Treyarch and Iron Galaxy are bringing Call of Duty: Black Ops and Black Ops 2 to PS4 and PS5 in July. Here’s what’s included, how the ports work, what it means for multiplayer and Zombies, and why Activision is dusting off these fan favorites now.
Sony players have been asking for it for more than a decade. This July, Treyarch is finally delivering: Call of Duty: Black Ops and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 are coming to PS4 and PS5 as new ports handled by Iron Galaxy.
These are not remasters or remakes, and that point matters for expectations. But they also represent the first proper way to play the original Black Ops duology on modern PlayStation hardware without digging a PS3 out of storage.
What exactly is being released on PS4 and PS5?
Treyarch has confirmed that the 2010 Call of Duty: Black Ops and its 2012 sequel Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 are being ported to PS4 and PS5 with Iron Galaxy in charge of development. The studio has built a long track record of technical ports, from big-budget fighters to large-scale action games, and here their brief is clear: preserve the originals as closely as possible.
These releases are straight ports of the PS3-era versions, not ground-up native PS5 remasters with new assets. That means the core rendering tech, geometry and animation are pulled from the original codebase, but the games are rebuilt to run cleanly on PS4 and then on PS5 through compatibility.
For Black Ops specifically, this puts the Cold War thriller back in reach for a huge audience that skipped the PS3 or joined the series with later entries like Black Ops 3 or the recent Black Ops 6 and 7. For Black Ops 2, it means one of the most beloved multiplayer sandboxes in the franchise is finally off of legacy hardware.
What content is included?
Treyarch has confirmed that both ports ship as complete packages. There is no campaign-only cut down, and nothing is being carved out for separate sale at launch.
Black Ops on PS4/PS5 includes the full single-player campaign, the competitive multiplayer suite and the Zombies mode that followed World at War’s foundations. Campaign still covers the Mason interrogation framing device, the Vietnam and Cold War set pieces and the original endings. Multiplayer retains its iconic maps and systems, from Firing Range and Nuketown to customizable loadouts and streaks. Zombies brings back the early cast and experiences like Kino der Toten and Five in their original form.
Black Ops 2’s port follows the same pattern. You get the branching future-set campaign that alternates between the 1980s and 2025, the expanded multiplayer with Pick 10 loadouts, Scorestreaks and a more experimental map pool, and the much larger Zombies offering that cemented the mode as a pillar of the franchise. From TranZit and Town to later survival and grief variants, the PS4/PS5 version is positioned as the full 2012 package, not a piecemeal release.
The one caveat is DLC. Activision has not committed publicly to bundling all DLC map packs into the base ports at no extra cost. The most likely scenario, based on how other Call of Duty re-releases have been handled, is that the base games launch intact and DLC packs are sold separately or folded into subscription offerings. Until Activision spells that out, players should assume the launch SKUs primarily cover the original disc content.
Expected technical enhancements on PS4 and PS5
Because these are ports and not remasters, you should not expect overhauled textures, new lighting models or a full suite of modern graphics features. Treyarch and Iron Galaxy are focusing on getting the original experience running reliably on contemporary PlayStation hardware.
The biggest practical upgrades will likely come from raw horsepower. On PS4 the games should benefit from higher and more stable frame rates compared to their PS3 counterparts, with sharper image quality thanks to higher resolutions and better scaling. Streaming bottlenecks and long loads that used to plague older consoles are also likely to be reduced.
On PS5 the benefits come from the SSD and CPU/GPU headroom. Expect fast loads into campaign missions and multiplayer matches, smoother frame pacing and less hitching when matches get chaotic. These should feel like the best console versions of the old games, even if they still look like titles from 2010 and 2012 at their core.
What seems off the table are fully native PS5 features like ray tracing, adaptive trigger integration or complete UI redesigns. Treyarch is treating these as preservation-friendly ports that honor the look and feel of the originals without rebuilding them around current tech.
Multiplayer support: lobbies, progression and playlists
For most players, the headline is not the campaigns. It is the return of classic multiplayer lobbies without having to boot up an aging PS3.
