As a longtime fan of the Call of Duty series, the Black Ops entries have always stood out as some of my all-time favourites. Last year’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 was especially memorable, delivering one of the strongest campaigns in years, reminding me of the series’ ability to surprise. Going into Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, I was excited to see whether Treyarch could continue that momentum and possibly even surpass what they accomplished.
After many hours across the campaign, multiplayer, and Zombies mode, I can confidently say that Black Ops 7 is one of the most ambitious entries in the franchise. At the same time, it’s one of its most uneven. It’s bold, chaotic, and delivers some great ideas, but it doesn’t fully come together in certain aspects. What’s most exciting is that the sheer amount of content in Black Ops 7 makes it worth the price of admission on its own. Let’s get boots on the ground and explore all that Black Ops 7 has to offer.
Watch my Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 review video
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 details
Platform(s): PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS4 and PC
Reviewed on: PlayStation 5 Pro and ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X
Developer(s): Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Genre: First-person shooter
Modes: Single-player, Multiplayer, Zombies, Open-world PvE (Endgame)
ESRB Rating: M (Mature 17+)
Black Ops 7 campaign – Dive into a cybernetic nightmare
The campaign in Black Ops 7 builds on the mind-bending, cloak-and-dagger stories the series has become known for. This time around, it leans heavily into sci-fi and psychological horror elements. This plotline presents a dramatic shift from the military-focused storytelling to which we are accustomed. It is a creative swing that absolutely deserves recognition, but it may move a little too far from the grounded military action that we’ve come to expect. There are aspects of this that I enjoyed, and others that I found a little too bizarre. Overall, this change is likely to be a polarizing one. While its ambition is admirable, I found myself wishing for a return to the gritty, grounded, tactical realism the franchise is known for.
Hand that rocks the cradle
In the story, you return to the near-future world of 2035 as David “Section” Mason. You and your team are tasked with tracking down Emma Kagen, a rogue tech CEO responsible for creating a hallucinogenic, fear-inducing bioweapon known as “Cradle.” As the story progresses, the narrative quickly abandons its real-world framing and slips into complete surrealism. Blending ideas pulled straight from Zombies lore, previous levels and story threads from Black Ops and pulls them into the main story.
Navigating a surreal landscape
What begins as a tense futuristic military thriller morphs into a chaotic fever dream filled with bizarre set pieces. This includes a sequence involving demon spiders, possessed dragonflies, and monsters from one character’s childhood memories. These moments are imaginative but often clash with the tough, stoic military dialogue that the series is known for, creating a tonal mismatch that is hard to reconcile.
Black Ops 7 graphics and performance
As we’ve come to expect from the franchise, Black Ops 7 showcases strong visuals across the board. From detailed character models, stylish near-future environments and plenty of incredible particle effects. I played a majority of the game on the PlayStation 5 Pro and experienced excellent performance. The hallucination sequences in the campaign create some visually striking moments, while Zombies benefits from atmospheric design and impressive enemy animations.
I was also able to play multiple levels on the go with the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X and was impressed by how well it ran on the device. With some reduced background detail, performance remained remarkably smooth thanks to strong optimization. Overall, playing Call of Duty on a handheld like the Ally X was surprisingly robust.
However, the game’s overall tone jumps between grounded realism and surreal fantasy so often that the art direction can feel inconsistent. Despite this, sound design remains excellent, with punchy weapon audio and unsettling ambient effects that help ground even the wildest narrative swings.
Signature Call of Duty gunplay returns even sharper
Across all modes, the series’ signature gameplay returns faster and sharper than ever. Its enhanced by greater verticality thanks to wall-running and the “Omnimovement” system. First introduced in Black Ops 6, this 360-degree movement mechanic lets you sprint, slide, and dive in any direction.
