The Call of Duty HQ launcher interface that the fanbase desperately wants gone is finally being overhauled by Activision ahead of the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 launch. In a blog post, the company revealed that players will no longer have to go through menu after menu (or even restart after restart) to get to the actual game or mode they want to play, with the new UI offering direct access to games and their files.
The new interface will show off three tabs: Home, All Games, and Store. The Home tab will be the landing page, offering game tiles to "directly access games," unlike before. Aside from Black Ops 6"s play button, this has a Last Played tile to quickly jump back into a previous experience, a Featured tile to show off relevant content, and a row of What"s Hot tiles to highlight new content from Treyarch.
The All Games tab houses every Call of Duty since 2019"s Modern Warfare. It offers quick launching and purchase options for individual games without scrolling. Each game"s files can also be accessed to quickly delete individual components, like completed single-player campaigns.
Lastly, the Store tab is just as it sounds: it offers a quick way to access Activision"s latest offers for its in-game purchasable content across all active titles.
Activision says the UI will "evolve over three phases; here"s the rundown:
Phase 1: Pre-Black Ops 6 Launch (October 21 – October 24)
Initially, there will be a transition period from October 21 through 24 when the new UI goes live before Black Ops 6 launches.
During these few days, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III and Call of Duty: Warzone will be the primary Game Tiles on the Home tab and players will cross-launch into those games. Modern Warfare III will retain its legacy UI. Call of Duty: Warzone will retain its legacy UI until the Season 01 update.
The Store tab will direct players into the full Modern Warfare III and Call of Duty: Warzone in-game stores via cross-launch.
Phase 2: Post-Black Ops 6 Launch (October 25 – unknown date)
When Black Ops 6 launches, it will replace Modern Warfare III, making Black Ops 6 and Call of Duty: Warzone the primary Game Tiles on the Home tab. Players will be able to instantly access Black Ops 6 and cross-launch into Call of Duty: Warzone.Players who wish to continue playing Modern Warfare III can access it via cross-launch on the All Games tab or the Last Played Tile if that’s the content you’ve played most recently.
For players who have purchased Black Ops 6, the Store tab will now direct you to the full Black Ops 6 in-game store.
Black Ops 6 will have its own individual user interface designed to easily get players into the modes and content they want to play. Players can access Campaign, Multiplayer, and Zombies from the Black Ops 6 game UI. Look out for new updates to the gunsmith, playlist selection, and social showcase within Black Ops 6!
Phase 3: Season 01 (unknown date)
When Season 01 begins, the UI will enter its fully realized state. Black Ops 6 and Call of Duty: Warzone will continue to be the primary Game Tiles on the Home tab and players will be able to instantly access both Black Ops 6 and Call of Duty: Warzone for a faster, more direct path to gameplay.The Store tab will now direct all players to the full Black Ops 6 and Call of Duty: Warzone in-game stores based on what you have installed.
A Battle Pass tab will be introduced in Season 01 with similar functionality as the Store tab, directing players to the full Battle Pass within Black Ops 6 or Call of Duty: Warzone. With the Season 01 update, Call of Duty: Warzone will also have its own individual user interface with improvements similar to the Black Ops 6 UI.
October 21 is when Call of Duty players will be able to start using this new UI, just as Black Ops 6"s pre-loads officially kick off. The game is set to be a much smaller download compared to previous releases in the series, too, thanks to Warzone being decoupled entirely from the installation.