Treyarch has already confirmed that multiplayer is part of both ports. That means full online PvP suites, progression systems, weapon unlocks and prestige loops are intact. Expect the traditional playlist structure, from Team Deathmatch and Domination to Search and Destroy, along with the quirky side modes that defined the era.
The key questions now shift to infrastructure and matchmaking. Activision has yet to publicly detail where these ports will sit within the current Call of Duty network stack. Given that older Xbox versions of Black Ops titles are still online, it is reasonable to expect dedicated server support or at least robust peer-to-peer fallback for PS4 and PS5, but the publisher is not promising cross-play with other platforms. These ports are positioned squarely as PlayStation releases.
Ranking and unlocks are also assumed to be fresh rather than imported from long-defunct PS3 accounts. Players returning after years away will be starting new soldier records, which actually levels the playing field for anyone jumping in for the first time.
Zombies support: the return of the undead era
Zombies is confirmed for both Black Ops and Black Ops 2 on PS4 and PS5. Fans of the mode can expect the core survival experiences and map layouts that built its reputation to be intact.
In Black Ops this means the early post–World at War era of Zombies design. Matches unfold on relatively tight maps with a heavy focus on survival pacing, window boarding, and the mysterious narrative crumbs that Treyarch scattered around the environments. Cooperative play, whether split-screen or online, remains the heart of the experience.
Black Ops 2 pushes things forward with elaborate questlines, buildables and more adventurous map structures. The PS4/PS5 ports aim to present that progression as it originally appeared, from the chaotic sprawl of TranZit to more traditional survival spaces. With modern matchmaking and console stability, these modes should be easier to access and maintain than hunting for working PS3 lobbies in 2026.
What is less clear is whether Activision will treat Zombies DLC any differently from competitive multiplayer DLC. If map packs are sold separately, Zombies fans may once again have to pick and choose which experiences they want to unlock. That decision will have a big impact on how active the Zombies player base becomes across specific maps.
Why revisit Black Ops 1 and 2 now?
The timing of these ports is not an accident. Black Ops as a subseries has been central to Call of Duty’s identity for more than a decade, and Treyarch has been back in the spotlight with back-to-back new entries. Nostalgia for the original duology is high, especially among players who came into the franchise via Warzone or later Black Ops titles.
There is also a stark platform gap. Xbox players have had relatively easy access to many older Call of Duty games through backward compatibility programs and enhancements on newer hardware. PlayStation players, by contrast, have been locked out unless they held onto a PS3 and working discs. Porting Black Ops and Black Ops 2 to PS4 and PS5 closes that gap for two of the most requested entries.
From Activision’s perspective, it also keeps the Call of Duty ecosystem active between major premium releases. With Modern Warfare 4 anchoring the new slate, the publisher can still offer something meaningful for PlayStation fans who specifically crave the Cold War chaos, futuristic branching campaign and classic multiplayer of Black Ops. These ports act as both nostalgia plays and gentle on-ramps for players who might try the older games and then move on to newer installments.
Finally, there is a preservation angle. Regardless of the commercial motivations, having clean, current ports of Black Ops and Black Ops 2 on PS4 and PS5 makes it far easier for future generations to access them. The alternative was leaving some of the most important shooters of the Xbox 360 and PS3 generation stranded on fading hardware.
What this means for fans
If you have been hoping for lavish remasters with rebuilt visuals and new features, these ports are not that. They are, however, a straightforward way to keep two of the most influential Call of Duty campaigns, multiplayer sandboxes and Zombies experiences alive on modern PlayStation consoles.
With full campaigns, competitive multiplayer and Zombies all confirmed, these releases should satisfy players who just want to drop into Nuketown again, rerun the Mason interrogation, or chase high rounds with friends without hunting for a PS3. The details around DLC, pricing and exact July release dates are still to come, but the core promise is already clear.
Black Ops is back on PlayStation, and this time it is not leaving any time soon.