Black Ops Cold War is a sequel (sort of) to Black Ops 1, taking place years after, in 1981- and in between Black Ops 2.

Black Ops takes place between 1961 and 1968 during both the Cold War and the Vietnam War, 16 years to 23 years after the events of World at War. It portrays a secret history of black operations carried out behind enemy lines by the CIA.