Call of Duty is known for having massive file sizes that can eat up a ton of storage, especially on older consoles like PlayStation 4, but Activision is changing this before the launch of Black Ops 6. Players will also have a better control over what Call of Duty content they download.
A large update is arriving alongside the launch of Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone‘s Season 5 Reloaded on August 21. In addition to the new seasonal content, the update includes a few extra changes meant to shrink the file size, including reorganizing the game files, separating Warzone from the default download for annual titles, and implementing new texture streaming tech.
With this new update in effect, players will only be downloading the annual Call of Duty titles they purchase, and Warzone will be a separate download that they can choose to “opt-in” and download at that time. Alternatively, they can separately download it at any time.
Activision says, “Flexibility and choice matter. We want to give players the choice to download each Call of Duty, including Call of Duty: Warzone, when and how they wish.”
The smaller file sizes also come from Call of Duty expanding its usage of texture streaming. The publisher explains by saying, “With these capabilities, we can cycle content that is less frequently used by players to a streaming cache, avoiding the need to download it directly to your device’s storage. Going forward, more content will be included in this cache.”
Activision warns that players will see a large file size for the initial update needed to make these changes, but this download will not permanently add the stated file size that Call of Duty takes up on each device. The update will instead reorganize game files and add the new tech to prepare for Call of Duty’s new user interface arriving in October.
Players on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X and PC will acquire the entire update via a single download, similar to other updates that are needed before booting up Call of Duty.
PlayStation 5 players have a slightly different process. PlayStation 5 users will acquire this update via four separate downloads. The initial download will be similar to other updates that are needed before booting up Call of Duty, but a second update will be triggered within the Call of Duty app after first accessing MW3 or Warzone. After the second update is completed, there will be another download when specifically re-accessing MW3 and a final download when re-accessing Warzone.
Activision explains this more complicated process by saying, “The PS5 requires split downloads due to differences in file organization. The initial download may be larger in size for players who also have MW2 content installed.”
As a thank you to the community for completing this download, the publisher is gifting players with a pack of Battle Pass Tier Skips and double XP tokens. From the start of Season 5 Reloaded until the end of Season 5, players who complete the download and login will receive:
- 10 – 1-Hour Double Player XP Tokens (10 Hours Total)
- 10 – 1-Hour Double Weapon XP Tokens (10 Hours Total)
- 10- Battle Pass Token Tier Skips
These tier skips and tokens will be delivered when the player first logs into Call of Duty after completing the Season 5 Reloaded update.
Black Ops 6 was previously mentioned to be a 300GB download, but Activision confirmed the game’s file size isn’t actually that large, which will be thanks to the upcoming update. However, the game size can become quite large if a player chooses to have Modern Warfare 2, Modern Warfare 3, Warzone, all relevant content packs also installed.
Players can get hands-on with Black Ops 6 during the beta later this month, and here’s how to get the early access. Black Ops 6 releases on October 25 for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC. Live gameplay for Black Ops 6 multiplayer will be revealed during the Call of Duty: Next event on August 28.
