Summary
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has lost 47% of its player base since its October 2024 launch.
- Issues with cheaters in ranked mode and accusations of AI usage have plagued the title.
- Season 2 of Black Ops 6 is expected to begin in late January.
Player counts are dropping for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, with the game seeing an almost 50% decrease on platforms like Steam. These drops have come despite several new pieces of content, namely Call of Duty's latest collaboration with Netflix's Squid Game. The loss of players shows a sharper decline than what was seen with Modern Warfare 3, which could spell bad news for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 if things don't pick back up.
Released with an immense amount of excitement and hype behind it, Black Ops 6 appeared to be a fresh start for longtime developer Treyarch and the Call of Duty franchise. Equipped with a number of fan-favorite features, modes, and weapons, Black Ops 6 sought to be both a return to form and a new launching point for Call of Duty, and for the most part, this has been true. Fans have been able to enjoy a plethora of new maps and modes as well as the return of highly-requested features, such as Call of Duty's classic prestige system, over the last several months, with loads of new content around the corner. However, recent controversies and general disinterest may mean trouble for the latest Call of Duty title.
Annoying Black Ops 6 Zombies Bug is Still Broken Despite 'Fix'
It seems a particularly annoying Black Ops 6 Zombies bug has not been fixed, despite appearing in the patch notes of a recent update.
According to SteamCharts and TheGamer, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has lost a whopping 47% of its player base since it launched last October. In November 2024, Steam's Call of Duty launcher was averaging around 160,000 players. Over the last 30 days, however, the launcher has averaged around 87,000 players. In comparison, the also-controversial Modern Warfare 3 averaged around 103,126 players during its peak in November 2023. Player counts eventually settled to 89,000, which represented a six percent decrease, revealing Black Ops 6 is hemorrhaging players at a much faster rate.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Losing Players
There have certainly been some issues and problems with Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, primarily with the game's multiplayer component. For months, cheaters and hackers have run rampant in Black Ops 6's ranked mode, essentially making it unplayable for those seeking to legitimately progress through the season. Fans also accused developers of using artificial intelligence in Black Ops 6, specifically to make loading screens and other items that are only unlocked by spending real money.
Whether or not any of these issues have anything to do with Black Ops 6's dropping player base is unknown, but the game is certainly losing its grip going into the new year. However, 2025 marks an exciting time for Black Ops 6 as a whole, with loads of new content set to arrive throughout the year. New multiplayer modes and maps will likely be shown off soon, as will a new Zombies map, which is rumored to tie into the classic Origins Black Ops 2 map. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's Season 1 wraps up later this month, with Season 2 right around the corner.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 83 /100 Critics Rec: 91%
- Released
- October 25, 2024
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Suggestive Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Treyarch, Raven Software
- Publisher(s)
- Activision
- Engine
- IW 9.0
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- Yes - PlayStation, Xbox, PC
WHERE TO PLAY
Forced to go rogue. Hunted from within. This is Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
Developed by Treyarch and Raven, Black Ops 6 is a spy action thriller set in the early 90s, a period of transition and upheaval in global politics, characterized by the end of the Cold War and the rise of the United States as a single superpower. With a mind-bending narrative, and unbound by the rules of engagement, this is signature Black Ops.
The Black Ops 6 Campaign provides dynamic moment-to-moment gameplay that includes a variety of play spaces with blockbuster set pieces and action-packed moments, high-stakes heists, and cloak-and-dagger spy activity.
In a best-in-class Multiplayer experience, players will test their skills across 16 new maps at launch, including 12 core 6v6 maps and 4 Strike maps that can be played 2v2 or 6v6.
Black Ops 6 also marks the epic return of Round-Based Zombies, the fan-favorite mode where players will take down hordes of the undead in two brand-new maps at launch. Post-launch, players can look forward to even more exciting maps and groundbreaking experiences dropping into both Multiplayer and Zombies.
- Cross Save
- Yes - PlayStation, Xbox, PC
- Prequel(s)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Call of Duty: World at War
- Franchise
- Call of Duty
- Number of Players
- 1-4
- Split Screen Orientation
- Vertical or Horizontal
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unknown
- PC Release Date
- October 25, 2024
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- October 25, 2024
- PS5 Release Date
- October 25, 2024
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC
- Genre(s)
- FPS
- How Long To Beat
- 8 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
- File Size Xbox Series
- 216 GB (October 2024)
- Local Co-Op Support
- 1-2 Players
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
