Xbox Game Pass getting 2024's biggest new game for free

Microsoft has announced that its biggest game of the year will be on Xbox Game Pass from day one.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will be available at no extra cost to Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC owners with Xbox Game Pass when it launches later this year. The only question is whether it will be downloadable to all members or exclusive to a new, rumoured premium tier.

We'll find out more during the Xbox Games Showcase and the following Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Direct on 9 June, but there has been speculation in recent times that the structure of Game Pass could change soon.

Last week, "insiders" took to the forums of ResetEra to claim that Microsoft is set to introduce a different tier system to Xbox Game Pass, which will both simplify the offering and allow the company to charge more for access to its more premium games.

It is claimed that the new Call of Duty will be on the highest tier of the new structure.

However, there's no indication at present that prices will rise again. It might just be that the current top level membership is rebranded and the lower tiers are reconfigured.

Either way, at least Microsoft has put to bed the persistent rumours on the new Call of Duty hitting the platform. It also released a new, live-action trailer to go with the announcement.

It doesn't give away many clues for what we can expect from the game – just some vague soundbites from lookalikes of former world leaders (including the Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher) – but we don't have too long to wait to find out more.

The livestream on 9 June will be part of Summer Game Fest and kick off at 6pm BST (10am PDT) with the main Xbox Games Showcase – this will highlight announcements and trailers from in-house Xbox studios and third-parties. It will then be followed by the Direct presentation dedicated to COD: BO6, which will feature a deep dive into the game.

You should be able to watch the entire shebang live right here on T3.