How To Play Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Early on PS 5

If you’re looking to get ahead of the crowd and jump into Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 (often shortened to BO7) early on your PlayStation 5, you’re not the only one. Many players try to access the game before their region’s official release time, usually by taking advantage of time-zone differences. This guide explains how the early access trick works, how to try it on PS5, and what to expect.

For years, gamers have used something called the “New Zealand trick” to play new releases early. The idea is simple: New Zealand is one of the first countries to enter a new release day. If a game launches at midnight local time, players in New Zealand get it hours before regions like India, Europe, or the United States.

By switching your console or account’s region settings to New Zealand, you may be able to access BO7 before it unlocks in your area.

Step-by-step: How to try it on PS5

This method is not guaranteed to work for everyone, but many players attempt it each year. Follow these steps carefully:

1. Log into your Activision account from a browser.
2. Open your account’s basic information or address settings.
3. Change your listed address to a valid New Zealand address.
4. On your PS5, go to:
   • Settings
   • System
   • Language & Region
   • Change your Time Zone to UTC+12:00 Wellington or any New Zealand option.
5. Restart your PS5.
6. Open the BO7 game page. If the trick worked, the Play or Install button may appear earlier than in your home region.
7. Launch the game, but expect possible delays or unstable servers because the game may not be fully live for everyone yet.

Important things to know

Before trying the early access method, keep the following in mind:

• The trick relies on the game unlocking at local midnight in New Zealand.
• On PS5, some users find that simply changing the time-zone isn’t enough unless a New Zealand-based PlayStation account is used.
• Creating a new regional account may prevent you from keeping progress, trophies, or certain purchases on your main profile.
• Some platforms block early access entirely, depending on how the publisher controls the launch.
• There is always a small risk of violating platform or publisher terms if you manipulate your region settings.
• Servers may be unstable before the global rollout, which means long queues, errors, or limited matchmaking.

Why it works (when it does)

The trick functions because of different time zones across the world. Many games release at midnight local time. New Zealand reaches midnight before most countries, so players pretending to be in that region can sometimes unlock the game early. However, if a publisher uses a single global release time, this trick may not work at all.