Here's a sitrep on Black Ops Cold War's next-gen upgrades

If you have ever wondered how many different ways you could buy the same game, Activision has all the answers you will ever need. Today the publisher revealed the latest Call of Duty and afterwards, it shared a lenghty article about cross-gen compatibility.

There are three versions of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War to tell you about: the Standard Edition for £59.99 / €69.99; the digital cross-gen bundle for £64.99 / €74.99; the Ultimate Edition for £89.99 / €99.99. Digital versions can be upgraded within the same console family (PS4>PS5 / Xbox One>Xbox Series S/X), but since these systems are currently still being developed, more detailed information will follow later this year.

You have to be careful when it comes to physical retail versions, however, because first of all, you should make sure that your console does have a drive. On the PS5, you can update your purchased Blu-ray via the Playstation Store - if your console has no drive at all, this option is not available. While playing the disc must be in the drive the whole time (with or without an update). Activision is already categorically ruling out such an option for buyers of a physical version of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War on Microsoft's next-gen system.

If you buy a PS4 / Xbox One Standard Edition of Black Ops Cold War, you can play the game on Xbox Series X and PS5 via backward compatibility, but you have to accept that you cannot use any next-gen features. While it's not exactly clear yet what these difference are, Activision describes them as follows:

Both current generation versions (PlayStation 4 and Xbox One) will be playable on their respective next-generation console via backwards compatibility by downloading the game from your account's digital library. But, the game will not include any of the next-generation features, such as higher framerate, hardware-based ray-tracing, faster load times, and more.

If you're wondering whether the physical PS5 game can also be played on a PS4, the answer is no. However, the physical Xbox Series X disc can be played on an Xbox One.

So that you don't have to deal with all the stress that comes with buying the latest COD, there is a purely digital Cross-Gen Bundle that unlocks the game for both console versions of one console family for your account. However, you'll have to pay a fiver for the privilege.

By the way, COD Black Ops Cold War does support cross-play, and even your progress between all modes is transferred and synchronised with your profile. Want to know more, soldier? We have you covered in our first campaign impressions preview.