Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Review

The Black Ops series has always walked a fine line between grounded military action and psychological chaos. With Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Treyarch attempts to return to its roots while pushing the franchise into a more experimental structure. The result is a game that shines in some areas and stumbles hard in others.

This year’s entry takes an ambitious leap by reimagining the campaign as a fully co-op experience, bringing back familiar faces like David Mason while reintroducing Raul Menendez in a way that deliberately blurs reality and memory. At the heart of the narrative is a mysterious tech conglomerate known as The Guild, a corporation promising global peace through high-tech surveillance and autonomous security systems. It is classic Black Ops thematically, but the execution does not always land.

Despite its flaws, there is still plenty for long-time fans to appreciate. The core gameplay loop remains incredibly satisfying, and competitive multiplayer may be the best the franchise has seen in years. But the overall package feels uneven, weighed down by a campaign structure that doesn’t serve the story it tries to tell.

A Campaign Built for Co-Op… Whether You Want It or Not

Black Ops has always succeeded when weaving personal stories through geopolitical conspiracies. Black Ops 2 set the standard, and this entry attempts to rekindle that spark. The return of David Mason and Menendez hints at nostalgic brilliance, but the mandatory online co-op structure immediately limits the experience.

Players are forced to connect online to play the campaign, even if they intend to run it solo. When you do play alone, the game refuses to provide CPU teammates, creating an odd disconnect where you constantly hear your squad communicating but never see them beside you. Encounters that clearly were designed for multiple players feel awkwardly empty when tackled solo, and the pacing suffers because the campaign’s design never reconciles these two different playstyles.

The story itself struggles to maintain clarity. Moments of intrigue involving The Guild’s questionable motives get lost in erratic pacing, uneven mission structure, and a narrative that tries to be mysterious but often ends up feeling muddled. It is unfortunate because the premise has potential, yet it is buried beneath an execution that never truly coalesces.

Multiplayer: The True Backbone of Black Ops 7

Once you step away from the campaign, the series’ strengths reemerge. Multiplayer this year is exceptional, offering one of the most fluid and rewarding combat systems Treyarch has built in years. The movement feels tight and responsive, gunplay is better balanced, and the map selection at launch is one of the strongest the franchise has delivered in recent memory.

Across eighteen multiplayer maps, the pace remains consistently thrilling. Time to kill is fair, sightlines are predictable without being stale, and weapon customization through the Gunsmith remains one of the high points of the experience. Levelling guns is genuinely enjoyable thanks to streamlined progression, and attachment unlocks that encourage experimentation.

The new Overclock system adds more depth to tactical decision-making, while new modes like Overload and Skirmish introduce high-intensity playgrounds for players who want nonstop action.

Local split-screen — a feature fans are always hungry for — is available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S. It performs surprisingly well, even when two players are pushing the engine with fast movement and heavy particle effects. Unfortunately, PC players and last-gen console owners miss out entirely, which continues to be a frustrating trend.

Still, multiplayer stands out as the game’s greatest success. It is fast, polished, and confidently built, offering the kind of addictive arcade-military gameplay that defines Call of Duty at its best.

Zombies: Dark Aether Continues with Style

Round-based Zombies makes its return once again, taking players deep into the Dark Aether with updated visuals, improved flow, and appearances from new incarnations of the original crew. The mode looks fantastic, and the atmosphere is appropriately claustrophobic and otherworldly.

While this review focuses primarily on campaign and multiplayer performance, it is worth noting that Zombies remains one of the more consistent modes in the package. It brings familiar tension, solid map design, and a steady escalation of difficulty. For long-time fans, it feels like a welcome continuation rather than a reinvention, which may be exactly what players want.

Where Black Ops 7 Falls Short

Despite having one of the strongest multiplayer offerings in years, Black Ops 7 suffers from structural design choices that hold back the overall experience.

The campaign is clearly the biggest misstep. Its forced online requirement limits accessibility, punishes solo players, and undercuts the emotional and narrative cohesion the Black Ops series is known for. Without CPU teammates, levels feel empty, encounters feel awkward, and story beats lose weight when the world around you feels strangely hollow.

Even the narrative, with all its potential, collapses under pacing issues and inconsistent mission flow. What could have been an intense, paranoia-driven thriller becomes a confused and frustrating experience.

For a series that prides itself on blockbuster storytelling, this is a disappointing setback.

Final Verdict

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is a tale of two games. On one hand, it features a brilliant multiplayer suite, excellent gun customization, and the kind of visceral gunplay that reminds players why the series remains a global force. Zombies is solid as ever, and the overall gameplay experience is smooth, visually appealing, and mechanically refined.

On the other hand, the campaign — a pillar of the Black Ops legacy — is one of the weakest the franchise has seen in years. Its forced co-op structure undermines its potential, and its story lacks the clarity and emotional resonance that defined earlier entries.

In the end, this year’s Call of Duty delivers incredible highs and frustrating lows. Fans who come for the competitive modes will find plenty to love, but those looking for a strong narrative experience may walk away disappointed.

Reviewed on PC