Xbox reportedly set to launch new console alongside CoD 2026

A Call of Duty rumor claims the next Xbox console will be released sooner than some fans may have expected.

The Xbox Series X and Series S launched in November 2020, seven years after the Xbox One was first introduced in 2013. In comparison, the Xbox 360 came eight years before the Xbox One. Based on history, it’s still a little too early for a new generation of consoles, but that usual cycle could all change.

According to intel gathered by CoD leaker TheGhostofHope, CharlieIntel reported, “New rumor claims Xbox’s next-gen console ‘Xbox Prime’ will launch in 2026 alongside Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty 2026 title.”

Call of Duty has become a focal point for Xbox marketing since Mircosoft completed the landmark acquisition of Activision Blizzard in 2022, and recent decisions highlight as much.

Black Ops 6 success paves way for future CoD titles on Xbox

Activision

Considering how successful Black Ops 6 was for Microsoft, it would make sense that CoD 2026 would be the headliner for a new console. Treyarch’s latest series entry was available as a day-one release on Xbox Game Pass, setting records for the number of players on launch day and the number of new Game Pass subscribers in a single day.

However, this success didn’t come without controversy. Game Pass users blamed Call of Duty for the service’s price hike because, in addition to raising prices on all tiers, standard-tier subscribers can no longer access first-party Xbox releases on day one.

Then, one week before BO6 launched, Xbox removed the $1 Game Pass option, resulting in an outcry from fans. Regardless of negative opinions, it’s clear this franchise is important for Xbox and that won’t change moving forward.

Almost all CoD Games before Black Ops 4, except World at War and Black Ops 1, are now available on the PC Xbox app and Microsoft Store, leading fans to believe they will all be added to Game Pass soon.

A new Xbox console coming in 2026 would be too early based on past precedent, but CoD’s resounding success may have changed how Microsoft operates.