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Black Ops 4 Is 2018's New Call Of Duty; Early Release Date Set

Black Ops 4 is real, and it releases in October.

118 Comments

Following a great deal of speculation and apparent confirmation that 2018's Call of Duty entry would be a new Black Ops game, Activision has made it official. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is in development and will be released later this year --though it'll be out sooner than we're accustomed to.

Black Ops 4 is headed to PS4, Xbox One, and PC; there's no word on a Switch version, as some had hoped. It will be released on Friday, October 12, almost a full month sooner than the early November release window that new Call of Duty games typically occupy. As previously confirmed, this year's game is being developed by Treyarch, the studio responsible for the entire Black Ops series.

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Now Playing: GS News Update: Call Of Duty: Black Ops 4 Officially Confirmed, Release Date Earlier Than Usual

Unfortunately, beyond those basic details, Activision hasn't shared anything further about the game. Instead, a special event will be hosted on May 17 where Activision will reveal the game publicly. It's unclear if we'll get any other official details prior to that date. It looks as if the PC version may use Blizzard's Battle.net.

It was reported earlier this year that 2018's game would be Black Ops 4. Activision rotates between Call of Duty studios on a three-year cycle, and given the sub-series' popularity and the fact that 2018 marks three years since the previous Black Ops game's launch, the news made sense. Subsequently, NBA star James Harden was recently spotted wearing a hat that appeared to feature a modified version of the Black Ops III logo, only with four symbols (roman numerals be damned). That logo turned out to be real, as you can see above. Black Ops 3, meanwhile, received a surprise update with new content, leading some to wonder if it was meant to tease the possibility of a sequel.

We'll report back as Activision shares more details on Black Ops 4. In the meantime, let us know what you hope to see from it in the comments below.

Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com

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tarheelsforever

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i may or may not pick this up. im sure theyre going to use the same tired game engine theyve used for the last few years. however, ill be sure to buy BF 2018.

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DeltaCobra

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I would buy this on switch and xbox one x. I always love infinity ward versions the best. WWII was decent but more solid than amazing. Personally loved the Kevin spacey, John Snow titles. Advanced warfare was sick.

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DeltaCobra

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I would buy this on switch and xbox one x.

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DownWithSony667

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Better than Battlefield that's for sure.

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deactivated-60368fd7c2c18

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COD Black Ops IIII? Redesigning Roman Numerals, are we?

In any case, COD Black Ops 3 was terrible, so this is a skip until it gets to the 9.99 bin.

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DownWithSony667

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@tlpina: Tally Marks Battlefield Fanboy. -_-

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deactivated-60368fd7c2c18

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@downwithsony667: Nope, not a fanboy of any kind. I've actually been playing Modern Warfare and WW2 on a loop.

Just don't like Black Ops. The whole thing just doesn't work for me. From the laggy gameplay to the ridiculous winner podium at the end of each round in TDM, I just don't like it.

I prefer Advanced Warfare over Black Ops any day.

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tarheelsforever

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Edited By tarheelsforever

@tlpina: i agree about AW. i own both AW and BO3, but i do like AW better. BO3 caters to the kids too much imo.

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teppolundgren

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Black Ops 4? But I wanted more Kevin Spacey in space! :)

Oh, and it's probably a wise decision to release this travesty early, since it will get slaughtered by Red Dead 2 in November.

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Nelson85

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Haven't played a COD since MW2.

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burnettaj

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COD is a cash cow. They will milk it till the cow is dry.

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DownWithSony667

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@burnettaj: Battlefield is no better if not worse. Since its owned by EA. o:)

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urbanman2004

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Edited By urbanman2004

Thanks A$$2vision but I'll pass on that same repetitve recycled crap you feed us every year

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Jonesy974

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I guess I'm one of the few who's actually ok with this. Black Ops 3 certainly wasn't my favorite, but I can easily say it's the las CoD I played that I got any enjoyment out of. IW and the recent WWII both sucked. I also really disliked Advanced Warfare. After two games it feels like Sledgehammer has no idea how to make a decent FPS.

Honestly Treyarch is also the only company that I feel did the whole futuristic thing and the thruster pack stuff right. It didn't feel janky, it wasn't something you had to be crazy dependent on. Felt as fluid as Titanfall.

Gunplay was pretty decent too. Treyarch has never really dropped the ball on that. Since WaW, and the entire Blops series, all of their weapons were pretty balanced. They were also the ones that did new things like customizing emblems and dolphins dives and power slides.

Cod4 through modern warfare 3 were Infinity Wards best games in terms of gameplay and consistency, but Treyarchs stuff is just as top notch.

On top of all that, I'm also glad they're breaking the mold and most likely staying with consistency and making a furturistic game again. People wanted boots on the ground, and already the market is starting to get saturated with all the same shit. BF1, CoD WWII, and now BF2 was just announced to be WWII as well. It's nice to have one studio at least still trying to do something new even if it isn't the "cool" thing anymore, especially since they do it better than the other studios in the CoD cycle.

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Jonesy974

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Edited By Jonesy974

I guess I'm one of the few who's actually ok with this. Black Ops 3 certainly wasn't my favorite, but I can easily say it's the las CoD I played that I got any enjoyment out of. IW and the recent WWII both sucked. I also really disliked Advanced Warfare. After two games it feels like Sledgehammer has no idea how to make a decent FPS.

