Why is Black Ops 4 not on Steam?

Black Ops 4 is not available on Steam due to Activision deliberately focusing the Call of Duty player base onto their proprietary Battle.net platform starting around 2018.

The Great Activision/Steam Schism

Let‘s provide some important context first. Up until 2018‘s Black Ops 4, every new Call of Duty PC release was made available on Valve‘s Steam store as well as Activision‘s Battle.net. This allowed PC players to purchase and access the game on their platform of choice.

However, something changed in 2018. According to industry analysts, Activision was likely tired of handing over a revenue share on every Call of Duty sale to Valve per Steam‘s business model. So around the time of Black Ops 4‘s highly-anticipated release, they made a bold decision:

Take all future Call of Duty releases exclusively to their own Battle.net platform on PC.

This column chart visualizes the shocking shift. Starting with 2018‘s Black Ops 4, Call of Duty vanished from Steam for over 4 years as Activision tried redirecting and consolidating its massive PC player base completely onto Battle.net.

This rift meant that even as platforms like PlayStation continued getting new Call of Duty entries every year, PC players had lost access to them on Steam.

While great for Activision‘s bottom line by avoiding Valve‘s revenue cut, this was a controversial move that many considered anti-consumer and monopolistic. Players who had built up years of friends lists, achievements, and communities around Steam were suddenly unable to access new Call of Duty releases on their platform of choice.

Tracking Activision‘s Return to Steam

For over 4 years, Activision and Steam seemed completely estranged. But the tides started shifting in 2022.

In August 2022, Activision announced that the upcoming Modern Warfare II would launch on Steam in addition to Battle.net. Then in March 2023, they surprised fans again by porting over Modern Warfare (2019), Black Ops Cold War, and Vanguard – three missing Call of Duty entries players couldn‘t access for years.

So what changed? Per gaming industry reports, tensions between Activision-Blizzard and Valve have stabilized since Microsoft announced plans to acquire Activision for nearly $70 billion dollars early last year.

With Call of Duty‘s future ownership becoming less certain under Microsoft, it seems Activision decided to release these "missing" back catalog titles onto Steam as an olive branch to players. This renewed Steam availability likely increased sales as lapsed PC fans jumped back into franchise.

But one title remained conspicuously absent: 2018‘s Black Ops 4.

You can see on this line graph visualizing Steam releases over time – Black Ops 4 sticks out like a sore thumb. It‘s the only main Call of Duty entry from the past 8 years missing from Steam in 2024.

Why Leave Black Ops 4 in the Cold?

So with Activision playing nice again with Steam, why have they still refused to release or port Black Ops 4? As a gaming industry analyst and self-proclaimed Call of Duty mega-fan, I have a few theories:

1. No Single Player Campaign

Unlike most Call of Duty games, Treyarch‘s Black Ops 4 ditched the traditional single player campaign to focus entirely on multiplayer and the popular zombies co-op mode.

But multiplayer experiences have a shorter viable lifespan before player bases migrate to newer releases. By 2023, the Black Ops 4 online community has likely dwindled to a faint whisper compared to successors like Modern Warfare II – not an attractive prospect for potential Steam newcomers.

2. The Looming "Black Ops 5"

Rumors have swirled for over a year that 2024‘s big Call of Duty release will be a sequel called "Black Ops 5". While unconfirmed, releasing an outdated Black Ops 4 on Steam could undermine Activision‘s marketing push to direct excitement around this rumored Black Ops follow-up title.

Splitting potential fans between two Black Ops multiplayer ecosystems doesn‘t benefit Activision‘s bottom line.

3. Attempting to Funnel Players into Modern Warfare II Instead

Modern Warfare II only released a few months ago in late 2022. As the current tentpole of the Call of Duty franchise, it has a huge active player base across all platforms and generates revenue from in-game microtransactions.

As a business, it is in Activision‘s best interest to push as many PC players as possible toward Modern Warfare II rather than an outdated title like Black Ops 4 with antiquated graphics and community activity.

By restricting Steam options, Activision tries funneling more players into its newest cash cow.

Acquiring Black Ops 4 on PC in 2024

Since Black Ops 4‘s Steam fate remains doomed for now, here is a quick guide to getting it on PC through Battle.net:

Minimum Requirements:

• Windows 7 64-Bit
• Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen R5
• Geforce GTX 970 4GB / Radeon R9 390
• 12GB RAM
• 112GB storage space

Pricing:

Normally $59.99 USD on Battle.net for the Digital Deluxe (best value)

• Includes Black Ops pass content like classified zombie maps

Pro Tips:

• Check cdkey vendors for discounts up to ~30% cheaper
• Use a wired internet connection for best networking performance
• Don‘t expect huge public multiplayer lobbies due to age
• Zombies mode still has decent public games

So while Black Ops 4 probably won‘t ever make its way onto Steam now, Battle.net at least offers PC players a way to revisit the last Black Ops title for teambased zombie slaying or occasional multiplayer matches.

Steam vs. Battle.net – Which Platform is Superior for COD?

With Call of Duty spanning both Battle.net and Steam now in 2024, a common question is: which offers a better platform for playing? Let‘s break it down:

Game Performance & Servers

• Whether you access Call of Duty through Steam or directly via Battle.net, the background infrastructure is identical. You play on the same lobby servers.
• Neither version sees noticeable performance differences either. Managing FPS comes down to your rig‘s specs.
• So for core gameplay, it‘s effectively a wash.

Game Prices & Sales

• As mandated by Activision, Call of Duty games brand new titles cost the same on both platforms – usually $59.99 USD at launch.
• Sales promotions around major seasonal events (Summer etc.) are also typically in sync.
• However, Steam‘s far larger user base can drive steeper pricing competition for CD keys of older COD games.

Friends, Achievements & Social Tools

• Battle.net offers deeper social integration if you also play Blizzard titles like Overwatch and World of Warcraft. Friends lists and chat seamlessly sync across games.
• Steam conversely has a gargantuan community with long-standing features like forums, user reviews, achievements etc. But friends don‘t carry across non-Valve titles.
• For pure social features, Steam has much more to offer. But Battle.net better leverages the broader Activision ecosystem.

Future Platform Support Uncertainty

• With Microsoft‘s pending Activision acquisition, the future of Call of Duty on PlayStation and Nintendo platforms faces uncertainty. Battle.net exclusivity may benefit Xbox.
• Steam inherently supports releasing games across multiple PC storefronts easier.

Based on these factors, while personal preference dictates choice, Steam appears to offer some slight benefits – provided you don‘t care about keeping all friends and progress consolidated under your Blizzard game ecosystem.

What Does the Future Hold for Call of Duty on Steam?

While Black Ops 4 remains in limbo, Call of Duty‘s future Steam availability otherwise looks bright, with a likely new annual release expected on the platform alongside Battle.net this October 2023.

And based on SteamDB detective work, remasters/ports of beloved last generation Call of Duty entries appear to be sniffing around possible Steam launches too. Listings briefly appeared suggesting Modern Warfare 2 Remastered and the Modern Warfare Trilogy may soon offer fans enhanced versions of these classics on Steam for the first time ever.

Only time will tell whether Activision additions more classic content to Steam. But between cutting-edge new releases and introduction of remasters, Valve‘s platform offers more Call of Duty options to PC gamers than ever before.

Just try not to mourn Black Ops 4‘s ongoing absence too badly.