In the not-so-distant past one of the most popular COD titles named Black Ops 2 entered the gaming scene. To this day it remains to be one of the most loved titles from the series.
Call of Duty Black Ops 2 was released in November of 2012 for PS3 precisely a year before PlayStation 4 was blessed upon us.
This is an important bit of information since it is quite unfortunate for those who ask whether can you play Black Ops 2 on PS5.
Unfortunately, the answer to that question is sadly a no.
You cannot play Black Ops 2 on PS5 due to the nature of PS5’s backward compatibility with PS3 discs.
Understanding Backward Compatibility on PlayStation 5
Backward compatibility of a console is essentially a feature that allows a newer console to support games from the older generation of gaming consoles.
But unfortunately, there is a limit to how far back the backward compatibility on PS5 can go.
In short, as far as disc-based games go, PS5 is ONLY backward compatible with PS4 games.
PS5’s official words are as follows:
But as far as PS3 goes, the same love does not exist at all.
According to the official statement:
So Can You Play Black Ops 2 on PS5?
Now that we have established that PS5 is fairly restricted when it comes to backward compatibility, Black Ops 2 is NOT supported on PS5.
Blacks Ops 2 was released for PS3 and if we were to take the official statement above, even if you had the opportunity to upgrade it over to PS4, it will still not work on PS5.
The release date of November 2012 is unfortunate because if the game had been released a year later with PS4, it would have been playable on the PS5.
Can You Find Black Ops 2 on PlayStation Now?
PlayStation Now is a subscription service that allows you to stream older titles online including some from PlayStation 3.
Basically, the DISC based backward compatibility on PS5 only goes as far back as PS4. If there is a digital version of a PS2 or a PS3 game on the PlayStation Now subscription service, then it WILL work on PS5.
But there is bad news here too.
Black Ops 2 is simply not available as a download on PlayStation Now as well.
Whether it’ll ever be available is to be seen, but I wouldn’t hold my breath especially since Activision has been bought out by Sony’s rival, Microsoft Game Studios.
Waiting for Remastered
If Black Ops 2 is dear to you, then you can perhaps wait for it to get remastered for PS5.
However, like all remastered or remakes, there is a high possibility that Black Ops 2 Remastered/Remake will be released as a standalone game and NOT as an upgrade to the one you bought for PS3.
Meaning, you will have to pay for it.
So in all honesty, I would rather fire up my old PS3 console to play Black Ops 2 instead of waiting for it to grace its presence on PS5 anytime soon.
Are You Confusing Black Ops 2 With Other Titles?
Call Of Duty follows one of the most confusing progressions of the names of their titles. Take for instance Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 released in 2022. Another game with the same title was also released back in 2009 with a different story.
So, could it be that you are perhaps confusing Call of Duty Black Ops 2 with another title such as CoD: Black Ops – Cold War or Call of Duty Black Ops 3?- both of which are available for PS5.
Final Words
The answer to the question “Can you play Black Ops 2 on PS5?” is a big no, unfortunately. The game was released in PS3 which does not fall under the backward compatibility list of PS5.
