CoD: Black Ops 1 & 2 on PS4 and PS5 support cross-gen crossplay

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Activision has clarified that its recently released Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and 2 ports do in fact support crossplay between PS4 and PS5, following confusion from players online.

The official Call of Duty Update X/Twitter account confirmed how the feature works amid a flurry of posts from fans across social media. It comes with clarification that those across both PlayStation platforms will be able to play multiplayer with one another, while also sharing that Season Pass owners can matchmake with non-Season Pass owners, too.

"PS4 and PS5 players are able to matchmake with one another," Activision said. "There is no cross-platform play with PS3 or other hardware platforms."

📢 Call of Duty: #BlackOps & #BlackOps2 on PS4 / PS5

PS4 and PS5 players are able to matchmake with one another. There is no cross-platform play with PS3 or other hardware platforms.

Also, Season Pass owners are able to matchmake with non-Season Pass owners in both titles.

— Call of Duty Updates (@CODUpdates) July 11, 2026

When the publisher announced Iron Galaxy was developing PlayStation ports for the classic Black Ops games with plans to launch in July, fans didn't know what to expect. With so little information to go off of, it wasn't a shock to see disappointment sweep across the internet when the titles surprise-launched last week.

A low frame-rate cap and low resolution baffled fans and tech experts alike , but most were even more concerned by what appeared to be a lack of crossplay support between the new versions. Although fans would have been happy to see Activision confirm crossplay from the get-go, news that it is indeed supported in some capacity is better late than never.

Even as players criticize what have been dubbed bare-bones ports for the two 2010s Call of Duty games, it doesn't seem to have stopped fans from flocking to the new re-releases. Despite little information being shared pre-launch, both Black Ops 1 and 2 quickly rocketed to the top of the PlayStation Store's "Best Selling" tab. Each game is available for $39.99 (or $19.99 as a limited-time offer with PlayStation Plus), with their DLC priced at $29.99 each ($9.89 for PS+).

As Black Ops 1 and 2 take players on a trip down memory lane, Activision is charging forward with the first-person shooter series' next installment, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 . For more, you can check out IGN's original 8.5/10 review of Black Ops 1, and our 9.3/10 review of Black Ops 2.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).