Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 arrives November 14 and brings an unprecedented amount of content for players to enjoy. Zombies and Multiplayer are expanding in exciting ways but the 4-player co-op campaign could be the dark horse of the full package.
Call of Duty feels as if it is going through a transitory period, exemplified by the Microsoft and Activision Blizzard merger. The best-selling franchise is now on its second sweep of back-to-back sub-series.
In 2022, Modern Warfare II was released, followed up by Modern Warfare III. In 2024, Black Ops 6 was released, now to be followed up by this year’s Black Ops 7. It’s a stark contrast to the last decade of Call of Duty’s effort to have three-year development cycles, regardless of which spoke of the franchise a developer was working on.
Despite the rocky reception of Modern Warfare III and Sledgehammer Games’ shorter turnaround, Black Ops 6 attempted to refine and expand on what Call of Duty games could be, while the larger Black Ops series at large has been beloved by fans for years.
With the reveal of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, it’s apparent that Activision or Microsoft or whoever is steering the ship doesn’t want to repeat the mistakes of Modern Warfare III‘s failings. Perhaps the biggest sin committed by that game was its campaign that culled campaign missions wholesale from the Warzone map, stripping a large portion of the spectacle Call of Duty campaign’s have been known for over the years. Black Ops 7 is making steps towards being one of the most content-rich experiences in the franchise’s history. And when the game releases on November 14, we will hopefully be treated to one of the best games in the series since the Modern Warfare reboot.
Black Ops 7 is again co-developed by Treyarch and Raven Software and acts as a follow-up to last year’s Black Ops 6 in terms of its narrative and the improvements made to systems such as Omnimovement. One of the biggest points of interest to me is that the campaign of Black Ops 7 will continue story threads laid out in Black Ops 6 and 2012’s Black Ops 2 which, at the time, took Call of Duty as far into the future as the series had gone.
Set in 2035, Treyarch and Raven are having to contend with events from two games set about 40 years apart. The narrative will focus on David Mason, now played by Milo Ventimiglia as he contends with the the old foe Raul Menendez and the tech company The Guild, led by CEO Emma Kagan, played by Kiernan Shipka. Series veterans may also recognize Mike Harper, played by Michael Rooker, and an older Troy Marshall, who returns from Black Ops 6.
While specifics on the campaign are being kept under wraps, what’s immediately noticeable are the more surreal influences from one of Black Ops 6‘s campaign moments when the player character was trapped in an underground facility and dealt with the effects of a hallucinogenic bio-weapon. Both Treyarch and Raven have established their storytelling abilities in the Call of Duty lineage, absolutely stretching the notion of what this series can be capable of.
Based on what we’ve seen, the main campaign is going to feature a number of mind-bending moments as Mason and his team attempt to make sense of chaotic situations that can’t possibly be real. Story missions won’t only take place in seemingly the fractured psyche of characters but along the neon skyscrapers of Japan, the Mediterranean cost, but also the world of Avalon.
And it’s here that Black Ops 7 has truly grabbed my attention. For the first time since 2015’s Black Ops 3, players will be able to experience the entire campaign cooperatively. This time, up to four players will take up the mantle of Mason’s team. Over the course of the story, players will experiment with near-future technology and weaponry meant to give an advantage in battle.
Yet it’s on Avalon where the “Endgame” unlocks for the campaign. For the first time, Call of Duty‘s campaign will see a life beyond its narrative walls. In Endgame, the massive map of Avalon that players experienced touches of will be fully opened up. Meant to be replayed with up to 32 other players online, Endgame is a new kind of content for Call of Duty. Players will level up their character, earning new abilities and loadouts to help them tackle increasingly more difficult zones.
Meant to have the effects of the campaign ripple through it, Endgame is Treyarch and Raven’s way of rewarding long-time campaign stalwarts. While many details on Endgame are scarce, players should know that death means their progress will be lost and they will have to build up levels again if they hope to take on challenges. From the sound of it, this doesn’t appear to be an attempt at making an extraction shooter out of the structure. However, those echoes will likely be felt. Instead, Endgame is giving players a chance to experience campaign-like content in a deeper way. My hope is that this is not just throwing NPCs and players into a massive kill box of a Warzone map and that actual interesting objectives and challenges will keep players on their toes until it is time to “extract” and take on the content again.
