When is Black Ops 7 and Warzone Season 6? Expected release date, time and what to expect
By TourneyTime ·
The short version
Black Ops 7 and Warzone Season 6 is expected on Thursday 17 September 2026 — but that date is not Activision’s, it is the game’s. It comes from the countdown attached to the Season 5 Battle Pass, which is scheduled to expire on the 17th. Dexerto reported the same 17 September expectation on 1 September and was explicit that it is unconfirmed, noting we should get official word from Treyarch nearer the time (Dexerto). Dot Esports landed on the same date from the same Battle Pass countdown, and likewise flagged that Activision has not announced anything (Dot Esports).
So: plan around 17 September, but do not book the day off.
One thing that is nailed down: this is the last season before Modern Warfare 4 arrives on 23 October 2026 and takes Warzone with it (Call of Duty).
Season 6: what we know vs what we are guessing
| Detail | Status |
|---|---|
| Start date — Thursday 17 September 2026 | Expected. From the in-game Season 5 Battle Pass countdown, not an Activision announcement |
| Start time — 9AM PT / 11AM CT / 12PM ET / 5PM BST | Expected. Matches the recent seasonal rollout pattern; unannounced |
| Season 5 ends | Expected when the Battle Pass expires — Esports Tales projected roughly 16 September |
| Endgame goes owners-only from Season 06 | Confirmed by Activision in the Season 5 Reloaded announcement |
| The Haunting Halloween event | Rumoured. No confirmation of the event or its contents |
| Modern Warfare 4 launch — 23 October 2026 | Confirmed |
Why 17 September is a good bet, not a fact
The Battle Pass timer has been a reliable proxy for season changeovers because seasons hand over the moment the previous pass expires. It is also the only public number anyone has right now — every outlet quoting 17 September is reading the same in-game countdown, which is worth knowing before you treat the agreement between them as three independent confirmations.
The supporting evidence lines up. Esports Tales, tracking the seasonal calendar in July, had Season 5 running to roughly 16 September on the same Battle Pass logic, and recorded Season 5 launching on 23 July at 9AM PT (Esports Tales). A season ending on the 16th and the next starting on the 17th is exactly the pattern we have seen all year.
The caveat that matters: Activision typically confirms the exact date and time only a few days out. If the date slips, it will slip late and it will slip publicly.
The one Season 6 change Activision has actually confirmed
Buried in the Season 5 Reloaded announcement is the only hard Season 6 detail on the record: free access to Endgame runs until the end of Season 05. From Season 06 onwards it is Black Ops 7 owners only (Call of Duty).
If you have been playing Endgame on the free ride, that window closes with Season 5. Get what you want out of it before the changeover — see our Season 5 Reloaded rundown for what is currently live.
What to expect in Season 6 (all unconfirmed)
Nothing below is announced. It is pattern-reading, and we will update this page when the official blog lands.
- The Haunting. Call of Duty’s Halloween event is close to an annual fixture, and a mid-September season start puts Season 6 squarely across late October. Dexerto expects it to return with map overhauls and horror Operators, and points out there is precedent for The Haunting landing during a launch year — it ran under Modern Warfare 3 too. Activision has confirmed neither the event nor its contents.
- A new Battle Pass, weapons, Operators and modes. Standard seasonal furniture.
- A closing-out season rather than a big swing. With Modern Warfare 4 five weeks behind it, Season 6 is widely expected to be the last major Black Ops 7 content drop rather than a foundation for anything new.
Treat the Zombies picture with particular care: Dexerto expects updates but no new map. That is a single-source read, so we are not stating it as fact.
How Season 6 fits around Modern Warfare 4
This is the part worth planning for. Modern Warfare 4 launches on 23 October 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC and Switch 2, with Campaign Early Access from 16 October for digital pre-orders, and the Season 01 Battle Pass going live in game at launch (Call of Duty).
If Season 6 does start on 17 September, that gives it roughly five weeks before Modern Warfare 4 arrives and Warzone’s numbering resets to Season 01 under the new title. In practice that means anything you want to finish in the Black Ops 7 era — pass tiers, camo grinds, Endgame — has a hard-ish deadline attached to it, and it is closer than the calendar makes it feel.
If you are already in the beta and want to get ahead, our Modern Warfare 4 movement guide covers what has actually changed under the hood.
Sources we check
We anchor dates to Activision’s official Call of Duty blog first, then corroborate against Dexerto, Dot Esports and Esports Tales. Where a date comes from an in-game countdown rather than an announcement — as the 17 September date does — we say so rather than presenting it as confirmed. This page gets updated the moment Season 6 is officially dated.
