Black Ops 6 is online-only, all modes require internet to play

Yesterday, Microsoft and Activision formally unveiled Call of Duty Black Ops 6 to gamers, but this sequel brings some big changes.

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Black Ops 6 will require always-online internet connectivity in order to play, Activision has confirmed. This includes all modes of play, even the campaign. The publisher was careful to say that both PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass Core are required for online multiplayer, but the campaign can be played without these subscriptions.

The reason? Treyarch's new game uses texture streaming tech to handle Black Ops 6's in-game assets, which are indubitably large--The game clocks in at 300GB worth of data (that's over 1/3rd of a stock PS5 SSD).

"To deliver the highest-quality visuals while also reducing the game's overall storage space on your hard drive, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will use texture streaming across all game modes. This means you'll need a continuous internet connection to play any game mode, including Campaign. If you're on a console, Campaign can be played without a premium subscription service such as Game Pass Core or PlayStation Plus."

The always-online requirement could also be a boon for both Microsoft and Activision, who will be collecting valuable player data and telemetry at a rapid pace. These figures are then taken and put into internal reports to assess the state of the Xbox business, and more importantly, how well the strategy to put Black Ops 6 day-one on Game Pass will work out over time for the games division.

Black Ops 6 launches October 25 on all platforms--including the PS4 and Xbox One.