Still, the fact that the campaign is being designed not as an entirely solo experience and with thoughtful content makes me hopeful that Black Ops 7 will not only be as good as Black Ops 6 but set a new standard for the series going forward. It’s always been unfortunate that some of the best campaign moments in Call of Duty were conducted without a friend, now that will change and hopefully no sacrifices are being made to accommodate.
Zombies has increasingly become a deep, signature mode especially when Treyarch helms it. While details on the mode are often left under wraps until launch, what we do know is that Zombies is taking inspiration from Black Ops 2‘s “TranZit” mode. The main mode of Zombies will feature the biggest Black Ops Zombies map ever but feature vehicle gameplay. Players are meant to construct a “Wonder Vehicle” that will allow them to travel between numerous bespoke locations to complete objectives and slaughter hordes of the undead.
Appearing as a kind of oval, it looks as if players will make stops to possibly collect items or fulfill quest requirements. From there, the vehicle can be driven along roads that connect these larger areas together. Black Ops 7 Zombies also continues the storyline of the four protagonists from the previous Dark Aether storyline, but incorporates the original protagonists of Richtofen, Nikolai, Takeo, and Dempsey in a form that might not be entirely familiar.
Survival maps are also returning for the first time since Black Ops 2. These maps will be contained versions of the areas found in the main Zombies mode, allowing players to get familiarity with them but also having simple fun without worrying about Easter Eggs and other Zombies mainstays.
And because Treyarch is going all out with this entry, Dead Ops Arcade 4 is arriving at launch as well. Nothing outside of a title card was shown but it’s said to be the most intense version of the arcade mode yet with dozens of levels to play on day one.
One important thing to note about Black Ops 7 that was constantly emphasized during the presentation I experienced is the idea that everything players do will incorporate progression. Whether campaign, Zombies, Multiplayer, or Warzone, players will earn progression towards their overall level and weapons. Calling cards, camos, and other unlockables will have exclusive rewards specific to modes but the player is always meant to feel like they are working towards some meta-goal.
As expected, Black Ops 7‘s multiplayer will continue the trend established by the fast-paced gunfights of last year. At launch, 16 6v6 maps will arrive with 13 being all new maps and three of them being classic maps from Black Ops 2.
A new mode called Skirmish arrives featuring two large-scale 20v20 maps, providing players with new ways to engage in combat. It’s in Skirmish that players will be able to use vehicles, grappling hooks, and wingsuits to explore the full range of movement to create new opportunities to kill.
Skirmish will allow players to take advantage of more unique loadouts, which are also getting improvements. Scorestreaks, Field Upgrades, and Lethal and Tactical equipment can be Overclocked. Overclocking equipment amplifies its capabilities allowing for small but potentially game-changing possibilities. Grenades could have bigger explosions, optical camo can refresh after firing a gun, cooldowns could be shorter. Perks are also getting an upgrade and now players can split which family of perks that have to allow for two different perk specializations that may not be as strong as having three perks equipped but give players more loadout flexibility.
Being set in 2035, the multiplayer mode will feature 30 weapons at launch (2 of them being melee weapons), that include near-future weapons and 16 weapons that have never been seen in the franchise before.
Omnimovement will be tuned up, becoming tighter and snappier. But wall jumps have also been incorporated, opening up new potential for maps. Interestingly, Treyarch has decided that certain moves like tactical sprint won’t be default anymore and instead be granted through a perk, putting all players at a similar baseline of speed and skill.
While we experienced Black Ops 7‘s multiplayer at a recent event, our impression will come later. So stay-tuned for those in the coming weeks especially as more is revealed about the game.
But based on everything we have seen about Black Ops 7, it appears to be one of the most comprehensive, massive Call of Duty projects in years. And with Treyarch and Raven at the helm, that should be no surprise. I’m most excited to see what will become of the campaign, especially with co-op and what Endgame could bring to the franchise as a whole.
Black Ops 7 is available Day One with Game Pass Ultimate through Xbox and Xbox on PC and with Game Pass PC via the Xbox Store or App.
The Black Ops 7 Open Beta will be free across all platforms, with players who pre-order or who have a subscription to select Game Pass plans gaining early access. The Black Ops 7 Beta runs October 2-8, with Early Access for preorders and eligible Game Pass subscribers granted on October 2.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 will be available globally on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC via Battle.net, Xbox on PC, and Steam on Friday November 14th, 2025.
