The Call of Duty series is an annual franchise, and Activision’s 20-year streak of releasing new Call of Duty games every year continues in 2025 with the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. The game was formally announced during the Xbox Games Showcase, and it’s coming this year.
In this post, we’re rounding up everything we know, and what’s been rumored, about Black Ops 7. It’s a notable release in part because this is the first time ever that Activision is releasing Black Ops games in back to back years.
What is Call of Duty 2025?
This year’s Call of Duty game is Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. Announced at the Xbox Games Showcase, Black Ops 7 takes place in the year 2035 and is a sequel to both Black Ops 6 (set in the ’90s) and Black Ops 2 (set in 2025). You can check out the cinematic announcement trailer below.
Zombies And Omnimovement
Black Ops 7 brings back the fan-favorite Zombies mode, and it takes place in Dark Aether. The mode is also round-based like it was in Black Ops 6.
A leak said the Zombies mode for Black Ops 7 will have the “largest round-based map ever created,” a remake of the Tranzit map from Black Ops 2, and feature a difficulty slider. As for the story details, the leaks suggest a focus on the original Zombies crew and “an exploration of the old timelines.”
The post also reported that Call of Duty 2025 will continue to feature Treyarch’s omnimovement in all game modes, in addition to a new wall-running mechanic. Call of Duty’s “Carry Forward” program is rumored to return, which would transfer the weapons and operators from Black Ops 6 into Black Ops 7.
When will Black Ops 7 be released?
Activision has confirmed that Black Ops 7 will launch this year, but a specific release date has not been announced. The series historically debuts in October or November. Something working in Black Ops 7’s favor this year is the GTA 6 delay. Black Ops 7 will no longer have to compete with Rockstar’s open-world game, as it was delayed to May 2026.
Will Black Ops 7 have a beta?
Black Ops 7 is expected to have a pre-release multiplayer beta, as all recent entries in the series have. Now that Microsoft owns the franchise, fans can expect the beta to launch on all platforms at the same time, at least if the company sticks to the gameplan from Black Ops 6.
Previously, Call of Duty betas were held first on PlayStation due to a co-marketing deal between Activision and Sony. The Black Ops 6 beta took place in August 2024, so it’s reasonable to assume the Black Ops 7 beta could take place in August 2025.
Preorder Black Ops 7
Black Ops 7 has been announced, but it’s not available to preorder yet. With some games raising prices to $80, it’ll be interesting to see if Black Ops 7 follows suit.
Black Ops 7 trailer
The debut trailer for Black Ops 7 premiered at the Xbox Games Showcase. A cinematic trailer, it teased out some of the futuristic-themed story and hinted at the return of iconic Black Ops characters. It’s a doozy of a trailer full of twists and turns, which is to be expected for the series known for its mind-bending setups.
“,”480”:”nnnnnnnnnn
