Call of Duty

Call of Duty is the biggest shooter franchise in gaming, a near-annual blockbuster now owned by Microsoft, with a free-to-play battle royale pulling in tens of millions of players.

By Alexandre Le Hégarat · datastats · Updated June 13, 2026

Call of Duty is the biggest first-person shooter franchise in gaming and one of the most valuable entertainment brands of any kind. Activision has released a new entry almost every year since 2003, spanning the Modern Warfare, Black Ops and other sub-series, and the free-to-play Warzone battle royale brought in a massive new audience on top of the paid games. In 2023 Microsoft completed its roughly 69-billion-dollar purchase of Activision Blizzard, making CoD an Xbox-owned franchise that still ships on PlayStation.

People search Call of Duty for the practical buying and access questions: who owns it now, whether it’s free, whether it supports crossplay, whether it’s on Game Pass, and what age it’s rated. Direct answers above, based on widely reported information; releases, prices and Game Pass availability change every year, so check the official Call of Duty channels for current details.

People also ask

Microsoft. Call of Duty is made by Activision (and studios like Infinity Ward, Treyarch and Sledgehammer), and Microsoft bought Activision Blizzard in a roughly 69-billion-dollar deal that closed in 2023, one of the biggest acquisitions in gaming history. So the franchise now sits under Microsoft's Xbox umbrella, even though the games still ship on PlayStation. Microsoft publicly committed to keeping Call of Duty on PlayStation for years as part of getting the deal approved.

Partly. The main yearly Call of Duty games (the campaign and full multiplayer) are paid, usually around 60-70 dollars at launch. But Call of Duty: Warzone, the battle royale, is free-to-play, you can download and play it for nothing, with optional paid cosmetics and battle passes. So if you just want the big online survival mode, you can play free; if you want the full campaign and premium multiplayer, you pay.

Yes. Modern Call of Duty games support crossplay across PlayStation, Xbox and PC, so you can squad up with friends regardless of platform. You can usually turn crossplay off or restrict matchmaking in the settings if you'd rather not play against other platforms (a common ask from console players who don't want to face mouse-and-keyboard PC aimers). Cross-progression also lets your account, unlocks and battle pass carry across platforms.

Yes, since Microsoft's takeover. Recent Call of Duty titles have been added to Xbox Game Pass, meaning subscribers can play them without buying separately, a major shift, since CoD used to be a full-price purchase every year. This was one of the headline perks Microsoft pushed after the acquisition. Availability can vary by title and by Game Pass tier, so it's worth checking the current Game Pass lineup.

Activision ships a new Call of Duty roughly every year, alternating between its studios. Recent entries include the rebooted Modern Warfare trilogy and Black Ops 6 (2024), alongside the ongoing free-to-play Warzone, which gets updated in seasons. Because a new one lands almost annually, the 'latest' changes fast, check the official Call of Duty site or store for the current release and season.

No. People declare Call of Duty 'dead' after almost every release, usually over balance complaints, bugs, or a divisive map pool, but the numbers don't back it up, it remains one of the best-selling and highest-grossing franchises in the industry every year, and Warzone pulls huge concurrent player counts. It has rough launches and vocal criticism, but commercially it's nowhere near dying. The complaints are loud; the sales are louder.

The full new release is typically around 60-70 dollars at launch (sometimes more for special editions with extra content), while Warzone is free. On top of that there are optional purchases, battle passes, cosmetic bundles, and weapon skins, which are where a lot of the ongoing revenue comes from. If you have Game Pass, recent titles may be included, which changes the math. Prices vary by edition, platform and region.

Mature. Call of Duty is rated M for Mature (17+) by the ESRB in the US and PEGI 18 in Europe, due to intense, realistic violence, blood, and strong language. It is explicitly an adult-oriented shooter, not a kids' game, even though many younger players play it. Parents asking about it should know the content is graphic and the online voice chat is unmoderated and can be harsh, parental controls and chat settings exist on each platform.