Call of Duty: Black Ops and Black Ops II Top PS5 Charts

Microsoft and Activision have brought Call of Duty: Black Ops and Call of Duty: Black Ops II to PlayStation 5 through straightforward ports—while older Xbox versions remain hampered by long-running security issues. The PlayStation storefront response has been so strong that the two titles are topping current charts, even outperforming Grand Theft Auto VI there.

Quick facts

Ports added: Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and Black Ops 2 on PlayStation 5
PlayStation Store momentum: Black Ops titles are #1 and #2 trending on the PlayStation Store
Reason given by players: Xbox backwards compatibility versions face hacking problems due to Xbox 360 security being compromised
Xbox store gesture mentioned: Black Ops DLC may be free on the Xbox Store, but the base game is still priced at $40
Broader context: Some older Call of Duty entries were never ported to modern PlayStation, leaving PC and Xbox as the main paths

Backwards compatibility has long been one of the most useful features across Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, with hundreds of Xbox 360 and original Xbox games available. However, some classic Call of Duty titles never received modern PlayStation ports, meaning the practical options for many players are PC or a modern Xbox.

To close that gap, Microsoft and Activision delivered basic PlayStation 5 ports of Black Ops and Black Ops II. PlayStation players have quickly taken to the new releases, pushing both games to the top of the PlayStation Store’s trending list—described as beating Grand Theft Auto VI on the charts.

Why Xbox fans are reacting so strongly

The controversy isn’t just about availability. The discussion centers on the state of Xbox 360-era versions accessed via backwards compatibility. After Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Xbox effectively gained full control of the Call of Duty franchise, and classic titles were already broadly available on Xbox back compat.

But players point to security updates—or the lack of them—for Xbox 360 consoles as a key factor. With the platform’s security layers “torn down” over time, hackers are described as common enough to make some Xbox 360 back compat experiences “virtually unplayable.”

By contrast, the PlayStation 5 ports run in isolation from older Xbox systems, which reduces the exposure to the same kind of compromised environment. As a result, critics call the situation a de-facto PlayStation console advantage, even though the ports are published by Xbox.

What’s being criticized about the ports

The ports are characterized as extremely basic: beyond a resolution bump, there’s little enhancement described. The complaint suggests the releases may be intentionally aligned with the look and feel of the Xbox 360 versions rather than rebuilt or meaningfully improved.

That “basic port” criticism is paired with frustration over the timing and distribution. While PlayStation players see quick online matchmaking and low friction when launching the games on PS4/PS5 (with one claim stating no hackers encountered), Xbox players argue they’re being left with a broken path if they want the same experience through backwards compatibility.

There’s also speculation about internal limitations. The discussion notes that the original game source code and related server infrastructure may be difficult to access or maintain. One concern raised is that Microsoft could cut off older versions if it ships new PS5-targeted ports, potentially leaving Xbox 360 and back compat users behind.

As a partial response, the piece mentions that Black Ops DLC may have been made free on the Xbox Store. Even so, the base game is still reported as priced at $40, which is cited as an especially contentious point given the reported hacking problems on the Xbox path.

Microsoft and Activision were contacted for comment on the decision to leave the Xbox versions in their current state, but no public explanation is included here. The overall takeaway from the reaction is that the success of the PlayStation releases has highlighted how uneven the “classic Call of Duty” experience can be across platforms.