Activision has cleared up the matchmaking confusion surrounding the digital releases of Call of Duty: Black Ops and Call of Duty: Black Ops II on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. Players on both console generations can join the same matches, but the games do not support cross-platform play with PlayStation 3 or other hardware.
PS4 and PS5 Players Can Match Together
The clarification came after players reported what looked like limits on cross-generation matchmaking. Some users also believed that owning a Season Pass prevented them from playing with people who did not have one.
That is not how the multiplayer matchmaking works. Activision’s Call of Duty team confirmed in a social media update that PS4 and PS5 players can matchmake with one another, while Season Pass owners can play with non-owners in both games.
📢 Call of Duty: #BlackOps & #BlackOps2 on PS4 / PS5
PS4 and PS5 players are able to matchmake with one another. There is no cross-platform play with PS3 or other hardware platforms.
Also, Season Pass owners are able to matchmake with non-Season Pass owners in both titles.
— Call of Duty Updates (@CODUpdates) July 11, 2026
The distinction is important. Players can move between the two supported PlayStation generations, but they cannot connect to matches running on PS3 or other platforms. In practical terms, someone playing on PS5 can join friends using the PS4 versions of the games.
A Busy Launch Created Early Confusion
Both titles arrived as digital releases on the PlayStation Store earlier this week. Demand was high enough that the store briefly struggled under the number of people trying to purchase and download them.
Players also raised concerns about the price of the older shooters, although the games are available at no additional cost for some PlayStation Plus subscribers. Questions about performance and matchmaking added to the noisy launch period, but Activision’s clarification removes the main uncertainty around who can play together.
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