Black Ops 7 release time - how to play new Call of Duty 'early' and when does Ranked Play come out?
This year’s Call of Duty has almost arrived - but players have figured out a way to play the game early.
Following the controversial Black Ops 6, which has been praised for its gunplay but criticised for immersion-destroying crossovers with American Dad, Seth Rogan and more, Treyarch’s sequel is being released on Friday (November 14).
It’s the first time two Black Ops games have been dropped back-to-back in Call of Duty’s history, with much of the development focus last year being on the sequel, rather than the current title.
Black Ops 7 takes us into the near future, as a direct sequel to the beloved Black Ops 2. Omni-movement returns and so does main character David Mason, in a typical mind-bending Treyarch campaign that boasts drone warfare, jetpacks and wall jumping.
The multiplayer will feature the latter, and is where most players will spend the majority of their time on the game.
Black Ops 7 officially releases on Friday, November 14, but at different times depending on where in the world you live. Because of that, it’s possible to cheat the system and get your hands on it early, if you live in certain timezones.
How to play Black Ops 7 early
With staggered launches across timezones, for the past few years, there has been a way to play the newest Call of Duty earlier than the developers expected.
Growing in popularity, the now-dubbed “New Zealand glitch” works on PC, PlayStation and Xbox and lets you log in when New Zealand get access to the game (as they typically get it first).
All it requires is changing your Activision account and platform’s digital location to the Pacific island.
Your address can be anywhere in the country, but we would advise picking a public place rather than someone else’s house - unless you have a friend or relative out there, of course. Our suggestion is the McDonald’s in Auckland, which has the following address: 260 Queen Street, Auckland Central, Auckland 1010 New Zealand
Here is how to change your address for each respective platform, once you have changed it on your Activision account.
PS5
Log into your account, click on your profile icon in the top right and select “basic info”. From there, press “edit” next to your address and adjust it to a New Zealand one. Save your changes and restart your console.
Xbox Series X/S
Go to your console settings, then “system”. Select “language and location” and in the next page, “location”. Once there, choose New Zealand, save your changes and restart your console.
PC
Open up the system settings on your PC. Click “time and language” and then go to “language and region”. Under the drop-down menu, select New Zealand. Once you restart your PC, your settings will be saved.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is already available for pre-load on all platforms, meaning you won’t need to download the game on the night itself.
When is Ranked Play out?
Some players will want to take their game to the next level. If you have watched the Call of Duty League (CDL), you might have aspirations of becoming the next Shotzzy, Scrap or Hydra - playing the game for millions of dollars.
The first step of that ladder is Ranked Play, a competitive playlist using CDL settings and its own ranking system. From there, the route to paid tournaments on sites like CMG, finding a Challengers team and going head-to-head with the pros awaits.
According to Call of Duty news website CharlieIntel, Black Ops 7 Ranked Play will launch in Season Two, which usually starts somewhere around mid-January. In the meantime, there will reportedly be an unranked playlist that uses the CDL ruleset and game modes.