Activision chief marketing officer Tyler Bahl has called Grand Theft Auto VI and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 “the two biggest games of the year,” explicitly setting them above Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake. That is Activision’s promotional judgment, not an independently verified industry ranking.
The three games are scheduled within a 27-day span in late 2026, making this one of the year’s most concentrated release windows. Available pre-release survey data currently gives Modern Warfare 4 the higher purchase-intent percentage, while the different platform audiences make a simple comparison misleading.
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What Tyler Bahl actually said
In a Game Business interview discussed by Video Games Chronicle and Nintendo Life, Bahl said: “Well, no offense to Zelda, but [GTA and COD] are the two biggest games of the year.”
Bahl was speaking as Activision’s chief marketing officer, so the comment reflects the company’s view of the commercial and cultural impact it expects from its own release and from GTA VI. It should not be read as a neutral ranking based on final sales, reviews, player counts or measured engagement; none of those outcomes exists yet for these unreleased games.
#1 Best Overall
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- GLOBE‑SPANNING CAMPAIGN — Fight across the Korean Peninsula, New York, Paris, and Mumbai in a high‑stakes narrative where global conflict escalates and survival depends on tactical precision.
- MULTIPLAYER BUILT ON CONTROL — Engage in grounded, precise combat where fluid movement, player choice, and refined mechanics give you greater control in every firefight.
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How the 2026 release calendar lines up
| Game | Scheduled date | Platforms or launch scope stated in the available information |
|---|---|---|
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 | October 23, 2026 | Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, PC and Nintendo Switch 2 |
| The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake | November 5, 2026 | Nintendo Switch 2 |
| Grand Theft Auto VI | November 19, 2026 | Take-Two Interactive’s investor-relations materials list this as the major console launch date; the cited material does not establish a complete platform list |
The dates put Modern Warfare 4 first, the Zelda remake 13 days later, and GTA VI another 14 days after that. A release this close together can concentrate marketing, hardware upgrades and holiday spending, but timing alone cannot determine which game will sell more or retain more players.
Why Activision sees Call of Duty as unusually durable
Bahl’s broader argument is that major releases can bring people back to their Xbox or PlayStation dashboards, increasing attention across the platform rather than merely shifting purchases between individual games. He also attributed Call of Duty’s staying power to its community and social experience: players can spend time with friends across platforms.
Rank #2
- The Best Shooter Experience on Console in 2017 - Daily Star
- An Explosive Return to its Roots - The Telegraph
- Call of Duty returns to its roots with Call of Duty: WWII a breath-taking experience that redefines World War II for a gaming generation
- Experience three different game modes: Campaign, multiplayer and co-operative
- Experience Call of Duty combat, the bonds of camaraderie and the unforgiving nature of war against a global power throwing the world into tyranny
Nintendo Life additionally reported that Nintendo supported Modern Warfare 4 with a co-marketing campaign intended to broaden the Switch 2 audience. That gives the game a presence beyond the established PlayStation, Xbox and PC markets, although a marketing campaign is not evidence of eventual sales.
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According to figures cited by VGC from Circana senior director and video-game industry adviser Mat Piscatella in August 2026, 15% of US console and PC players said they intended to purchase Modern Warfare 4. The corresponding figure for the Ocarina of Time remake was 10.4%.
Rank #3
- Legacy Edition Includes: Infinite Warfare and Modern Warfare Remastered*;Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) Content Description: Blood and gore, drug reference, intense violence, strong language, suggestive themes
- Infinity Ward reaches new heights with Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, which returns to the roots of the franchise with large-scale war, epic battles, and cinematic, immersive military storytelling and takes players on a journey from Earth to beyond our atmosphere.
- Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare delivers something for every Call of Duty fan with three unique game modes: Campaign, Multiplayer, and Zombies.
- Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is back, remastered in true high-definition featuring improved textures, physically based rendering, high-dynamic range lighting and much more to bring a new generation experience to fans.
