With Call of Duty: Black Ops 7’s release date coming up this week, Activision has confirmed the official launch times for the game and announced when preloading begins–in fact, preloading is now underway.
Preloading begins today, November 10, while the full game unlocks at midnight local time on November 14, and that means people in New Zealand are getting in first. You can see the full launch schedule and preloading details below.
Black Ops 7 preloading times
Preloading goes live for all platforms on November 10 at the following times (preloading may already be available for you; if not, keep trying):
- 9 AM PT
- 12 PM ET
- 5 PM GMT
- 4 AM AEDT (November 11)
When does Black Ops 7 come out?
Black Ops 7 launches at midnight local time on November 14 for PlayStation, Xbox, and Xbox on PC, which means the game will be available at 3 AM PT on November 13, but you can only play that early if you live in New Zealand (more on that later). Battle.net and Steam users, meanwhile, can start playing at 9 PM PT on November 13, which works out to midnight Eastern on November 14.
Xbox, Xbox on PC, PlayStation
- Midnight local time on November 14
Battle.net and Steam
- 9 PM PT / 12 AM ET on November 13
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 | Official Launch And PC Features Overview Trailer
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The New Zealand trick
Given that New Zealand is so far ahead of people in the US and UK, you might be wondering if it’s possible to trick your console or PC into thinking you live in the country where there are more sheep than people. This trick worked with Black Ops 6, and may work again with Black Ops 7.
People should know, however, that Microsoft does not want you to do this. In any event, here’s a rundown of how it should work.
Xbox:
- Power up console and head to the Settings
- Select “System”
- Select “Language and Location”
- Change your location to New Zealand
- Restart your console
- Load up Black Ops 7 to start playing
Xbox on PC:
PlayStation:
- Go to the Call of Duty website
- Log in to your Call of Duty account
- Click on your profile and select “Basic Info”
- Enter a New Zealand address
- Make sure the changes save and load up Black Ops 7
Game Pass
Black Ops 7 will be available at launch on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. While those two subscription services recently saw major price hikes, most major retailers are sticking with the old prices, so you don’t actually have to pay more if you buy a membership right now. Game Pass Ultimate remains $20 at GameStop, Amazon, Best Buy, and others.