Why am I forced to get an Xbox Live Subscription to Play COD Cold War.

I had the same problem, try to go offline while game is not running, you can do so by following the steps given by Francia J. and then start the game. Or do a full shutdown after going offline and then starting the game.

If nothing works from above, and if you had the demo version, or limited time free access installed before full purchase, then you must uninstall and reinstall the game, if you can. Hope it works

That doesn’t work because when u switch to offline mode and get back in it just says that you can’t play the game because u need internet so how do I fix that?

I follow your steps and still can’t play the campaign off online. Xbox telling me that I need to be online. Help!

Hi SummerisLive, I hope you're doing great out there despite the issue that you're experiencing. I am an Independent advisor and I am here to help you in regards to your concern.

If you will be playing the game campaign for the game no need for an Xbox Live Gold, you just need to set your console to offline. To do so please follow the steps below:

Settings > General > Network Settings > Go Offline.

Hi!

Maybe you have the Xbox One version of COD Cold War and you see that message because the Xbox One version cannot be upgraded to Xbox Series X. You can find more informations about COD Cold War editions here:

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Editions FAQ

Regards