Call of Duty is officially coming to Xbox Game Pass — and PlayStation

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Call of Duty will be on Xbox Game Pass, but the PS5 version should be just as good

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2
(Image credit: Activision)

Call of Duty is one of the most popular first-person shooter franchises of all time; it's also now a valuable bargaining chip for Microsoft. Facing scrutiny for its Activision Blizzard merger from the Competition Markets Authority, among other regulators, Microsoft has published a frank and informative blog post about the future of some beloved Activision series.

As fans predicted, Call of Duty (along with other familiar franchises) will indeed come to Xbox Game Pass. However, as Microsoft has previously stated, the game will remain on PS5 and other platforms, with all features intact.

Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, personally penned the Microsoft blog post, entitled "Gaming for everyone, everywhere: our view on the Activision Blizzard acquisition." In it, he discusses the larger Xbox ecosystem, and how Microsoft is attempting to decouple gaming from any one particular console or platform. 

That seems to settle the issue of whether or not Call of Duty will make its way to Game Pass. Given Spencer's comments, we theorize that the game will be available through this service for Xbox, PC and streaming, which could indeed open the series up to a wider audience than before. However, PlayStation players can rest easy:

Confirming that Call of Duty will come to Game Pass is new; confirming continued PlayStation compatibility isn't. But either way, the message of the post is clear: Microsoft owning Activision Blizzard will not have an adverse effect on competition in the gaming industry, according to Spencer. Whether gamers - or regulators - agree, we'll have to wait and see.

Marshall Honorof
Marshall Honorof

Marshall Honorof was a senior editor for Tom's Guide, overseeing the site's coverage of gaming hardware and software. He comes from a science writing background, having studied paleomammalogy, biological anthropology, and the history of science and technology. After hours, you can find him practicing taekwondo or doing deep dives on classic sci-fi.