Digital-only re-releases of Call of Duty: Black Ops and Black Ops 2 on PS5 outsold every other title on the PlayStation Store combined during July, according to estimates from analytics firm Alinea, despite receiving no meaningful improvements over their PS3 originals. The two ports reportedly attracted more PS5 players than the newly released Black Ops 7 had across all platforms, underlining how strong nostalgia and brand loyalty can outperform even a current-generation entry, much to the likely surprise of Microsoft, whose Xbox division owns Activision.

The figures suggest the ports sold a combined 11.2 million copies, with Black Ops 2 the stronger performer at roughly 8.2 million. By contrast, Microsoft's own big July release, the Halo: Campaign Evolved remake, fared far more modestly, with an estimated 351,000 sales that month (since risen to about 452,000), and reportedly did worse still on Steam at around 212,000. An analyst noted the separate 900,000 Xbox estimate reflects sold units plus Game Pass "early access upsell" rather than total players, though Alinea's overall methodology remains disputed within the industry, so all figures should be treated as estimates.