Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 set a high bar for Black Ops 7 to live up to

The release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is approaching pretty fast. Many fans of the series are looking forward to diving into the new multiplayer content the game will bring online, as well as the new campaign that will present a new story with futuristic combat. But despite how much Black Ops 7 is set to make a massive splash in the gaming industry, it still will have a lot to live up to in the eyes of Call of Duty players. Just because it bears the Call of Duty name in the title, that doesn’t mean fans of the series won’t have their expectations for what Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 should deliver upon its release.

The reason for this is that the previous entry in the series, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, was seen as the first game in a while to do new and interesting things for the Call of Duty franchise. From new approaches to an action-packed campaign, to new ideas being implemented into online multiplayer, Black Ops 6 was viewed as a real attempt to freshen things up in a long time. People are hoping to see great things from this next entry in the ongoing series, and it may be quite a challenge to exceed their expectations. Here’s why Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 set a high bar for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 to live up to now.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7

Action

FPS

Sci-Fi

Systems

OpenCritic Reviews

Released November 14, 2025

ESRB Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs

Developer(s) Treyarch, Raven Software

Publisher(s) Activision

5 Images

Where to play

WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL

Engine IW Engine

Fresh ideas for single-player

Pushing a campaign into new territory

One of the biggest parts of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 that most players loved was how the campaign mode tried different things. Instead of just getting the linear mission structure that previous Call of Duty games were known for, Black Ops 6 experimented with having different gameplay styles within its main campaign. There were still missions to undertake, with different parts of the story which unfolded, but some of them mixed up the gameplay with new approaches to their overall design. One mission in Black Ops 6 borrowed a few open-world elements to drop players into a sandbox where they could complete objectives in any order, giving a lot of room to explore around and clash with enemies. At the same time, another part of the campaign brought players back to a central hub where key characters gathered and could be interacted with, along with various parts of the area to discover hidden secrets. It was a compilation of new ideas that were fresh from the Call of Duty franchise, and they worked out very well.

This is something that Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 needs to attempt, even though it doesn’t need to be the exact same. One of the biggest additions coming with the campaign in Black Ops 7 is the addition of a co-op campaign, a first for the entire series. Up to four players can team up and tackle campaign missions together, which opens up a lot of opportunities for unique gameplay during story missions that may have not been possible in previous games. Campaign missions are sometimes known for being incredibly difficult on higher difficulties, so the addition of more players participating in them could add more layers to how everyone approaches missions, as well as what challenges they may encounter.

At the same time, those who completed the campaign of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 moved on to multiplayer and Warzone modes after. But Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is bringing something different that may garner more attention to post-campaign content. The Endgame section of Black Ops 7 is a PvE mode that lets players work together to complete additional missions after finishing the main story missions. It’s a neat twist that is definitely very different from previous titles, and could be the big factor that pushes the series into uncharted territory with positive results. But it’ll have to contain enough content and updates to keep players coming back and sticking with it for the long haul.

Multiplayer expectations are high

Living up past the beta

Like any other new Call of Duty that comes out, everyone is hoping to see Black Ops 7 be a smash hit with its multiplayer modes. While everyone got a taste of what to expect with the Black Ops 7 beta that happened a short time ago, players are hoping that the additional maps for the game will be just as interesting as what was already in the beta. This is something that Black Ops 6 had to deal with when it was first released, to which it was ultimately received very well by critics and fans. The biggest component to this were the new movement changes, including the omnidirectional control of where players can sprint and aim their weapons. It opened up more ways for players to get into firefights, as well as how to play defensively in some situations. For many, this was a very welcome change to the series that they felt was in desperate need of something new to mix everything up.

Much of what was done in Black Ops 6 is being carried over into Black Ops 7, but with another interesting change to movement. The addition of wall jumps gives players another tool to get around the map, which can fundamentally change how players can shift their play style from aggressive to defensive in matches. While this comes from the removal of tactical sprint as a universal movement option, and instead makes it an perk to equip, wall jumping is a major change in the flow of Call of Duty matches. Most players who participated in the beta are expecting more maps where they can take advantage of the wall jumping to escape pursuit or find good spots to ambush players.

Another big change to multiplayer is the Overclock system that is being added in Black Ops 7. In the beta, it received a lot of positive feedback from most players because of how it allows everyone to enhance equipment and killstreaks through further use. But as the full game is released, this new system is going to be truly tested among players who spend a lot of time with it. How far and potent the Overclock system is for different loadouts in multiplayer is going to be very interesting to see. Because if it works out very well, then this could be something we see further iterated on in future Call of Duty games.

Aiming high for Zombies

Crazy creativity will drive it

If there’s one mode that Call of Duty players love to dive into, it’s any form of Zombies multiplayer. Since the original Call of Duty: Black Ops, and when it originated in Call of Duty: World at War, Zombies has been a very popular mode for the series. Each new iteration of Zombies has gotten more creative and crazier, with new weapons and locations that push players to their limits while running from hordes of the undead. The Zombies mode in Black Ops 6 was a highly praised aspect of the game, which introduced a number of new and unique ideas into the mode that were well received. Whether it was playing to get to the highest wave possible on any of the maps, or to complete the main quest that was hidden for everyone, people had many good reasons to dive into Black Ops 6 Zombies mode.

Luckily for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, there’s not a lot that needs to change from the previous game. But that doesn’t mean players don’t want to see anything new and exciting about the mode, especially if what was great about Black Ops 6 Zombies could be improved upon. Many of the first-looks and developer interviews have hinted at a lot of fan service from throughout the history of the mode being included in some way for this game’s take on Zombies. If there’s going to be a lot of nods to previous games and some of the more beloved aspects of those versions of Zombies, then it’s going to be showcased in a big way that will shock fans. Zombies players love finding Easter eggs and hidden goodies they can discover on maps, so Black Ops 7 will need to have a bunch of good ones for everyone to find.

A big aspect of the mode has always been how incredibly difficult it can get the longer you play. One new addition to Zombies in Black Ops 7 is Cursed Mode, which is said to be a very challenging twist on the entire mode by activating relics found on the maps. Just how crazy difficult and rewarding this will be is not yet known, but it sets an expectation for Zombies players who are eager to dive into any crazy challenge. The biggest task here for something like this is for the developers to make sure that everything is balanced enough to be fair, yet incredibly difficult for those who want to take on the burden.

Living up to the legacy

Anyone that is getting ready to play Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 on release day is going into it with a good level of expectations. The game is following up on a highly-praised entry in the series that did a lot to make things feel new and interesting over previous Call of Duty titles. Not only will Black Ops 7 need to deliver well on its multiplayer content, but it will have to provide a great enough single-player experience to overshadow the advancements that its predecessor delivered. Whether that is possible or not will finally be determined when Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 finally arrives for consoles and PC on November 14, 2025.