“}},”device”:”other”,”isDevice”:false,”isLiveStream”:false,”videoType”:”video-on-demand”,”countdownTime”:0,”guid”:”gs-2300-6466104″,”ageGateCookieName”:”videoAgeGateBirthday”,”watchedCookieName”:”watchedVideoIds”,”watchedCookieDays”:1,”postPlayMax”:100,”adCall”:{“host”:”http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?”,”params”:{“iu”:”/5441/vaw-gamespot/desktop/gamespot.com”,”impl”:”s”,”gdfp_req”:1,”env”:”vp”,”output”:”xml_vmap1″,”unviewed_position_start”:1,”url”:”[referrer_url]”,”correlator”:”[timestamp]”,”description_url”:”[description_url]”,”cmsid”:2566084,”vid”:6466104,”pp”:”vpaid_js”},”custParams”:{“ptype”:”news_article”,”cid”:”gs-1100-6529073″,”game”:”call-of-duty-black-ops-7″,”con”:”xbox-series-x,pc,playstation-5,playstation-4,xbox-one”,”publisher”:”activision”,”franchise”:”call-of-duty”,”category”:”games”,”franchiseRoot”:”call-of-duty”,”partner”:”desktop/gamespot.com”,”vid”:6466104},”soundBasedSize”:{“normal”:”640×480″,”muted”:”640×483″,”none”:”640×480″},”daiSsbUrl”:”https://dai.google.com/ondemand/hls/content/2572465/vid/6466104/master.m3u8″,”daiMidRollHost”:2500176},”uvpHi5Ima”:”https://s0.2mdn.net/instream/html5/ima3.js”,”cuePoints”:null,”uvpc”:””,”partner”:”gamespot”,”adPartner”:”desktop/gamespot.com”,”desktopAdPartner”:”desktop%2Fgamespot.com”,”mobileAdPartner”:”mobile_web%2Fgamespot.com_mobile”,”mapp”:”gamespot”,”cms”:”pi”,”seekablePlaybacks”:[“html5″,”uvpjs”],”tracking”:[{“name”:”SiteCatalyst”,”category”:”qos”,”enabled”:true,”params”:[{“name”:”charSet”,”value”:”UTF-8″},{“name”:”currencyCode”,”value”:”USD”},{“name”:”siteType”,”value”:”responsive web”},{“name”:”trackingServer”,”value”:”saa.gamespot.com”},{“name”:”visitorNamespace”,”value”:”cbsinteractive”},{“name”:”heartbeatTrackingServer”,”value”:”newimagitasinc.hb.omtrdc.net”},{“name”:”heartbeatVisitorMarketingCloudOrgId”,”value”:”3C66570E5FE1A4AB0A495FFC@AdobeOrg”},{“name”:”partnerID”,”value”:”gamespot”},{“name”:”siteCode”,”value”:”gamespot”},{“name”:”brand”,”value”:”gamespot”},{“name”:”account”,”value”:”cbsigamespotsite”},{“name”:”edition”,”value”:”us”}]},{“name”:”ComScore_ss”,”category”:”qos”,”enabled”:true,”params”:[{“name”:”c2″,”value”:”31824268″},{“name”:”publishersSecret”,”value”:”2cb08ca4d095dd734a374dff8422c2e5″},{“name”:”c3″,”value”:””},{“name”:”partnerID”,”value”:”gamespot”},{“name”:”c4″,”value”:”gamespot”}]},{“name”:”NielsenTracking”,”category”:”tracking”,”enabled”:true,”params”:[{“name”:”host”,”value”:”https://secure-us.imrworldwide.com/cgi-bin/m?”},{“name”:”scCI”,”value”:”us-200330″},{“name”:”scC6″,”value”:”vc,c01″}]},{“name”:”MuxQOSPluginJS”,”category”:”qos”,”enabled”:true,”params”:[{“name”:”propertyKey”,”value”:”b7d6e48b7461a61cb6e863a62″}]}],”trackingAccount”:”cbsigamespotsite”,”trackingSiteCode”:”gs”,”trackingPrimaryId”:”cbsigamespotsite”,”videoAssetSource”:”Publisher Asset”,”uvpjsHostname”:”//www.gamespot.com”,”siteType”:”responsive web”,”startMuted”:false,”screenMediumThumb”:”https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/screen_medium/1574/15746725/4508976-22.jpg”,”videoStreams”:{“adaptive_stream”:”https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/tajfWnDV.m3u8″},”userId”:0,”premium”:false,”datePublished”:1749406380,”videoAdPartner”:”desktop%2Fgamespot.com”,”videoAdMobilePartner”:”mobile_web%2Fgamespot.com_mobile”}” data-non-iframe-embed=”1″ data-jw-context-name=”gamespot” data-jw-media-id=”tajfWnDV” data-jw-player-url=”https://cdn.jwplayer.com/libraries/VXc5h4Tf.js” data-jw-video-token data-has-youtube data-youtube-icon-path=”https://www.gamespot.com/a/bundles/phoenixsite/images/core/loose/icn-youtube-30×30.png” id=”video-rectangle” data-embed-type=”video” data-ref-id=”2300-6466104″ data-src=”http://www.gamespot.com/videos/call-of-duty-black-ops-7-official-cinematic-teaser-trailer/2300-6466104/” data-width=”854″ data-height=”480″ data-video-start=”0″>
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 | Official Cinematic Teaser Trailer
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
Sign up or Sign in now!
Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos.
This video has an invalid file format.
Sorry, but you can’t access this content!
Activision has confirmed that Black Ops 7 will launch on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC, as well as last-gen consoles like the Xbox One and PS4. Microsoft is committed to bringing Call of Duty to Nintendo platforms, but as of yet, the company has not announced any Call of Duty titles for Switch or Switch 2.
Will Black Ops 7 be on Game Pass?
Microsoft put Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 on Game Pass at launch, and Black Ops 7 will be there on day one as well for Xbox and PC.
Black Ops 7 story, setting, and characters
The Black Ops storyline is full of twists and turns and wild political conspiracies, and it’s expected that Black Ops 7 will continue this trend.
The game is described as the “most mind-bending Black Ops ever” and the “evolution of Black Ops.” The game takes place 40+ years after the events of Black Ops 6 and 10 years following Black Ops 2. The story picks up in 2035, a time when “the world is on the brink of chaos, ravaged by violent conflict and psychological warfare following the events.”
The game’s description goes on: “Wielding cutting-edge technology, David Mason and his team must fight back against a manipulative enemy who weaponizes fear above all else.”
Celebrity cast
Activision has a history of working with celebrities for its Call of Duty games, and that continues with Black Ops 7. Milo Ventimiglia from Gilmore Girls plays David Mason, while Kiernan Shipka (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) plays Emma Kagan. Michael Rooker (Guardians of the Galaxy) returns to play Mike Harper, a role he also played in Black Ops 2.
“,”480”:”nnnnnnnnnn
“}},”device”:”other”,”isDevice”:false,”isLiveStream”:false,”videoType”:”video-on-demand”,”countdownTime”:0,”guid”:”gs-2300-6465298″,”ageGateCookieName”:”videoAgeGateBirthday”,”watchedCookieName”:”watchedVideoIds”,”watchedCookieDays”:1,”postPlayMax”:100,”adCall”:{“host”:”http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?”,”params”:{“iu”:”/5441/vaw-gamespot/desktop/gamespot.com”,”impl”:”s”,”gdfp_req”:1,”env”:”vp”,”output”:”xml_vmap1″,”unviewed_position_start”:1,”url”:”[referrer_url]”,”correlator”:”[timestamp]”,”description_url”:”[description_url]”,”cmsid”:2566084,”vid”:6465298,”pp”:”vpaid_js”},”custParams”:{“ptype”:”news_article”,”cid”:”gs-1100-6529073″,”game”:”call-of-duty-black-ops-7″,”con”:”xbox-series-x,pc,playstation-5,playstation-4,xbox-one”,”publisher”:”activision”,”franchise”:”call-of-duty”,”category”:”games”,”franchiseRoot”:”call-of-duty”,”partner”:”desktop/gamespot.com”,”vid”:6465298},”soundBasedSize”:{“normal”:”640×480″,”muted”:”640×483″,”none”:”640×480″},”daiSsbUrl”:”https://dai.google.com/ondemand/hls/content/2572465/vid/6465298/master.m3u8″,”daiMidRollHost”:2500176},”uvpHi5Ima”:”https://s0.2mdn.net/instream/html5/ima3.js”,”cuePoints”:null,”uvpc”:””,”partner”:”gamespot”,”adPartner”:”desktop/gamespot.com”,”desktopAdPartner”:”desktop%2Fgamespot.com”,”mobileAdPartner”:”mobile_web%2Fgamespot.com_mobile”,”mapp”:”gamespot”,”cms”:”pi”,”seekablePlaybacks”:[“html5″,”uvpjs”],”tracking”:[{“name”:”SiteCatalyst”,”category”:”qos”,”enabled”:true,”params”:[{“name”:”charSet”,”value”:”UTF-8″},{“name”:”currencyCode”,”value”:”USD”},{“name”:”siteType”,”value”:”responsive