Helicopters can be a game-changing feature during any Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War match. Available through multiple killstreaks, the aerial vehicles can serve as covering fire, recon, and more, depending on the option players select. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War players have been summoning helicopters since the game launched, but something strange is happening to them during their flying animation.
This bug has been hit or miss for a while and is mainly a cosmetic concern. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War shoots for a realistic setting, and this bug has many players breaking from their immersion. While the bug does not directly harm the game, it could easily be the start of a much larger engine issue.
The problem is not game mode exclusive, and an example was posted by Reddit user Aquinnmo2. In the distance, the Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War helicopter killstreak can be seen hovering ominously. Rather than being suspended by its propellers, the helicopter has a rotating rectangle that seems to be lacking in texture. The rapidly spinning shape is holding the helicopter in place, causing an interesting visual to the otherwise deadly killstreak.
Players in the comments point out that this first appeared in the game launched. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War has received several patches since then, but it appears this bug continues to linger within the game's code. It is unclear if this is a client-side problem, but multiple fans have reported a similar occurrence throughout their games.
This is mainly a graphical glitch, but it does show an inherent problem originating from the game's engine. It is not uncommon for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War's engine to simplify textures for the sake of performance. While there is no way to know the setup of these players, for multiple accounts to show the same situation suggests that it is a more widespread issue.
As a minor bug in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, many fans are not expecting a fix any time soon. The developer's Trello has no mention of this error despite its age, and fans are not too concerned about its impact on the game. For many, the bug can remain as long as it does not spread into other facets of the experience.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.