Black Ops 6 will be a smaller download than Modern Warfare 3, Activision says

Activision has announced that it aims to make Call of Duty install sizes smaller.

The publisher says that when Black Ops 6 is released in October, it will be a smaller download at launch than Modern Warfare 3.

This will be due to updates planned between now and the game’s release which change the way Call of Duty games are installed.

The first of these updates, which will come as part of the Season 5 Reloaded update for Warzone and Modern Warfare 3, will change the way games are installed by default.

In recent years, players downloading standalone Call of Duty games will also install the free-to-play game Warzone by default if they don’t already have it.

Activision says this will now change, and that when players buy a new Call of Duty game they’ll only have to install the files required for that game.

“Players can ‘opt-in’ to get Call of Duty: Warzone when they’re downloading a new annual title or simply download it separately at any point in time,” it says. “The choice is yours.”

The Season 5 update will also reorganise game files and “add new tech” in preparation for an overhaul in October.

Players will have to download “a big” update as part of this reorganisation, but Activision says “downloading now will pave the way over the next several weeks and ultimately lead to a better experience when Black Ops 6 arrives”.

PS5 players will have to install the update through four separate downloads, because of how it handles update files. Other formats will get a single download.

“Once complete, Call of Duty’s footprint will decrease due to these file optimisations,” Activision says.

“As a result of these updates, Black Ops 6 will be a smaller download at launch than Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3,” it claims.