Honestly Treyarch is also the only company that I feel did the whole futuristic thing and the thruster pack stuff right. It didn't feel janky, it wasn't something you had to be crazy dependent on. Felt as fluid as Titanfall.

Gunplay was pretty decent too. Treyarch has never really dropped the ball on that. Since WaW, and the entire Blops series, all of their weapons were pretty balanced. They were also the ones that did new things like customizing emblems and dolphins dives and power slides.

Cod4 through modern warfare 3 were Infinity Wards best games in terms of gameplay and consistency, but Treyarchs stuff is just as top notch.

Ok top of all that, I'm also glad they're breaking the mold and most likely staying with consistency and making a furturistic game again. People wanted boots on the ground, and already the market is starting to get saturated with all the same shit. BF1, CoD WWII, and now BF2 was just announced to be WWII as well. It's nice to have one studio at least still trying to do something new even if it isn't the "cool" thing anymore, especially since they do it better than the other studios in the CoD cycle.

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ZeN-MaZteR

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Cool, thruster packs and wall-running! where do I sign up??? NOT. No thanks.

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deactivated-602ba4c72cdea

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Red Dead has them shaking in their boots.

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ganondorf77

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Worst news ever.

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ThatPjYouKnow21

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Edited By ThatPjYouKnow21

Dunno why they wouldn’t start a new cod series. BO 1 and 2 has very interesting campaigns. It sucked in BO3. They could have created a fresh game with a fresh narrative. Hopefully it’s predominately during Vietnam or some real war.

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VGDork

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You hear that??? It was the sound of a million 12 year olds getting excited.

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Kuja-Hin

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Edited By Kuja-Hin

@vgdork: exactly

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Sindroid

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@vgdork: So very true..

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likitb4ustikit

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Black ops 4 featuring james harden when can i get a hat like that

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BabyPulpFiction

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Edited By BabyPulpFiction

Please no jetpacks.....

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illegal_peanut

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Edited By illegal_peanut

I just really hope the story doesn't suck an elephant seal schlong. Like with Black ops 3. Because the black ops series has had the better stories out of the CoD games, IMO.

And yes. I actually like playing through the game's campaign.

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Pupchu

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Cant wait for "IIIIIIIIIIII"

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leozak

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I hope this Black Ops 4 is not the sci fi rubbish like before its stale and not wanted. We need realistic WW2 or modern warfare scenarios not futuristic rubbish. If it tuns out to be sci fi crap I wont be buying...

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daveflava

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@leozak: get Battlefield V

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ZeN-MaZteR

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@leozak: I agree, the jetpacks and wall-running are obnoxious and cheapen the COD experience.

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santinegrete

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Edited By santinegrete

Anyone has the list of the other big releases that may or may not suffer this because of the same month?

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Quink

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@santinegrete: Red Dead Redemption 2 releases the 26th of october. Guess they wanna release it before RDR2.

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youngzen69

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Edited By youngzen69

Never mind how good this game will actually be. The title along is going to sale Activision a ton of copies but as usual Activision is going to put out ads aimed at casuals. Gaming websites is going to direct their marketing at gullible young kids. Then when the game releases and after said people have given Activison their money its going to be the usual's who is going to complain about how BO4 is nowhere near as hardcore as COD4 and that BO4 is just another copy and paste, watered down, causal game, with micro-transactions, season passes, and lootboxes! As if Activision is going to care once they have made their money lol.

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Chippiez

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@vuteroc: cool story, bro.

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cboye18

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Edited By cboye18

You know the type of demographic they're looking for when they use 'IIII' as a numeral instead of 'IV'.

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deactivated-6068afec1b77d

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Can't wait for Battlefield 4

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Sindroid

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@watercrack445: Can´t wait for Bad Company 3...

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Skittymiao

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Edited By Skittymiao

@watercrack445: Are you still in 2013? Cause we're all waiting for Battlefield 5..

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JJVGviper7

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Black ops 3 was really good, the player movement was alot of fun, but nothing crazy like AW, treyarch seems to always get the sweet spot, will buy and grind for sure..

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jonnybrownieboy

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I quit cod after ghosts back in 2013 and i never felt like i got closure since ghosts was a dumpster fire. I'm inclined to give this a try after i try the beta first.

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DeltaCobra

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@jonnybrownieboy: agree ghosts was the worst one of them all, by far. I remember playing it as a launch on my original xbox one. It was like the 360 graphics never got updated.. Crap to look at. The extra few were pretty awesome though

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Externalpower43

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So this is their $60 DLC for the year. Lol. Milk, milk, milk. Thats if you don't count the DLC for the DLC.

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Marky360

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Sweet I'm not a big Call of Duty fan but Black Ops has been one series I have followed and liked a lot. Black Ops 3 was very good so hopefully this measures up wonder who the celebrity guess will be in this one Christopher Meloni of Law and Order fame did a great job in BlOps 3.

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KillzoneSnake

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Fast release for the copy and paste casual game.

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Slinqy

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Well, I'm interested to see what it will look like. I hope they go to the nineties, but...

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