A tweet from the Call of Duty account confirmed the title will not be built for the PlayStation 4, and the omission suggests the Xbox One is also off the list. Last year’s Black Ops 7 shipped across both systems, making this the franchise to abandon them. Players eager for the next entry now face the prospect of upgrading to a current‑gen console for many in 2026.

Rising hardware costs have turned the console market into a luxury purchase. A disc‑based PS5 now retails for $650, roughly $150 above its launch price, while Xbox Series X/S models have seen similar recent inflation. Sony disclosed a significant 16 percent dip in PS5 sales during the 2025 holiday season, reflecting broader consumer strain amid an industry AI‑driven RAM shortage.

Activision Blizzard also confirmed the franchise will skip day‑one inclusion on Xbox Game Pass, adding another expense for subscribers. Rumors point to a Modern Warfare 4 subtitle, though details remain scarce. With the series migrating exclusively to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, the decision accelerates the sunset of last‑gen hardware and forces fans to absorb higher platform costs.