Next Call of Duty Will Not Release on Last-Gen Consoles, Activision Confirms

Call of Duty is finally leaving behind last-generation consoles, PS4 and Xbox One. After sticking with cross-gen Call of Duty releases for years after PS5 and Xbox Series S/X consoles came out, Activision has now clarified that the next entry in the first-person shooter franchise is not being developed for last-gen consoles.

“Not sure where this one started, but it's not true. The next Call of Duty is not being developed for PS4,” the publisher confirmed in a post via the official Call of Duty account on X. The clarification came after rumours of the next Call of Duty, believed to be Modern Warfare 4, being playtested on PS4 surfaced over the weekend, naturally raising concerns from fans.

Call of Duty to Abandon Cross-Gen Releases 

Call of Duty games have been cross-gen releases, releasing on PS4 and Xbox One alongside PS5 and Xbox Series S/X. Launching on older platforms maximises the game's install base — millions of users still play their games on last-gen consoles — but has also held back the series from taking a truly next-gen leap in terms of visuals.

Fans have complained about Call of Duty games being held back technically because of last-gen ports. The discussion around last-gen releases was especially vocal when Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 launched on PS4 and Xbox One, alongside current-gen consoles. The game was received poorly, leading to Activision admitting that the franchise had not met fans' expectations fully.

For comparison, Battlefield 6 skipped the last-gen consoles and launched on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X just weeks ahead of Black Ops 7. EA's shooter went on to become the best-selling game of 2025 in the US, beating Call of Duty, its biggest rival.

Now, with last-gen consoles confirmed to be out of the picture, the next Call of Duty could feature technical advancements and graphical upgrades that weren't seen in recent releases.

Activision and Microsoft have not revealed the next Call of Duty, but it is rumoured to be Modern Warfare 4. The game is believed to be in development at Infinity Ward.

Call of Duty on Game Pass, Nintendo Switch 2

One thing is confirmed that the next Call of Duty won't be launching on Xbox Game Pass. Last month, Microsoft announced it was slashing the price of PC Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate and removing future Call of Duty games from the service. Going forward, Call of Duty games will be available on Game Pass the following holiday season, roughly a year after launch.

Aside from PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X, Activision is also planning to bring the franchise to Nintendo Switch 2. Microsoft has a 10-year deal with Nintendo to bring Call of Duty games to Switch platforms.

Ahead of the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Activision had said it was working with Nintendo to bring Call of Duty to Switch. “We're committed to getting the franchise on Switch. Both teams are working on it. Will share details when ready,” the publisher had said last year