Activision is addressing the notorious large file sizes of Call of Duty games, with plans to reduce the space they occupy on your hard drive ahead of the October 25th release of Black Ops 6. One significant change includes the separation of Warzone from the main download of the annual Call of Duty titles.

This separation will take effect on August 21st, coinciding with the launch of Season 5 Reloaded. After this update, when you download an annual Call of Duty game, you'll have the option to include Warzone if you choose. Alternatively, you can download Warzone independently if that's your preference.

With the introduction of Season 5 Reloaded, Activision is also shifting to a greater reliance on texture streaming, allowing players to select between "optimized" (the default) or "minimal" streaming options. Additionally, in mid-October, a new user interface for browsing Call of Duty games will be introduced.

To implement these changes, a substantial update will be required as part of the Season 5 rollout. This update will reorganize game files and integrate new technology to pave the way for the enhanced player interface. Once the update is completed, Activision promises a reduced file size for Call of Duty due to these "file optimizations." (PlayStation 5 users will need to download a series of updates due to "differences in file organization.")

As a result of these updates, Black Ops 6 is expected to have a "smaller download at launch than Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III." While the exact download size for Black Ops 6 hasn't been disclosed, Activision has clarified that the estimated sizes displayed on preorder listings do not accurately reflect the "download size or disk footprint" of the game. (This clarification comes after an Xbox store page mistakenly listed a download size of 309.85GB.)

In addition, Activision will be hosting an open beta for Black Ops 6 starting on August 30th.