As expected, the recent Xbox Games Showcase capped things off with the worldwide reveal of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, with the game's announcement coming alongside an interesting trailer that corroborated a lot of the theories that have existed around the project for quite some time. While brief, the trailer did well to showcase the general themes and characters involved in Black Ops 7, confirming that the game will act as a direct sequel to 2012's Black Ops 2.
This trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 featured fan-favorite characters David Mason and Raul Menendez, furthering its direct links to Black Ops 2, while also partly anchoring itself to the wider narrative of the recent Black Ops 6 through its portrayal of the organization known as The Guild. Away from these nods to the general premise of Black Ops 7's campaign, the trailer even had a brief moment dedicated to the franchise's iconic Zombies mode, with this being an exciting indicator of just how important Zombies is likely to be for the upcoming title.
Call of Duty Black Ops 7 Might Be Stuck Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Although Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 will likely be big, there are a couple things stacked up against this shooter that may hold it back from greatness.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Has Boldly Stated its Zombies Ambitions Early On
The recently revealed trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 largely focused on the semi-futuristic organizations and technology that its 2030s setting will foster, with the cinematic also leaning heavily into the mind-bending psychological themes that have defined some of the Black Ops franchise's most memorable sequences. The very end of the trailer squeezed in a lot of interesting visuals, ultimately signing off with a brief glimpse at a horde of zombies being startled by the headlights of a vehicle. While this tease offered very little insight into what BO7 Zombies will be like, and essentially just confirms its existence, it is exciting nontheless.
Wall-running mechanics were recently found in the files of Black Ops 6, potentially indicating how Black Ops 7's near-future setting might alter the movement mechanics that fans have seen in recent years.
It has been confirmed that Black Ops 7 is being headed by Treyarch and Raven Software, drawing some concerns over rushed content given Treyarch's recent heavy involvement in Black Ops 6, yet there is still a lot of excitement surrounding the upcoming project as a whole. Of course, Treyarch is the founding company of Call of Duty's iconic Zombies experiences, which first came with 2008's World at War, with the mode growing to become one of the most anticipated and enjoyed elements of the usual CoD content cycle.
The identity of Call of Duty Zombies has shifted a lot in recent years, with 2020's Cold War seeing the mode experiment with a more divisive open-world formula, although Black Ops 6 won over many fans with its commitment to returning to traditional round-based experiences with a core cast of characters. This approach has worked well throughout the lifecycle of Black Ops 6, with it already being confirmed that Black Ops 7 will continue with a round-based approach "in the heart of the Dark Aether."
As always, Zombies fans are dissecting every teaser Treyarch provides. Some players feel as if the headlights and what appears to be either a windmill or pylon in the background of the footage is hinting at a long-rumored TranZit remake, this time set within the Dark Aether. This is purely speculation about a very brief and dark teaser, though it will be interesting to see if the vehicles lights actually belong to the TranZit bus once more is revealed about BO7.
It Seems That Treyarch is Building On Black Ops 6's Zombies Approach For Black Ops 7
In the past, fans have had to wait quite a while for dedicated Zombies announcements, with the mode left somewhat in the shadow of campaign and multiplayer marketing for Call of Duty releases, yet the prominent appearance of Zombies-imagery in Black Ops 7's first trailer is an excellent sign of the attention that Treyarch could be giving the mode within 2025's CoD entry. Black Ops 6 has placed a similar importance on its Zombies offerings, with enemies from the mode even appearing in one of its most memorable campaign missions, and it seems just as likely that a similar crossover between Zombies and campaign could exist within Black Ops 7.
The scale and following that Zombies has amassed over the years has become a phenomenon that rivals any other mode that Call of Duty has featured over the years, and it seems that Treyarch's latest entry in the franchise will pay great respect to this aspect of the IP. If Black Ops 6 and the reveal trailer for Black Ops 7 is anything to go by, then it seems as if players are in for rapid reveals and huge content plans for Black Ops 7's portrayal of Call of Duty Zombies.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 66 /100 Critics Rec: 34%
- Released
- November 14, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Treyarch, Raven Software
- Publisher(s)
- Activision
