Black Ops 6 set to overhaul CoD HQ and reduce download sizes

Ryan Lemay
Black Ops 6

For Black Ops 6, Activision revealed its plans to streamline menus, reduce download sizes, and overhaul CoD HQ.

Modern Warfare 2 first introduced Call of Duty HQ in 2022, which serves as a central hub for the series. Players use one launcher menu and, from there, go into multiplayer, Warzone, or other CoD titles.

The feature was designed to streamline menu navigation, but players argued it became more confusing than ever.

And frustrations escalated, when players learned that the larger game file sizes were due to the launcher taking up space.

Ahead of B06 launching on Oct. 23, CoD HQ Activision listened to community feedback and rolled out a roadmap to steadily overhaul CoD HQ.

Everything culminates in mid-October with a new user interface. CharlieIntel shared a preview of the new UI in action.

Players will no longer need to worry about scrolling through several vertical and horizontal menus, as the update puts everything on one simple landing page.

As seen in the preview video, players can select Zombies, Black Ops 6, or Warzone and quickly jump into a match. In addition, there will be a section at the bottom with your most played game mode and other popular modes.

In defense of this change, Activision argued, “This reduces the combined file size of multiple titles, promotes faster switching between games for players who play a variety of content, gives Call of Duty: Warzone a permanent home where it’s not tied to a single annual title, and allows you to share settings and social features across games.”

Everything starts with the Season 5 Reloaded update on Aug. 21. The massive update starts the re-organizing process and removes Warzone as a mandatory download.

Players with Call of Duty and the Season 5.5 update installed will automatically receive the Beta as an update to their existing install. 

And to compensate players for bearing the hefty download, Activision is gifting double XP tokens.

We will get our first look at the new UI during the beta on Aug. 30.