Classic Call of Duty Games Spark Speculation About Game Pass Plans

Classic Call of Duty games have appeared on the Microsoft Store with modern system requirements, hinting at plans to bring these titles to Xbox Game Pass.

Microsoft has quietly updated and listed some of Call of Duty’s earliest titles on its storefront, leading to widespread speculation that these iconic games could soon be part of Xbox Game Pass. The move highlights Microsoft’s strategy to integrate Activision Blizzard properties and expand Game Pass’s appeal.

Subscriptions for Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass are booming—and for good reason. This relatively cheap subscription allows multi-platform access to Xbox’s vast catalog of video games. Whether you’re on PC or console, you can stream them via the cloud, so you don’t need to fully download or uninstall a title just to have enough space to hop through your favorites.

That said, it’s no surprise that more than 34 million gamers are subscribed to Game Pass today. 

Wondering about the most popular titles you can play with Game Pass? According to an insider source, the biggest titles by player count include the entire Overwatch franchise, Forza Horizon 5, and Sea of Thieves. Call of Duty, arguably the world’s most popular first-shooter franchise, is probably up there, too—but its player numbers aren’t being shared by Xbox. 

Yet with new rumors making the rounds, that’s probably about to change soon. Just recently, a slew of the franchise’s older titles suddenly appeared on the Microsoft Store. This is a move Xbox usually does when it prepares to add new titles to its Game Pass library. As such, many speculate that these early Call of Duty games will appear on Game Pass soon.

Behind Call of Duty’s Game Pass rumors 

In mid-December 2024, long-time Xbox gamers noticed something new: Call of Duty 1 and its expansion pack United Offensive, Call of Duty 2, and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare became available for individual purchase on the Microsoft Store.

Interestingly, though these titles were released in the early 2000s, they’re now listed as requiring at least the May 2019 version of Windows 10 to run—implying that they were modified to play on more modern Windows devices, including PCs, laptops, and even handhelds like the Lenovo Legion Go.

That’s especially telling given that the franchise’s first installment was originally designed for PC, but didn’t get a PC port upon its release. 

If the above titles do get released on Game Pass soon, here’s what that might mean for Call of Duty fans and the future of Xbox Game Pass itself:

What a Game Pass drop might mean for Call of Duty fans

Many fans have been disappointed with Call of Duty’s more recent slew of single-player campaigns, with those playing Modern Warfare III particularly criticizing the title’s short campaign length and lack of alignment with Call of Duty’s themes. These campaigns were more compelling and fleshed out in the franchise’s earlier releases—and that may appeal to long-time fans and attract new gamers.

It’s also clear that players long for the original multiplayer campaigns Call of Duty has to offer, with a significant number revisiting older games after Activision fixed their servers in 2023. With these earlier titles now available on the Microsoft Store, classic Call of Duty is now more accessible for new players and those looking for a nostalgia hit.

A Game Pass drop is the kind of release that would make for compelling streaming content, which would garner even more exposure for the franchise—and, among other things, build more hype for Call of Duty esports events among dedicated fans and casual viewers alike. 

That can serve to make the first-person shooter game’s tournaments more exciting: bigger audiences can spur the creation of larger prize pools and intensify the competitive matches between the professional teams that specialize in the franchise.

In turn, that can make watching these tournaments even more exciting for spectators, especially those who like to bet on Call of Duty to elevate the viewing experience. Currently, fans can speculate on live matches for Call of Duty League, Call of Duty Challengers, and World of Warzone on the Thunderpick platform, and they can do so with either fiat or cryptocurrencies.

With the franchise’s earlier titles forming the basis for these tournaments, a Game Pass drop would create more complex matches that are more exciting to extensively analyze and bet on in real-time. Ultimately, that means a return to the classics might be just the thing Call of Duty needs to revitalize and grow its current fanbase.

How older Call of Duty titles can secure Game Pass’ future

Though its cost-effectiveness makes it especially appealing, Xbox’s Game Pass doesn’t come without its flaws. In particular, Forbes notes that the subscription makes even big tentpole games available on their first day of release—rather than selling millions of individual copies before adding them to the Game Pass library.

Though beneficial for players, this tactic may not be a particularly sustainable model for Microsoft itself, something that’s illustrated by the number of studio closures and staff layoffs it had to make this year. These effects are exacerbated by the fact that Game Pass is currently failing to meet expectations for new subscriber growth.

Industry analysts speculated that Microsoft could rely on Black Ops 6, Call of Duty’s latest release, to further secure the subscription’s success if it wasn’t made available via Game Pass on release day. However, it was—but that’s a step that can be rectified if Microsoft drops the franchise’s older titles on Game Pass soon. In doing so, Xbox can set a precedent that supports future Call of Duty releases, which typically happen every year. 

By regularly adding older franchise titles to Game Pass, Microsoft can build further hype in the lead-up for newer Call of Duty games—without having to sacrifice the individual unit sales that would have otherwise been lost if these titles were made available via subscription as soon as they’re released.

That will further allow Microsoft to benefit from year-on-year revenue from the franchise’s more recent games while keeping fans hooked on Game Pass using earlier Call of Duty installments.

In the long run, this strategy can help Microsoft create a more sustainable business model that it can use to more effectively develop the new Game Pass features it wants to release—including the launch of a dedicated cloud gaming-only tier designed to benefit gamers without a physical Xbox console.

Microsoft can essentially use the drop of classic Call of Duty games to its advantage, leveraging it to pave the way for the long-term success of Game Pass as new subscriber growth slows down. 

Is early Call of Duty actually coming to Game Pass?

 
 
 
 
 
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Historically, the addition of older games to the Microsoft Store signaled their potential release on Game Pass. The fact that early Call of Duty titles are now listed here—with modified specs, to boot—may imply that Microsoft is planning to do the same with the franchise’s older releases.

However, industry experts say that the move may be just a follow-up to Microsoft’s acquisition of Call of Duty developer, Activision Blizzard, last year. If so, it may be part of a strategy to gradually work the franchise into the Xbox catalog rather than dropping all Call of Duty games into its library in one go. 

Ultimately, it’s too early to tell if these Game Pass rumors carry much weight. However, there are a few details that may definitively hint at a Game Pass release.

Aside from the fact that some of the franchise’s earliest titles are getting a PC port nearly two decades later, there are already existing Call of Duty games available via Xbox subscription—including Black Ops 6 and Modern Warfare III. If Microsoft ends up following through, the move can only bode well for fans and Game Pass alike.

Markus Kasanmascheff
Markus Kasanmascheff
Markus has been covering the tech industry for more than 15 years. He is holding a Master´s degree in International Economics and is the founder and managing editor of Winbuzzer.com.

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