Paperweight
If you intend on getting a physical copy ofCall of Duty: Black Ops 4this Friday, be warned that it will require a day-one patch to work. A Twitter user by the name of Ateam_ShAdoWw had acquired an early copy of Activision’s next big cash cow and discovered that he is unable to do anything with his disc. The splash screens played and then a message read, “An update is required to playCall of Duty: Black Ops 4.”
Is not playable yetpic.twitter.com/7Hoa8GTMLm
— ShAdoWw (@Ateam_ShAdoWw)June 02, 2025
This is the same thing that happened with last year’sCall of Duty: WW2. In an effort to prevent early leaks from happening, Activision locked everything down behind an update for disc-based users. While I can sort of see it from that perspective, this patch effectively renders the disc worthless.
WhileBlack Ops 4is a multiplayer only experience, you’re typically able to play the “Zombies” mode offline. PastBlack Opsentries have done that (and even allowed split-screen), so I’m scratching my head trying to figure out why this is even a thing. Years from now when Activision’s legacy servers are shut down, bothWW2andBlack Ops 4will vanish from existence. Maybe that is some meta-critique on howCall of Dutyis essentially the same game every year, but fans do have their preferred entries and like to revisit them at times.
At any rate, just make a note that if you happen to get a disc early, you’ll still be waiting to play.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4disc unplayable without a day one patch – report[VG24/7]
