Black Ops 6 Is More Popular Than Most Recent Call of Duty Games, But That's Not Surprising

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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is off to an impressive start thanks to its plethora of positive reviews and general good word of mouth. Players are flocking to the latest COD title - the first to hit Xbox Game Pass day one - and are enjoying its varied maps and twisty campaign. This may come as a surprise to those who played 2023's MW3, which suffered from a poor reception overall and critical reviews that panned its lackluster story and multiplayer.

Fortunately, it looks like Black Ops 6, just like Cold War, has avoided such a negative fate, and has actually, from a purely numbers perspective, become one of the most popular Call of Duty games. With fan-favorite COD maps returning to appease hardcore fans, and the new, more gimmicky maps entertaining newcomers, there's a lot to love about Black Ops 6. This has clearly resonated with all kinds of players, as Black Ops 6 has hit a new high for the series.

Black Ops 6's Player Count Is Impressive

It's Hitting High Numbers In Its First Weekend

In its first weekend, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 saw an impressive peak player count of 306,460 people on Steam alone. This is according to SteamDB, which tracks player counts and other information across all of Steam's library. Of course, Activision Blizzard has not revealed any player numbers for the game, nor has Microsoft or Sony for the Xbox and PlayStation player counts respectively. Nevertheless, the Steam player count is usually a good indication of how well a game is doing, simply due to the sheer number of people that use it.

SteamDB doesn't track individual COD games, but rather the Call of Duty app through which they are launched. As a result, the all-time peak player count seen on the SteamDB page does not directly reflect Black Ops 6 , but rather Warzone 2.0 , which currently has the highest peak player count of any Call of Duty game.

While it's unlikely that player count will be beaten any time soon, the new approach to player progression in Black Ops 6 will likely entice newer players to join, as well as the various seasonal updates that add a slew of new maps and content to the game. Of course, for those who are currently playing Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, it is likely not surprising to see that its player count is so high. However, what may come as a surprise is just how much higher it is compared to Modern Warfare 2 and MW3.

How Black Ops 6's Player Count Compares To MW2 & 3

Black Ops 6 Has Smashed MW2 & 3's Peak Player Counts

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's player count is significantly higher during its launch weekend than both Modern Warfare 2's and 3's were. While it pales in comparison to Warzone 2.0's 491,670 peak player count, Black Ops 6 beat both MW2 and MW3 by quite a margin. Modern Warfare 2 peaked at 263,174 players when it first launched, putting it 43,286 players behind. Similarly, Modern Warfare 3, which reviewed very poorly at launch, hit just 190,707 players during its opening weekend, putting it 115,753 players behind.

That's a lot of numbers to say that Black Ops 6's opening peak player count is a lot higher than both of the other recent Call of Duty games, and it's absolutely no coincidence. There are so many people eager to jump into Black Ops 6 at launch, that a fan has already set a world record for the game. For those who've been playing each yearly entry into the COD franchise, or simply aware of the previous games, Black Ops 6's success likely doesn't come as a great shock.

Why Black Ops 6 Is More Popular

Better Reviews & A Stronger Campaign Have Helped

Four characters from Black Ops 6's Zombies mode standing in a group.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is a far more popular game than both Modern Warfare 2 and Modern Warfare 3, and for good reason. Firstly, it's a follow-up to the critically acclaimed Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, and part of one of the more popular series within the COD franchise. Secondly, Black Ops 6 reviewed significantly better than both Modern Warfare 2 and especially MW3, which greatly helped newcomers jump on board. This was thanks to a hugely increased development time, as well as a greater focus put on the shocking and interesting campaign.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is a far more popular game than both Modern Warfare 2 and Modern Warfare 3 , and for good reason.

It also helped that there were a lot of Black Ops 6 maps at launch, and many of them are very good, with fans already uncovering fun ways of interacting with them. Black Ops 6's Zombies and multiplayer modes are also better than the somewhat half-hearted options in MW3, which gives players plenty to come back for. Of course, it also must be noted that this is the first Call of Duty game to launch on Game Pass, which is almost certainly helping to boost its player count on Xbox.

Call of Duty Black Ops 6 different weapons

10 Best Weapons In Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

The best weapons you can use in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 utilizes specific builds to be efficient killing machines, easily tearing through enemies.

Ultimately, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is a better put-together package than Modern Warfare 3, at least, which will naturally draw more players to it. It also goes to show the power of both reviews and word of mouth, although it remains to be seen how well Black Ops 6's player count will continue to hold up over the next year. Regardless, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is likely to be remembered fondly for many years to come.

Sources: SteamDB, YouTube/Call of Duty