Not Even Xbox Game Pass Could Save Black Ops 6 From Massive Player Count Drop

One would think that Black Ops 6’s availability on Xbox Game Pass would significantly increase player count numbers, but that hasn’t been the case.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said Black Ops 6 was the biggest Call of Duty launch ever, as it set a record for day one players as well as Game Pass subscriber adds on launch day. It wasn’t just because this was the first CoD game to launch on day one for Game Pass, though, as unit sales on PlayStation and Steam were also up over 60% year-over-year.

Black Ops 6 went on to hold the top spot for best-selling game in the United States for four straight months before being overtaken by Monster Hunter Wilds in February. In saying that, the early sales success didn’t translate to long-term retention.

Black Ops 6 Sees Lowest Player Count in Years

New map from Black Ops 6 Season 3

Black Ops 6 multiplayer has failed to keep players interested.

According to The Game Business, Call of Duty’s player count in March 2025 was 20.6 million. In comparison, there were 22.4 million in March 2023 and 20.8 million in March 2024.

The declining player count trend is concerning, and it also doesn’t help that even though the game is available on Game Pass, it is more popular on PlayStation.

The Game Business reported that Xbox was the most popular place for Call of Duty with Black Ops 6’s launch on Game Pass in November. However, PlayStation overtook the lead in March with 33% active players, while Xbox had 32.5%.

On a positive note, Warzone’s original map returning in April increased player count by 200%, and Activision is reportedly pleased with the results, as the update exceeded expectations.

Yet, it remains to be seen if that promising update will be enough to recoup the losses or keep the remaining players interested through the summer.