- Team up with your friends with 10 of the iconic multiplayer maps from the online multiplayer mode that redefined Call of Duty introducing killstreaks, XP, Prestige and more in customizable, classic multiplayer modes.
| Measure | Modern Warfare 4 | Ocarina of Time remake |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase intent | 15% of the US console and PC player base | 10.4% of the US console and PC player base |
| Measurement timing | August 2026, as reported by VGC from Circana’s Piscatella | |
| What it represents | Surveyed intent, not a sales forecast or confirmed pre-order total | |
Piscatella cautioned that both percentages use the entire US console and PC player base as the denominator. The reported Switch 2 installed base was fewer than 7 million, compared with just under 50 million PS5 and Xbox Series systems in the United States plus PC. Consequently, the Zelda remake’s lower percentage may indicate substantial interest relative to the number of people who can actually play it. The figures show a difference in survey intent, not a definitive winner.
Are GTA 6 and Modern Warfare 4 really bigger than Zelda?
There is no settled answer yet because “biggest” can mean different things. Modern Warfare 4 has the broadest explicitly stated platform reach of the three, including Switch 2, and the strongest reported purchase-intent percentage. GTA VI has an enormous level of public attention implied by its position in Bahl’s statement, but the cited material supplies no comparable purchase-intent percentage, sales result or player-count evidence. The Zelda remake is limited to Switch 2, so its potential audience is smaller in absolute terms even though its per-owner appeal may be strong.
Rank #4
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- GLOBE‑SPANNING CAMPAIGN — Fight across the Korean Peninsula, New York, Paris, and Mumbai in a high‑stakes narrative where global conflict escalates and survival depends on tactical precision.
- MULTIPLAYER BUILT ON CONTROL — Engage in grounded, precise combat where fluid movement, player choice, and refined mechanics give you greater control in every firefight.
- TACTICAL DMZ OPERATIONS — Deploy behind enemy lines as an off‑the‑books asset, making high‑risk decisions on objectives and extraction in a dynamic mode where every run counts.
On the available evidence, Bahl’s claim is best understood as a forecast about cultural and commercial attention. It is not proof that either game will outsell the Zelda remake, earn better reviews or maintain a larger active audience.
Will GTA 6 take players away from Call of Duty?
It could compete for players’ time and holiday budgets because GTA VI arrives less than four weeks after Modern Warfare 4. However, there is no reliable pre-release evidence in the cited material showing how many Call of Duty players would stop playing, delay a purchase or switch permanently to GTA VI.
Best Value
- Game is playable on October 23, 2026. Digital code will be available on September 25th to redeem.
- BONUS 2X OFFER — Purchase Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 at Amazon and receive 5 hours of Double XP.**
- PRE-ORDER BONUS — Pre-order and unlock the Hunter Killer Operator Skin and the Gilded Pearl Camo Pack.*
- GLOBE‑SPANNING CAMPAIGN — Fight across the Korean Peninsula, New York, Paris, and Mumbai in a high‑stakes narrative where global conflict escalates and survival depends on tactical precision.
- MULTIPLAYER BUILT ON CONTROL — Engage in grounded, precise combat where fluid movement, player choice, and refined mechanics give you greater control in every firefight.
The games may also serve different habits. Bahl specifically emphasized Call of Duty’s recurring, cross-platform social play. The available date announcement for GTA VI establishes its launch timing but does not provide enough information to quantify its multiplayer reach, retention or overlap with the Call of Duty community. Any claim about one game taking a specific share of the other’s audience would therefore be speculation.
What to watch after launch
- Actual sales and pre-orders by platform and region, rather than survey intent alone.
- Whether the Switch 2 version expands the Call of Duty audience or mainly shifts existing players from other systems.
- Concurrent-player, engagement and retention data released after launch.
- How the three closely timed releases affect holiday spending and playtime.
Until those results are available, the defensible conclusion is narrower: Activision expects Modern Warfare 4 and GTA VI to dominate 2026 gaming attention, and one August 2026 US survey placed Modern Warfare 4 ahead of the Zelda remake on stated purchase intent. Neither finding establishes the final commercial ranking.
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