Xbox to port two Call of Duty games to PlayStation with no word on needed updates for Xbox and PC

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Treyarch — the Call of Duty developer under Xbox and Activision that's created and contributed to many of the franchise's titles over the years — has announced that two of its classic games will soon be ported to PlayStation (presumably meaning 4 and 5).

The news from the studio came on Wednesday afternoon, with Treyarch revealing in a social media post that both 2010's Call of Duty: Black Ops and 2012's Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 will be brought to Sony's platform in July. Both games were originally made by Treyarch, though Iron Galaxy Studios, known for its support work, will handle the process of creating modern PlayStation versions.

Black Ops and Black Ops 2 — titles released for Xbox 360, PC, and PS3 — have been playable on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S since 2016, soon after Microsoft began the Xbox Backwards Compatibility Program. The PS4 and PS5 are not backwards compatible with PS3 games, however, so until now, the only way to play these Call of Duty titles on modern PlayStation consoles has been to stream them through PlayStation Plus Premium.

At the moment, it's unclear if those who own Black Ops and Black Ops 2 on PS3 will have ways to get the new native PlayStation port for free or transfer their progress. If they exist, they may only be available to those who have a digital copy of the shooter.

It's also presumed that the ports will hook into the games' existing server network and won't use new servers, though this hasn't been confirmed.

It's official: the original Black Ops and Black Ops 2 are being ported to PlayStation in July, courtesy of our partners at @IronGalaxy. 🤝 pic.twitter.com/uqTZ6u09B5June 17, 2026

It's official: the original Black Ops and Black Ops 2 are being ported to PlayStation in July, courtesy of our partners at @IronGalaxy. 🤝 pic.twitter.com/uqTZ6u09B5June 17, 2026

It's great to see that PS5 and PS4 owners will finally get access to two of the most popular classic Call of Duty games without having to stream them, and that these ports are coming in just a few short weeks, too.

With that said, though, many Xbox and PC players are frustrated that the ports have been announced without mention of critical fixes for the other versions of the games that they sorely need.

Indeed, there are widespread complaints that both Black Ops and Black Ops 2 are locked to basic 720p resolution when played through Xbox Backwards Compatibility, and that hackers have infested the servers across both games on both platforms for years. Players also aren't happy that the titles aren't on Xbox Game Pass and still have DLC you have to pay for.

"Microsoft and Xbox really hate their own customers," writes one angry fan. "Yes a Xbox 360 version exists. But they are locked at 720p. They are full of hackers. After 2.75 years of the ABK acquisition they still aren't even on Game Pass. The DLCs aren't bundled in. What the f*** man."

This is yet another case of Xbox players feeling less important to the people in charge of their own platform than fans on rival consoles, and I'd argue it's quite a bad look for the brand. At the very least, Xbox, Treyarch, and Iron Galaxy should work to update Black Ops and Black Ops 2 on Xbox and PC so it's on par with the new PlayStation versions. Hopefully we'll see that happen.

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Brendan Lowry is a Windows Central writer and Oakland University graduate with a burning passion for video games, of which he's been an avid fan since childhood. He's been writing for Team WC since the summer of 2017, and you'll find him doing news, editorials, reviews, and general coverage on everything gaming, Xbox, and Windows PC. His favorite game of all time is probably NieR: Automata, though Elden Ring, Fallout: New Vegas, and Team Fortress 2 are in the running, too. When he's not writing or gaming, there's a good chance he's either watching an interesting new movie or TV show or actually going outside for once. Follow him on X (Twitter).

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