Skip the Wait: Play Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Early With the New Zealand Method
Gaming’s worst-kept secret is back. With Activision’s midnight local-time rollout on Friday, November 14, New Zealand unlocks Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 first — and players worldwide are using the New Zealand method to jump in hours early.
Quick heads-up for the impatient: Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 rolls out at midnight local time on Friday, November 14. New Zealand hits midnight first. If you tell your console or PC you live in Auckland, you can jump in on Thursday instead. This workaround has been around forever, and yes, it still works.
The short version
"Activision knows about region swapping and has never banned for it."
It is one of those open secrets. Players flip their region, get in early, and Activision looks the other way. No ban waves, no public scolding. If you want to do it, here is the cleanest way.
Preload first
Make sure Black Ops 7 is fully downloaded before you mess with regions. Preloading opens at 9 AM PST on November 10. Let that finish to avoid any weirdness when the unlock hits.
How to switch to New Zealand (and who this does and does not work for)
- Xbox console: Go to Settings → Account → Region & Location, set it to New Zealand, then fully restart your console. Open Black Ops 7 and the in-game timer should show the earlier unlock. Optional but smart: update your Activision profile address to a real New Zealand location for consistency.
- PlayStation: Change your address to New Zealand on your Activision profile, log out of your console, then log back in. Check the PlayStation Store — the unlock timer should reflect NZ. Heads up: this method is spottier on PlayStation than on Xbox.
- PC (Xbox app only): Update your Activision profile address to New Zealand. On Windows, right-click the clock, hit "Adjust Date/Time," go to the "Region" tab, and switch to New Zealand. Restart your PC, open the Xbox app, and make sure the Black Ops 7 countdown shows the earlier time.
- Does not work on Steam or Battle.net: Those storefronts lock by IP. Using a VPN to sneak around it violates their terms of service. Do not do that unless you like risking your account.
- Who can use this without headaches: Xbox Game Pass subscribers and anyone who bought through Microsoft/Xbox or PlayStation stores can use the New Zealand method without extra hoops.
When it actually unlocks
Once you have flipped your region, the game unlocks on New Zealand’s midnight Friday schedule. Depending on where you live, that effectively means Thursday for you. The exact local time varies, but the point is you are in before your own region’s Friday 12:00 a.m. launch.
Why this early window is useful
Early birds usually dodge the opening-night server pileup. Thursday’s window lets you preload any day-one updates, test connections, and jump into campaign or multiplayer before the Friday midnight surge crushes the servers. This is especially nice if you are playing on Game Pass and do not want your first session to be a queue simulator.
Switch back afterward
Do not leave your account or console set to New Zealand. It can mess with store pricing and sometimes block DLC because of regional locks. The whole flip takes about five minutes, and you can switch back once the global launch catches up to your timezone on November 14, 2025.
Have you used the New Zealand method before, and did it treat you right? Or should Activision just launch worldwide at the same second and call it a day? Drop your take below.