web”},{“name”:”trackingServer”,”value”:”saa.gamespot.com”},{“name”:”visitorNamespace”,”value”:”cbsinteractive”},{“name”:”heartbeatTrackingServer”,”value”:”newimagitasinc.hb.omtrdc.net”},{“name”:”heartbeatVisitorMarketingCloudOrgId”,”value”:”3C66570E5FE1A4AB0A495FFC@AdobeOrg”},{“name”:”partnerID”,”value”:”gamespot”},{“name”:”siteCode”,”value”:”gamespot”},{“name”:”brand”,”value”:”gamespot”},{“name”:”account”,”value”:”cbsigamespotsite”},{“name”:”edition”,”value”:”us”}]},{“name”:”ComScore_ss”,”category”:”qos”,”enabled”:true,”params”:[{“name”:”c2″,”value”:”31824268″},{“name”:”publishersSecret”,”value”:”2cb08ca4d095dd734a374dff8422c2e5″},{“name”:”c3″,”value”:””},{“name”:”partnerID”,”value”:”gamespot”},{“name”:”c4″,”value”:”gamespot”}]},{“name”:”NielsenTracking”,”category”:”tracking”,”enabled”:true,”params”:[{“name”:”host”,”value”:”https://secure-us.imrworldwide.com/cgi-bin/m?”},{“name”:”scCI”,”value”:”us-200330″},{“name”:”scC6″,”value”:”vc,c01″}]},{“name”:”MuxQOSPluginJS”,”category”:”qos”,”enabled”:true,”params”:[{“name”:”propertyKey”,”value”:”b7d6e48b7461a61cb6e863a62″}]}],”trackingAccount”:”cbsigamespotsite”,”trackingSiteCode”:”gs”,”trackingPrimaryId”:”cbsigamespotsite”,”videoAssetSource”:”Publisher Asset”,”uvpjsHostname”:”//www.gamespot.com”,”siteType”:”responsive web”,”startMuted”:false,”screenMediumThumb”:”https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/screen_medium/1574/15746725/4380589-11.jpg”,”videoStreams”:{“adaptive_stream”:”https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/4ritACm0.m3u8″},”userId”:0,”premium”:false,”datePublished”:1728396900,”videoAdPartner”:”desktop%2Fgamespot.com”,”videoAdMobilePartner”:”mobile_web%2Fgamespot.com_mobile”}” data-non-iframe-embed=”1″ data-jw-context-name=”gamespot” data-jw-media-id=”4ritACm0″ data-jw-player-url=”https://cdn.jwplayer.com/libraries/VXc5h4Tf.js” data-jw-video-token data-has-youtube data-youtube-icon-path=”https://www.gamespot.com/a/bundles/phoenixsite/images/core/loose/icn-youtube-30×30.png” id=”video-rectangle” data-embed-type=”video” data-ref-id=”2300-6465298″ data-src=”http://www.gamespot.com/videos/call-of-duty-black-ops-6-black-ops-story-so-far-trailer/2300-6465298/” data-width=”100%” data-height=”100%” data-video-start=”0″>
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 – Black Ops Story So Far Trailer
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
Sign up or Sign in now!
Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos.
This video has an invalid file format.
Sorry, but you can’t access this content!
Black Ops 7 game engine
The Call of Duty franchise is now developed on a singular, proprietary game engine for all major new releases, and this is expected to continue for Black Ops 7 this year.
Who’s developing Black Ops 7?
Treyarch and Raven Software are leading development on Black Ops 7, though it’s understood that Activision’s global network of studios contribute to new games beyond the “core” developers. Treyarch and Raven Software also developed 2024’s Black Ops 6.
What else is new for Black Ops 7?
Black Ops 7 marks the first time in franchise history that Activision is releasing Black Ops games in consecutive years. What’s more, Activision has said it’s treating the game sort of like a Beyonce album in that the company does not plan to do much marketing or promotion for it.