Unfortunately, the campaign doesn’t fully capitalize on this agility. Its open zones and enemy design often feel uninspired. As the story progresses, objectives begin to blend together despite a few standout shifts in setting. Encounters also feature enemies who can absorb unrealistic amounts of damage, turning firefights into repetitive bullet-sponging rather than tense, tactical exchanges. The result is a campaign that, while ambitious, has sections that can drag, though a handful of memorable moments still shine through. I enjoyed the experience overall, but I found myself wishing for the mission variety that its predecessor delivered.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 multiplayer experience
Multiplayer in Black Ops 7 sticks closely to the foundation established in Black Ops 6. It does introduce a noticeable shift in pacing that brings the game closer to the fast, arcade-style matches. Movement feels snappier, engagements happen quicker, and the overall flow rewards constant motion and aggressive playstyles rather than slower, tactical approaches. The result is a multiplayer experience that feels familiar in structure but energetic in execution. It translates well across the multiplayer experience from traditional modes to new offerings.
New multiplayer modes ratchet up the action
Black Ops 7 adds two new modes that help shake up the formula. The first is Skirmish, a large-scale 20-versus-20 objective-based battle type. It’s chaotic, but in an enjoyable way that encourages teamwork as you try to control and capture parts of the map. Meanwhile, Overload introduces a creative football-inspired twist where teams fight to carry an EMP device into the opposing team’s safe zone. It is fresh, intense, and easily one of the most exhilarating additions this year. Even with these new offerings, multiplayer does not reinvent the wheel, but it remains consistently fun and dependable.
Biggest Zombies mode ever
If any mode defines Black Ops 7, it’s Zombies. This year, Treyarch has gone bigger than ever. The round-based Zombies returns with Ashes of the Damned, a massive new experience built around the all-new “Wonder Vehicle” gameplay. In it you fight across six sprawling locations using “Ol’ Tessie,” an upgradable, repairable truck. Black Ops 7 also continues the story arc from Black Ops 6, pushing the crew into direct contact with alternate-universe versions of Richtofen, Nikolai, Takeo, and Dempsey.
Expanded Zombies arsenal
The arsenal expands as well with the new Wonder Weapon, the Necrofluid Gauntlet, which lets you manipulate a mysterious fluid to form deadly spikes, pull items toward you, and even drain enemy life force. At launch, Zombies includes three distinct modes: Standard, Survival, and the more punishing Cursed mode. Dead Ops Arcade 4 also returns for the first time since Black Ops Cold War and offers plenty of replayability as well.
Black Ops 7 offers the deepest Zombies experience yet
When you combine the massive map, layered objectives, dynamic difficulty, environmental storytelling, and Easter egg hunts, Zombies emerges as the most focused, polished, and biggest parts of Black Ops 7. For me, it is easily the standout mode and delivers a heaping amount of undead content.
Final Thoughts on Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
Black Ops 7 is a fascinating entry in the series because it is willing to take risks that few Call of Duty games dare to attempt. At the same time, those risks create an uneven experience where the quality varies dramatically between modes. Multiplayer remains fun and dependable, and Zombies is easily the standout feature of the entire package, offering a ton of depth and replayability. The campaign and Endgame mode, however, struggle with tone, pacing, and cohesion. The result is a game that excels in some areas but feels unfocused in others.
| Pros | Cons |
| Fast, polished gameplay with improved movement and verticality | Campaign becomes repetitive |
| Multiplayer feels energetic with strong new modes | PvE enemies absorb too much damage, hurting pacing |
| Huge amount of content across all modes | Tonal shifts make the campaign feel uneven |
| Strong visuals, audio, and atmosphere | Endgame mode lacks impact |
Overall assessment of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
Gameplay: 3.5/5
Graphics: 4/5
Sound: 4/5
Lasting appeal/Replayability: 3.5/5
Overall Rating: 3.75/5 (75%)
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is uneven but undeniably ambitious, offering two strong modes. Fans of Zombies and fast, arcade-style multiplayer will find plenty to enjoy. If you are looking for a grounded, traditional Call of Duty experience, you may find this year’s entry more chaotic than cohesive.
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