Treyarch has officially confirmed that Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010) and Black Ops 2 (2012) are being ported to PS4 and PS5 in July 2026. Developed by Iron Galaxy, both ports will include the full campaign, multiplayer, and zombies modes.
Treyarch officially announced on June 17, 2026 that Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010) and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (2012) are being ported to PlayStation, arriving in July 2026. The ports are being developed by Iron Galaxy, the studio behind projects like the Spyro Reignited Trilogy and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4. Both titles will ship with their complete campaign, multiplayer, and zombies modes. Combined, the two original games sold over 49 million copies worldwide, making them two of the best-selling entries in the entire Call of Duty franchise.
Why Were Black Ops 1 and 2 Stuck on PS3?
Unlike Xbox, which has maintained a backward compatibility programme allowing players to run Xbox 360 games on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 do not support PS3 titles through backward compatibility. Both Black Ops and Black Ops 2 originally launched on PS3 alongside PC and Xbox 360, but they were never re-released for modern PlayStation hardware. That meant PlayStation players had no legal way to play either game on current consoles until now.
Xbox players have been able to enjoy both games on newer hardware for years, which made the absence on PlayStation even more frustrating for fans. This port directly addresses that gap, finally bringing two of the most requested Call of Duty titles to modern PlayStation consoles.
Ports, Not Remasters: What to Expect
Treyarch and Activision have been explicit: these are ports, not remasters or remakes. Players should not expect updated graphics, reworked mechanics, or any of the visual overhauls that typically accompany a remaster. Current evidence from the PlayStation Store database suggests both titles are being released as PS4 versions, with PS5 playback handled through the console’s backward compatibility with PS4 games.
That distinction matters. A significant portion of the community had been hoping for a full Black Ops 2 Remastered treatment with modern visuals. Instead, these ports focus on accessibility: making the original games playable on hardware people actually own in 2026. That said, Iron Galaxy has a strong track record with porting work, having contributed to PC versions of The Last of Us, Uncharted, Skyrim, and Fallout 76, so a technically clean port is a reasonable expectation.
What Modes Are Included?
Treyarch confirmed in a follow-up post that both games will include all three core modes:
- Campaign: Black Ops features a Cold War-era storyline starring CIA operative Alex Mason, voiced by Sam Worthington, with Gary Oldman reprising his role as Viktor Reznov. Black Ops 2 introduced the series’ first branching storyline with multiple endings, set across both the 1980s and 2025.
- Multiplayer: Black Ops brought COD Points, Wager Matches, and iconic maps like Nuketown and Firing Range. Black Ops 2 introduced the Pick 10 system, Scorestreaks, League Play, and beloved maps including Standoff, Raid, and Hijacked.
- Zombies: Both games feature some of the most celebrated zombies content in CoD history, from Kino Der Toten and Ascension in Black Ops to TranZit, Mob of the Dead, and Origins in Black Ops 2.
Whether DLC map packs are bundled in remains unconfirmed. The base content across all three modes is guaranteed.
No Xbox Port Planned
The announcement covers PlayStation only. There is no Xbox release planned because both titles are already playable on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S through Xbox’s backward compatibility programme. On PC, both games remain available on Steam, where Black Ops 1 typically retails around $40 outside of sale periods.
Pricing and Exact Date Still Unknown
Treyarch’s announcement specifies July 2026 but does not provide a specific day. Pricing has also not been disclosed. Both titles are expected to be distributed digitally through the PlayStation Store. Given that these are straightforward ports of games originally priced at full retail over a decade ago, the community is watching closely to see how Activision positions the price point. For reference, the original Black Ops still holds its $40 price tag on Steam when not on sale.
Why These Two Games Still Matter
Call of Duty: Black Ops sold more than 5.6 million copies within its first 24 hours in November 2010, setting a new entertainment launch record at the time. It went on to sell over 25 million copies, becoming the best-selling game of all time in the United States before being surpassed by Grand Theft Auto V. The game earned widespread critical praise, receiving an 87/100 on Metacritic for Xbox 360, and is retrospectively considered one of the series’ finest campaigns.
Black Ops 2 raised the bar further, grossing over $500 million in its first 24 hours in November 2012, a record that stood until GTA V launched the following year. It sold over 24 million copies. The game is widely regarded as one of the best multiplayer experiences in Call of Duty history, and its competitive League Play mode helped lay the foundation for the franchise’s esports scene. Its zombies content, particularly Mob of the Dead and Origins, remains fan-favourite content to this day.
Questions Players Are Asking
Will there be a native PS5 version?
Current data points to PS4-only ports. PS5 players will be able to play them via the console’s backward compatibility with PS4 games. No native PS5 version with specific enhancements has been confirmed at the time of writing.
Will online multiplayer servers be active?
Both ports include multiplayer, but details about server infrastructure and online functionality have not been fully outlined. Whether the ports use the existing PS3 networking setup or a new backend is one of the biggest unanswered questions, especially for players hoping to return to Black Ops 2’s competitive multiplayer.
Are all DLC maps included?
Treyarch confirmed campaign, multiplayer, and zombies as included modes. Specific DLC content like the First Strike, Escalation, Annihilation, and Rezurrection packs for Black Ops, or the Revolution, Uprising, Vengeance, and Apocalypse packs for Black Ops 2, has not been confirmed or denied. More details are expected closer to the July launch.
Will there be cross-play with other platforms?
No cross-play details have been mentioned. Given that these are ports of PS3-era games, cross-play support seems unlikely, but official confirmation is still pending.
What This Means for PlayStation Players
For a generation of PlayStation gamers who either missed the PS3 era or simply want to revisit two of the most celebrated shooters ever made, July 2026 marks a significant moment. Black Ops and Black Ops 2 returning to modern PlayStation hardware removes one of the longest-standing gaps in the Call of Duty catalogue on the platform. With campaign, multiplayer, and zombies all confirmed, these are not stripped-down re-releases but complete packages.
As both titles prepare for their PlayStation comeback, the gaming community is eager for pricing and an exact launch date. If you are looking to manage your gaming accounts or explore digital game deals across platforms, marketplaces like GamerMarkt’s Steam account listings offer a secure environment for buying and selling.
