How to play Black Ops 6 early using New Zealand trick

The wait for Black Ops 6 is nearly over, but if you simply can’t wait for Treyarch’s latest entry in the series, you can play it early using the New Zealand trick to adjust your timezone.

Activision have done away with early access in Black Ops 6, including the campaign which usually drops first to give players a headstart. This means that the single-player story, multiplayer, and Zombies all go live on the October 25 global release date.

However, there is a way to get into the action ahead of time, so here’s how to play BO6 early using the New Zealand trick and when you’ll be able to access it.

How to use New Zealand trick to play Black Ops 6 early

This trick changes the timezone of your Activision account, and in some cases your console or PC, to access Black Ops 6 when it goes live in New Zealand, instead of having to wait until it releases in your region.

Since NZ is many hours ahead of most other major areas, this can buy those playing the digital version a large chunk of early access. However, if you’re waiting on a physical copy to be delivered, then this trick sadly won’t work for you.

Here’s a breakdown of what you need to do on each platform:

Xbox New Zealand trick

1. Head into your console’s settings.
2. Scroll down to System.
3. Select ‘Language and Location.’
4. Go to ‘Location’ and change it to New Zealand.
5. Click ‘Restart Now’ to reboot your console and let the change take effect.
6. Then, head to the official Call of Duty website.
7. Log into your account.
8. Head to the ‘Basic Info’ tab.
9. Edit your address to New Zealand.
10. Click ‘Save.’

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PC New Zealand trick (Game Pass)

1. Go into your Windows settings.
2. Head to ‘Time and Language.’
3. Select ‘Region.’
4. Change your location to New Zealand.
5. Restart your PC.
6. Log back into the Xbox app and the currency should have changed to NZDs.
7. Head to the Call of Duty website and repeat the steps above to change your Activision account region too.

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PS5 New Zealand trick

1. Go to the official Call of Duty website.
2. Login to your account.
3. Select the ‘Basic Info’ tab.
4. Change your country to New Zealand.
5. Save the changes.

In the past, the New Zealand trick has been more difficult on PlayStation, as multiplayer is released as individual packs rather than baking it into the CoD HQ app. However, with MW3 and now Black Ops 6, the method is possible once again.

PS4

PS4 is a little more complicated, as Black Ops 6 is being released to the Call of Duty HQ app as content packs. So, it’s currently unclear if the NZ trick will work this year.

There’s also the issue that PSN locks your account to a specific region when you create it, with no way to change it later. In the past, players have gotten around this by creating a new account, choosing a New Zealand address, and purchasing a game through that country’s PlayStation Store.

Does the New Zealand trick work on Steam and Battle.net?

Unfortunately, if you’re playing on Steam or Battle.net, then this method won’t work. Both of these platforms lock you into a specific region and don’t give you the option to change it, so you won’t be able to change your timezone to play Black Ops 6 early.

How to join friends using New Zealand trick

If you’re on a platform that doesn’t support the New Zealand trick, or you don’t want to change your own settings, you can simply join a friend who has accessed the game. Once they’ve loaded into Black Ops 6, if they send you an invite from the social tab, you’ll be able to accept it and join.

Alternatively, you can go into the Call of Duty app yourself and join a friend’s lobby, which seems to unlock the application for as long as you’re in the game with them. This has worked for all the platforms mentioned above, although some players have reported that it may have been patched on Battle.net and Steam.

When does Black Ops 6 release in New Zealand?

Using this trick, you’ll be able to log in and play Black Ops 6 on October 24 at 4 AM PT / 7 AM ET / 12 PM BST. If you’re in the west of the United States, this means you can play 20 hours before everyone else in your region, or 17 hours and 12 hours if you’re in the east or over in the United Kingdom.

This is because changing your region allows you to access the game at the same time as players in New Zealand, who are in a timezone that is much further ahead than Europe and North America.

So, although you won’t have multiple days of early access to blast through the campaign, this does at least give you a few hours headstart on the rest of the world. If you want to get into the action as quickly as possible, check out our guide on how to preload BO6 so you’re not waiting around.