- Image from Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 courtesy of Treyarch

Call of Duty Paywall Panic? Turns Out It Was Just a Rumor

Originally posted on Total Apex Gaming | By Mollie Dominy | Last updated May 7, 2025 3:33 AM ET

Well, we’ve got some good news for Call of Duty fans—and it doesn’t come wrapped in a $30 battle pass. The recent uproar about limited-time modes being locked behind a paywall? Turns out that was nothing more than a rumor that spiraled faster than a rage quit.

In case you missed it, the rumor doing the rounds claimed that future Call of Duty games might hide seasonal modes behind the battle pass, forcing players to pay just to access content that used to be free. Yeah, the community wasn’t thrilled. The reaction was basically the gaming equivalent of someone throwing a cinder block at your head—loud, angry, and immediate.

CharlieIntel Clears the Air

Update: We’ve been told that rumor below of Call of Duty putting limited time modes behind Battle Pass is false. This will not be happening for Call of Duty 2025. pic.twitter.com/2waQKOJPIE

— CharlieIntel (@charlieINTEL) May 6, 2025

Thankfully, CharlieIntel, one of the most trusted sources for CoD updates, came through with a reality check. On X (formerly Twitter), they posted that the rumor was false. According to their update, limited-time modes will not be locked behind a paywall, and there are no such plans for the 2025 Call of Duty title either.

So yes—Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is safe. For now.

Bundle News, FOMO Shade, and a Cautious Future

If you needed more good news to pile on top, Black Ops 6 is also reportedly getting a PS5 console bundle, though details on that are still trickling in. Oh—and in an entertaining twist, a producer from the canceled game XDefiant recently threw some well-timed shade at CoD’s FOMO-driven marketing strategy. Spicy.

The takeaway? Gamers won’t need to cough up extra cash just to play new modes—yet. Let’s not pretend this is a permanent win, though. With pricing already going up across the board (hello, $70 base games), it’s not wild to assume more paywall rumors could surface later.

For now, though, free is still free, and the CoD community gets to breathe a little easier.

This article first appeared on Total Apex Gaming and was syndicated with permission.

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