Ethan Crossfield 
If you’re deciding whether to buy, revisit, or wait, here’s the quick takeaway: Activision’s PlayStation re-releases of Call of Duty: Black Ops and Black Ops 2 are currently ranking ahead of Grand Theft Auto 6 on the PlayStation Store charts—despite GTA 6 not being out yet. The momentum is temporary, but it’s a clear signal that older Call of Duty titles are still pulling weight when they land on a modern platform.
What changed: two classic CoD titles returned to modern PlayStation
Activision has re-released two of the most popular entries in the Call of Duty franchise—Call of Duty: Black Ops and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2—on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. The move has pushed both games to the top of the PlayStation Store charts, and they’ve done so even while Grand Theft Auto 6 is still months away from release.
The re-release strategy isn’t universally beloved. The source notes that some players have criticized the pricing for updated availability of games that are well over a decade old. Still, sales momentum appears strong, suggesting that the market is prioritizing access and convenience over concerns about cost.
From a franchise perspective, the timing makes sense. Black Ops is widely recognized in the source as the point where Treyarch began to fully establish its identity within Call of Duty, with praise directed at both its twisting story and its multiplayer evolution. Black Ops also earned notable acclaim for its Zombies mode. Black Ops 2 is described as similarly well-regarded, with both titles standing among the most loved games in the series.
Who’s affected: PS4/PS5 players see the advantage over GTA 6—for now
The immediate impact is platform-specific. Because Black Ops and Black Ops 2 are already available to play on PS4 and PS5, they’re getting chart leverage that GTA 6 can’t match yet. The source emphasizes that GTA 6’s pre-orders already helped it explode to the top when they went live, but the current advantage belongs to games you can actually download and play today.
It also matters that the re-releases aren’t presented as major modernization projects. The source states that the re-releases lack Wager Matches and don’t include major improvements. In other words, the appeal appears to be straightforward: bring established multiplayer and modes to newer hardware without the full remaster pipeline.
There’s also a platform gap for players elsewhere. Activision released the ports only on PS4 and PS5, and the source highlights the absence of an Xbox version despite Xbox owning Activision and Call of Duty. The lack of a Switch 2 port is also called out as a missed opportunity, especially given how valuable multiplayer access and servers can be for fans.
What comes next: GTA 6 likely reclaims the top spot when it’s closer
The source frames the current chart situation as temporary. It’s likely that GTA 6 will overtake the Black Ops re-releases in the near future. The reasoning is tied to marketing and demand: when Rockstar releases the long-awaited third trailer for GTA 6, it could drive a new surge of pre-orders and renewed visibility.
Once GTA 6 launches later this year, it almost certainly becomes the best-selling game of the year quickly, meaning CoD re-releases may not stay dominant forever.
At the same time, the success of these re-releases raises a broader question: whether older Call of Duty games will follow the same port approach. The source suggests that more ports could be on the table, but it remains unconfirmed.
What players should know
- Black Ops and Black Ops 2 are currently topping PlayStation Store charts on PS4/PS5 and have surpassed GTA 6 on those rankings.
- The advantage is availability: GTA 6 isn’t out yet, while the re-releases are playable now.
- The ports aren’t positioned as major upgrades—Wager Matches are missing and there aren’t major improvements.
- Releases appear limited to PlayStation platforms, with no Xbox or Switch 2 versions mentioned.
Expert View
This is a smart reminder that “classic” can outperform “next” when the next title is still unavailable. The re-releases are winning on accessibility and established multiplayer appeal, even without big feature additions. That said, the chart lead looks like a window rather than a long-term shift—GTA 6’s marketing beats and eventual launch should reset expectations quickly. For now, PS4/PS5 players who want active access to these older CoD experiences have a clear reason to jump in.
