Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War

Cold War launched November 13, 2020 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Series X/S, and PC—a cross-gen juggling act developed by Treyarch and Raven Software after Sledgehammer's project imploded and needed rescue. Set in the early 1980s as a direct Black Ops sequel, it featured a mind-bending single-player campaign that critics called "the best COD campaign in at least 4 years" with "cool concepts" and actual player choice. Multiplayer was classic Treyarch arena combat, and Zombies mode returned with a new story. The game became the best-selling title of 2020 in the US despite mixed reviews (Metacritic hovered around average). The October beta ran across two weekends, and the pre-launch marketing included cryptic Warzone messages and locked crates shipped to influencers. StreamerHouse's 462-viewer peak in 2020 came during the campaign hype, when the branching narrative and Cold War espionage aesthetic felt fresh after Modern Warfare 2019's gritty reboot. Post-launch support included six seasons of free maps, modes, weapons, and a premium battle pass. Cold War was competent, occasionally great, but lived in Modern Warfare 2019's shadow. It proved Treyarch could salvage a troubled project and ship a functional COD on schedule, which in 2020 was an achievement worth celebrating.