Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War ESRB Rating Warns of Extreme Violence and “XXX” Content

The release of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is only a couple of months away at this point, and as is typical, the Entertainment Rating Software Board (ESRB) has shared the upcoming video game’s rating ahead of its November 13th debut. According to the ESRB, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is officially rated “M” for Mature and has the following attached descriptors: Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Strong Language, and Suggestive Themes.

None of these are particularly surprising, of course, and largely fall in line with the previous Call of Duty ESRB ratings. Thankfully, the ESRB offers a little more insight into just what players can expect to see in the provided paragraph about the rating. Here’s the full ESRB rating for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, straight from the official website, for reference:

“This is a first-person shooter, set during the Cold War, in which players explore locations in Europe and Asia while engaging in combat/infiltration missions. Players use pistols, machine guns, assault rifles, and explosives to kill hostile forces in frenetic combat. Battles are highlighted by realistic gunfire, blood-splatter effects, and cries of pain. In addition to ranged combat, players have the ability to stab or pistol-whip enemies close-up, or use them as human shields. Some weapons cause characters to explode into bloody chunks of flesh. A zombie mode also depicts decapitation and dismemberment, as players use bladed weapons and guns to kill hordes of undead soldiers/creatures. In one setting, flyers with the words ‘peep show’ and ‘XXX’ can be seen alongside pictures of women in lingerie; a red-light-district storefront is depicted with a neon sign that reads ‘XXX.’ During one mission, players infiltrate a drug cartel—drug packages and piles of white powder can be seen in a warehouse. The words ‘f**k’ and ‘sh*t’ appear in the dialogue.”

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is expected to release for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on November 13th. Next-gen versions for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X have also been announced, though there is no telling exactly when they release as the consoles themselves do not have official launch dates. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the latest and greatest Call of Duty title right here.

What do you think of what we have seen of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War so far? Are you excited to play it when it releases? Let us know in the comments, or hit me up directly on Twitter at @rollinbishop to talk all things gaming!