still talks about it.
For deeper Black Ops 6 content while you wait for Modern Warfare 4, the Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 guides collection has you covered through the current season.
