- Black Ops 6 was the biggest launch in Call of Duty history as it recorded 33.7 million players during its launch month, according to analytics firm Ampere.
- However, the game and the Call of Duty product as a whole have been losing players at a rapid rate.
- The Call of Duty player count in March 2025 sat at 20.6 million, a slight decline from 20.8 million recorded last March, despite being available on Game Pass.
Black Ops 6 was touted as a triumphant return to form for Call of Duty, as reflected in the title’s launch figures. Microsoft even declared it the biggest release in the franchise’s history, amassing around 33.7 million players during its first month, according to Ampere. However, the player count has seen a sharp decline ever since, and a new report from The Games Business’s Christopher Dring outlines BO6’s downward trajectory.
Before getting into the report’s findings, it’s essential to attribute those seismic first-month figures to new players filtering in via Game Pass. Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision was the subject of intense speculation, especially around the possibility of Call of Duty arriving on the XGP subscription service on day one. When Black Ops 6’s induction to Game Pass was confirmed, players and analysts had reservations about the move’s impact on retail sales and whether it would lead to a rise in subscription figures.
The latter proved true, as Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced that BO6’s launch was the single biggest day for new Game Pass subscribers. As for the former, while Microsoft rarely discloses sales figures, the Game Pass release did significantly boost the series on Xbox platforms. Its Xbox player share sat at 47% last November, a solid jump from 35% back in November 2023.
However, that initial success looks to have fizzled at a rapid rate. And as per the report, Black Ops 6 has hemorrhaged players more sharply than in recent years. In March 2025, Call of Duty recorded 20.6 million players – a resolute figure, but slightly lower than the 20.8 million players recorded in March 2024. Going back even further to 2023’s Modern Warfare 2, Call of Duty attracted 22.8 million users in March of that year, which means two million more players fired up the CoD launcher, despite the game being a full-priced product.
According to Circana, the share of CoD players on Xbox has also declined to just under 37% and landed on par with PlayStation at 33.3% in the US. However, it’s worth noting that US Q1 2025 spending on subscription is up 11%, a significant portion of which can be chalked up to Game Pass. All this is to say that while CoD’s arrival on Game Pass appears to have boosted its subscription figures, it hasn’t helped record any substantial growth for the franchise.
So, why has Black Ops 6, a game that held top spot on the US bestsellers’ list for four straight months, failed to retain its player base? It’s hard to pinpoint a concrete reason, but the decline can be attributed to the sum of multiple factors.
For starters, a significant portion of players from that initial 33.7 million figure undoubtedly accessed the game through Game Pass. Given its vast offering of titles, it’s safe to assume that thousands of users gradually checked out of the experience and moved on to other games. Besides this, BO6 has caught plenty of flak for rampant cheating issues that have plagued multiplayer lobbies. This caused many players, and even popular streamers, to publicly abandon the game in lieu of a fix.
The monthly player figures, including Warzone, account for the Call of Duty product. And the BR title has been having a crisis of its own. The live-service juggernaut has failed to establish a foothold ever since phasing out its original map. The devs eventually had to concede to player demand and reintroduce Verdansk, prompting a massive player spike on Steam.
While the update positively impacted the player count, it’ll be interesting to see how long this brief injection lasts. Another point of contention for the series to tussle with is its competition and the nature of its live-service offering. While giants like Fortnite and Marvel Rivals can drop transformative updates at a regular release cadence, CoD continues to stick to its bi-monthly formula that adds new maps and weapons. However, the excitement around these additions has dwindled as of late.
A brand-new Warzone map, ideally one that’s popular among players, could kickstart a much-needed resurgence for the franchise. Until then, the series looks to be vesting its hopes into Call of Duty 2025, which is rumored to be another Black Ops game.
Why do you think Black Ops 6 has failed to retain players? Let us know in the comments below.
