Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 launches this week on Xbox Game Pass, and the team has now set preloads live across all platforms. The game is coming in at around 100GB on Xbox Series X - where you can download Black Ops 6 right now and get ready for Friday's launch. It's also available to preload on Xbox Series S and Xbox One.
With the series using the 'Call of Duty hub' these days for recent releases, things can get a little confusing, so we'll drop some instructions on how to download Black Ops 6 specifically for Xbox down below. If you're not seeing this update or these files on your console, performing a full console restart should do the trick.
How To Download Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 On Xbox
- Find the 'Call of Duty' app on the Xbox Store
- Hit 'Install' and then 'Choose What To Install'
- Select the 'Call of Duty' base game alongside the Black Ops 6 files
- Hit the 'Install' button and your download should begin!
Alternatively, if you're an Xbox Game Pass member, you can make the process even easier by going to the Xbox Game Pass app on your console, looking for the Black Ops 6 section, and then selecting the 'Pre-Install All' option.
If you already have the Call of Duty app installed, you can find it in your 'My Games & Apps' library. Hover over it, hit the 'Menu' button on your Xbox controller (the one with the three lines), and then hit 'Manage Game & Add-Ons'. From there, press the A button to bring up a menu where you can 'Manage Installation', and you'll find the BO6 files. Phew!
As has become the norm for the series lately, you can pick and choose which elements of the game you'd like to install to save on storage space. Just make sure that you have the Call of Duty base game installed, alongside whichever parts of Black Ops 6 you'd like to play (campaign, multiplayer or both).
We also have a more detailed guide on everything Black Ops 6 — including the exact time you can hop in and play — so do check that out if you'd like to know more. Then, buckle up for the big Xbox Game Pass and physical game launch on October 25th:
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Are you getting this installed and ready to go? Tell us down in the comments!
Comments 14
Shall do that tonight then already have the COD app download and MW3 installed campaign only.
It’s a lot better now you can pick and choose what you want to download.
Saves lots of memory space.
Thanks for this it will help out a lot of people ot because the downloading of these cod games nowadays is to complicated 👍👏
Thanks for the article! Didn’t know when I was going to be able to preload onto my console so it’s good to have the chance to get it ready before Friday.
All done and ready BO6 campaign only installed
55.9GB.
I like this as I don’t want the multiplayer so didn’t download which saved me 42.7GB.
@OldGamer999 Seems like you've got it sorted, so I'll just repost my question to you:
So since i don't have the launcher installed, the only thing I can find is something called the cross-gen bundle and its 214gb. It took up all but 5gb of remaining space.
I was able to deselect mp and the campaigns for a few of the older games, but doing so didn't shorten that 214gb one bit.
What am I doing wrong here?
Step by step like I'm 10, never really got into these cod games before, this might turn me off for good if I can't figure this stuff out.
CoD gets loads of grief for having “massive” files but I’m impressed with what Activision has done lately to address this - a second update yesterday reduced CoD HQ from about 40GB down to under 11GB, and not long ago it was over 100GB!
At the moment I have the campaigns for MWIII installed and BO6 pre installed at around only 120GB for everything.
That’s only c60GB per game - pretty decent especially when compared to the likes of Halo Infinite (109GB) and Far Cry 6 (101GB)
Hoping BLOPS6 is a cracking game - roll on Friday 😃
@Feffster
I’m glad you get it all like I do.
You pick a choose what you want and save memory.
Actually COD is doing better than nearly all games in this regard.
People just like to moan and hate, without even looking or trying these features.
Remember to use the new update preload feature to download the patch.
Head to manage game, and open the updates tile. The actual patch is about 121gb, so make sure you’ve got plenty of free hard drive space!
@m3lvins
I would down load the launcher if I was you.
Then in the launcher you go to manage games option and just tick what you want to install or uninstall.
@OldGamer999 can't find the launcher. I searched for COD launcher and black ops 6 launcher both show nothing. Only thing I can find is that gargantuan next-gen bundle. Guess I should try the mobile app.
@m3lvins - the advice above should work but if you are stuck…
From your Xbox go to the store.
Search “Call of Duty”
You’ll see lots of results - the ‘launcher/HQ/hub’ or whatever else you want to call it is just listed as “Call of Duty” - it’s got the logo of the person in a cloak and someone wearing a mask behind (see pic above)
Download this onto your Xbox. This isn’t a game as such - but from here you can control what bits of Call of Duty you want to install - so if you want MWIII campaign pick and install that, if you want BO6 campaign then do the same, if you want various multiplayer options pick them.
If you install something you later decide you want to uninstall then just look under the ‘manage game’ options from the Call of Duty installer and uninstall from there. If you delete something by mistake then don’t worry - you can always download and reinstall it.
There’s nothing very complicated about the way the game installs EXCEPT that it can install multiple games under one app, rather than as individual games. This means to play an individual title you will need to go through the Call of Duty launcher and decide what element you want to play - ie which title and which component,…campaign or multiplayer, etc.
Obviously you can’t access the Black Ops 6 part until the game launches (Friday) - but it is available to pre-install if you want to save all that hassle ahead of time.
Good luck!
@Feffster So I did what you said, searched Call of Duty, found the correct one with the Farah Karim on the cover. When I click it, it takes me to several editions. Call of Duty (not sold separately) Call of Duty black ops vault edition, COD black ops 6 Cross-Gen Edition, a slightly more expensive vault edition, a COD Modern Warfare 3 Cross-Gen bundle, a Warzone and a COD modern warfare 2 cross-gen bundle. I choose the black ops 6 version and it shows Manage Game, but scrolling down it shows its only 83gb. But when I choose what to install, it shows 415gb. I go to install and its actually only 214gb.
None of this makes any sense. Seems like all the info you guys have provided should have done the trick, but I'm just not able to pull it off for some reason.
@Feffster I should also mention, there was a moment yesterday when I started the 214gb installation, where I could pick and choose what to install while installing thru the manage game option, to only install single player, multiplayer, plus a bunch of the older games which I don't own, on top of the add-ons. Seeing this had me thinking I was on the right track, but after selecting campaign and deselecting everything else, that 214 didn't come down one bit. So I'm at a loss. Guess I'll just wait and save the space for Indy or Stalker.
@m3lvins - just a thought, and I’m not at all sure this will work but might be worth a try….
Do you subscribe to Gamepass Ultimate? If yes, the following might be relevant…
I installed CoD for the first time when MWIII released on Gamepass - maybe that’s an easier install for you? If you get MWIII installed ok then just search under Gamepass for Black Ops 6 and click - it should pre-load the campaign AND multiplayer from there - you won’t then need the launcher because you’ll already have it (& you can uninstall anything you don’t want from ‘Manage Game’)
PS - gaming on console really shouldn’t be this complicated, but I’m afraid that’s a sign of the times - Microsoft has made a pig’s ear of naming their consoles, describing the different levels of Gamepass and I’m finding exactly the same with Sony PlayStation - confusion over how they describe their different PS Plus subscriptions and plenty of weird anomalies on their store as to whether a game is for PS4, enhanced for PS5 or even PS5pro enhanced.
Anyway, hope you get it sorted and fingers crossed for a good game dropping on Friday.
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