Call of Duty: Black Ops 7

In the campaign, which is set against the backdrop of the events of Black Ops 2 and Black Ops 6, Raul Menendez reappears and delivers a televised threat. His message shocks the world, prompting the Guild - a global technology giant - to vow to intervene and protect humanity. The campaign can be played either alone or with up to three other players. The campaign focuses exclusively on intense action, falling far behind Black Ops 6 in terms of narrative and characters. Surprisingly, a large proportion of the missions take place within hallucinations or involve psychedelic trips, during which players battle combat robots, zombies, giant bosses and monster flowers. This bears little resemblance to the classic, 'down-to-earth' Call of Duty campaigns or military fiction. There is also a lack of the spectacular, memorable scenes that are usually found in Call of Duty campaigns. At least the worlds are creatively over-the-top, and the gunplay and movement are excellent. It's worth noting that solo players cannot pause the campaign and are not provided with bots (given that it's a cooperative campaign). There are also no save checkpoints in the missions, and a constant online connection is required. Essential features feel missing.

While the previous 11 campaign missions were more like a series of wild and largely unrelated skirmishes, the final mission is completely different. The final mission takes place in the sprawling city of Avalon, where the campaign merges with multiplayer mode and various groups battle to complete mission objectives. The campaign is advertised as an 'endlessly replayable experience'. Here, the game transforms into a cooperative PvE extraction shooter with a little too much grinding.

Activision: "Designed for 1–32 players in squads of up to four, Endgame offers near-endless replayability as players fight through escalating zones across this massive map, level up unique Skill Tracks and Combat Ratings, complete dynamic Assignments and escape to preserve hard-earned progress. All the while, continuing the main Player Progression and Weapon Leveling, as well as unlocking specific Camos for all 30 launch weapons. (...) Time is of the essence in Endgame matches. Before the match timer runs out, Operators must seek out a friendly VTOL exfil. Get to a pick-up zone, clear the landing area, and get out. A successful exfil lets you keep your current Loadout and Combat Rating. Make sure you get out every time, so you can push into harder locations and reap the greater rewards that await you."

For the first time ever, global progression will be available in the co-op campaign. This means players can earn XP, upgrade their weapons, unlock weapon camos and complete challenges in co-op mode that can be transferred to multiplayer, Zombies and Warzone modes starting in Season 1.

The classic multiplayer mode features 16 maps, including 13 new ones and three from Black Ops 2, and a new 20v20 objective-based mode called 'Skirmish' on two maps (Mission: Edge & Mission: Tide). This mode features new abilities such as wingsuits and grappling hooks, as well as vehicle warfare. There is also an advanced Omnimovement system featuring tactical sprinting and wall jumping. Players can combine different abilities to create their own strategies with hybrid combat specialities, while the new overclocking system allows them to improve their score streaks, field upgrades and equipment.

In addition, the developers are fulfilling the wish of many players by ensuring that skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) will play a minimal role at the beginning: "At launch, open matchmaking with minimal skill consideration will be the default for Black Ops 7 Multiplayer". Last but not least is the turn-based Zombies mode, which sees the return of vehicle gameplay on a massive map. Also returning for the first time since Black Ops 2 is a smaller survival map, offering a Zombies experience focused on survival rather than quests. Fans can also look forward to the return of the arcade-style Dead Ops Arcade 4.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, developed mainly by Treyarch and Raven Software, is set for release on 14 November 2025 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. It will also be available on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. As usual, Plaion will distribute the physical editions in GSA.

Conclusion

Despite the gradual onset of fatigue with the Call of Duty franchise, Black Ops 7 has some good ideas, but mostly outside the campaign.

Features

• Co-op playable campaign
• Expanded zombies mode
• Most extensive Season One yet

Order Tipp

AAA