Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is nearly 11 years old at this point, yet it's found itself back at the top of Xbox's best-sellers list. Treyarch and Activision first released Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 in 2012 to widespread acclaim, earning positive reviews and selling millions of copies. Considering how many people have already purchased and played through Black Ops 2 when it first came out, it's somewhat surprising to see the game return to the top of the Xbox sales charts.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 has remained popular for a number of reasons. For one, it's one of the last Call of Duty games that was released without having a heavy microtransaction focus, with the game instead monetizing its post-launch content through traditional paid DLC expansions. Secondly, it features some of the most popular Zombies maps in Call of Duty history, along with some of the franchise's best online multiplayer offerings.
Until April 4, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is discounted from its hefty $49.99 price tag all the way down to $14.99. With the digital version of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 still selling for $49.99 over a decade after its release, it's perhaps not all that surprising to see many people have jumped on the opportunity to get it at such a low price. Notably, Black Ops 2 isn't the only classic Call of Duty game currently on sale, and others have joined it in climbing the sales charts.
Best-Selling Xbox Games Right Now
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
- MLB The Show 23 (Xbox One)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Cross-Gen Bundle
- NBA 2K23 Digital Deluxe Edition
- Grand Theft Auto 5
- Call of Duty: Black Ops
- WWE 2K23 (Xbox One)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 - Zombies Deluxe
- Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Deluxe Edition
- MLB The Show 23 (Xbox Series X)
- Minecraft
- Red Dead Redemption 2: Ultimate Edition
- Forza Horizon 5 Premium Add-Ons Bundle
- EA Sports FIFA 23 Standard Edition (Xbox One)
- Call of Duty: World at War
The original Call of Duty: Black Ops game is currently the sixth best-selling Xbox digital game, while Call of Duty: World at War has managed to crack the top 15. The sheer staying power of these classic Call of Duty games is something to behold, though newer games in the series are also getting some love. The 2022 version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is currently the third best-selling digital Xbox game, after all.
Seeing how popular these older Call of Duty games still are over a decade after they first released makes it clear why Xbox is wanting to secure the franchise for its Xbox Game Pass subscription service. One of the main benefits to Microsoft acquiring Activision Blizzard will be securing Call of Duty for Xbox Game Pass. If it is eventually able to offer new Call of Duty games as day one Xbox Game Pass releases, it stands to reason that Microsoft could significantly increase the subscription service's subscriber count.