Call of Duty Black Ops 6 Season 1: Start date, new maps and everything you need to know

Call of Duty is no stranger to seasonal launches having ditched the idea of map packs a few years ago, but fans are in for a real treat with the first drop of Black Ops 6.

We’ve already seen the iconic Nuketown added in the weeks since launch, but Season 1 will add weapons, maps, Warzone content, skins, and Zombies modes, alongside plenty more.

Whether you’re looking for new story beats, need to pick up the fan-favorite Replacer skin, or want new maps to do battle in, here’s everything coming in Black Ops 6 Season 1, as per Activision.

Call of Duty Black Ops 6 Season 1 start date

Black Ops 6 Season 1 is closer than ever
(Image: Grab)

Black Ops 6 launched on October 24, and its first season follows less than a month after – Season 1 arrives on November 14, 2024 .

Not only is the Season 1 update free of charge for all players, but that holds true for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, too – so if you didn’t buy the game on Xbox or PC but have been playing it via Xbox’s subscription service, you’ll still get to enjoy everything on offer.

Black Ops 6 Season 1 maps and modes

Black Ops 6 multiplayer is one of the best in year
(Image: Activision)

Season 1 will introduce a handful of fresh maps to Black Ops 6.

Hideout is a new 6v6 map that takes place on a training course, while Heirloom is available for both 2v2 and 6v6 modes and takes place in an art gallery. They’re joined at launch by Extraction , which takes place around a downed helicopter.

The mid-season update will bring back Hacienda (last seen in Black Ops 4), a snowy Nuketown makeover for the festive season, and a new bank vault map called Racket which is playable in 2v2 and 6v6 modes.

Speaking of modes, Ransack will have players hoarding gold bars to drop them off at a team’s stash, while Prop Hunt returns alongside new Limited Time Modes for the Holiday Season. These will be revealed in Season 1 Reloaded.

Black Ops 6 Season 1 Warzone changes It wouldn’t be a Call of Duty season without some big updates for Warzone, and the series’ battle royale component will see a new resurgence map, Area 99, which you can see in the trailer above.

It’s inspired by Nuketown, which is enough to get me excited, and it features a whole host of new POIs including a Mannequin factory, bomb testing site, bunker, and a huge reactor tower.

Elsewhere, Urzikstan returns, alongside Rebirth Island, so there are plenty of places to visit for BR fans.

Black Ops 6 Season 1 new weapons and gear

Black Ops 6 is off to a promising start, and Season 1 could make it even better
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

The following new weapons arrive as part of Season 1’s Battle Pass:

Krig C (Assault Rifle) SAUG (SMG) The SIRIN 9mm can be earned from a special event, as can the Maelstrom shotgun and AMR MOD 4 sniper rifle. There’s also a Power Drill available as a melee weapon, which sounds a little grim, as well as a new Cleaver. That event could be the new Hit List, which will give players a series of bounty targets to take out.

New attachments include the Buffer Weight Stock and Dragon’s Breath.

There are fresh Loadout perks coming, too. Shadow (Strategist) will make players undetectable to enemy traps and mines, while Shrapnel Radar (Recon) will ensure players and their teams can spot enemies hit by Tacticals, Lethals, and Field Upgrades. With the amount of frags I throw each match, I think that’ll make me very popular.

A new Scorestreak, the Hand Cannon, will give players a slow-firing, powerful handgun that can take enemies out in one shot. Pair it with the new High Roller Wildcard and you can earn it alongside other Scorestreaks, too!

Black Ops 6 Season 1 new Zombies content

Expect a new Black Ops 6 Zombies experience in Season 1
(Image: Activision)

Zombies is back to its best in Black Ops 6, but there’s plenty more to come. A new Directed Mode will lead players through the open-ended Liberty Falls and Terminus matches, with a maximum round cap of 15 waves of Zombies.

Naturally, this disables Side Quests and S.A.M. Trials, but it should be a great way to learn each map for newcomers.

There’s also the promise of a new map called Citadelle des Morts, with a more Gothic setting, but the development team is tight-lipped on what that could include at this point in time. It’s coming mid-season, though.

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