3 reasons why I’m genuinely excited for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 — and why it could be a phenomenal year

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Call of Duty definitely has its flaws and should be criticized when it messes up. However, like many hugely popular things, it often becomes an easy target for negativity – it’s almost trendy to criticize it.

I really enjoyed Black Ops 6 when it first came out, for about the first six months. After that, it started to feel repetitive, and the new updates weren’t enough to keep me playing. I don’t even want to talk about Warzone.

I recently spent about 26 hours playing the beta version of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, and it’s made me much more excited about the game. I wasn’t initially thrilled with another Black Ops sequel, but the beta really changed my mind. Here’s what impressed me.

1. Better maps and multiplayer experience

This update has three main parts, but they’re all connected because the goal is to create a much better experience for players online. Multiplayer is the most important part of Call of Duty every year, and while the last game, Black Ops 6, had some good moments, it didn’t consistently deliver.

The maps in this game are a definite improvement over those in Black Ops 6, at least based on what we’ve played so far in the beta. They’re more fun to play on and feel like classic Call of Duty maps with three main paths. They also offer a good mix of open spaces for long-range combat and tighter, indoor areas for close-quarters battles.

I especially loved playing on Blackheart! It was the highlight of the beta for me. The map features two open lanes and a lane that runs through a building, leading to some really intense and exciting gunfights. It’s a fantastic map overall.

To improve the multiplayer experience in Black Ops 7, the developers are focusing on two key areas: keeping the less strict Skill Based Matchmaking playlists as the standard option, and greatly enhancing the anti-cheat system.

Ricochet, the anti-cheat system, has been a headache for players, but it appears to be improving just in time for the release of Black Ops 7. While I did spot one obvious cheater on the first day of the beta, I haven’t seen any since. Reports say that by the end of the beta, 99% of matches were free of cheaters, which is a really positive sign.

I didn’t like the change to the more open playlist at first. It felt like I was suddenly facing much tougher opponents all the time, and it was unsettling. However, the more I played, the more I adjusted, and I actually started enjoying the matches more.

Players also noticed improvements in server speed and quicker connections to games. If these benefits continue when the final version launches, I’m very excited about it.

2. Movement perfected

Omnimovement first appeared in Black Ops 6, and while it’s been improved in Black Ops 7, the biggest addition is the ability to wall jump.

It’s not quite as extreme as the wall-running we saw in older games, and I was initially doubtful. But the fact that I keep instinctively trying to wall jump in Black Ops 6 – and failing – shows me it’s a good feature to have.

Using Omnimovement makes everything flow incredibly smoothly. I’m not a super skilled movement player, but I really enjoy how fast-paced and fluid it feels. Sprinting, sliding, bouncing off walls, and landing accurate shots – it’s just a really satisfying experience.

3. Campaign endgame and Mastery Camos to grind

I’m cautiously optimistic, but I really hope this doesn’t end up disappointing me. I’ve always wished Call of Duty had more things to do beyond the main story campaign and Zombies – more long-term, player-versus-environment content would be great.

We’ve seen similar modes before, like Special Ops. I was really excited about it in Modern Warfare (2019), but it didn’t quite live up to its potential.

The next Black Ops game will feature a campaign with an ending that keeps players engaged after the story is finished. Plus, this year it will include a system for earning special camouflage unlocks through campaign gameplay. This adds four more unique camo challenges to the ones already planned for multiplayer, Warzone, and Zombies.

I’m not making a final decision yet, but I really like that there’s a new, relaxed way to play that isn’t as competitive, and hopefully it will be available for a long time.

We still have a lot to learn about Black Ops 7, but from what I’ve played so far, it seems very promising.

It seems Treyarch is responding to player feedback, possibly spurred by competition from Battlefield 6. Reducing the focus on strict skill-based matchmaking was a positive change, and the beta test showed it actually made the game more enjoyable.

Roll on November 14.

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2025-10-16 22:40