It still feels as though Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has only just come out, but already there's plenty of talk about the next entry in the annual military shooter franchise. Though there's no official word from Activision or any of the usual Call of Duty franchise developers, there have been plenty of leaks over the last year or so that suggest 2025's Call of Duty entry will be another Black Ops game, and a direct sequel to Black Ops 2 at that.
2022's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and 2023's Modern Warfare 3 made history by being the first back-to-back series entries in the franchise. That approach didn't go too well, however, and if Activision is planning on doing the same with Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Call of Duty 2025, then it needs to make sure it steers clear of one major Modern Warfare 3 criticism.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Zombies' Directed Mode Has Already Proven Its Worth
Some detailed statistics for Black Ops 6 Zombies' Directed Mode have been released, showcasing just how successful the feature has been for the game.
Call of Duty 2025 Might Live or Die By Its Campaign
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's Campaign Was Heavily Criticized
While Call of Duty's campaigns haven't really been anything to write about in quite some time, they've at least been consistently enjoyable blockbuster action affairs. That wasn't the case with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's campaign.
Though a good portion of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's features received criticism, its campaign was widely regarded as its worst element. Modern Warfare 3's campaign could be completed in just 3 hours, even on higher difficulties, leading to its pacing feeling incredibly rushed. It featured a severe lack of action set pieces, one of the franchise's defining features. Its "innovative" Open Combat Missions ended up feeling very generic. And the campaign ends on an abrupt cliffhanger that likely won't be resolved for years to come, if ever.
Call of Duty 2025 Needs to Deliver a Good Campaign
After the immensely disappointing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 campaign, the only way was up for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. Thankfully, Black Ops 6's campaign was the return to form that the franchise desperately needed, delivering plenty of action set pieces, a cast of memorable characters, and a sprinkling of trademark Black Ops mind-bending twists and turns.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's campaign dropped the bar lower than the series had ever seen, and Black Ops 6 has taken it, and raised it much higher than fans expected. There are going to be some high expectations going into Call of Duty 2025's campaign, and it can't afford to drop the ball like MW3 did.
Call of Duty 2025 Might Not Need to Work as Hard for its Other Game Modes
Usually, it's Call of Duty's multiplayer and Zombies modes that receive the most scrutiny from fans before a new entry's release, but that might not be the case with Call of Duty 2025. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has laid some incredibly strong foundations with both its multiplayer and Zombies modes, delivering an innovative new Omnimovement system and ushering in the long-awaited return of traditional round-based Zombies.
All Call of Duty 2025 needs to do is take Black Ops 6's foundations and keep building upon them, offering a new set of original multiplayer maps and new Zombies stages with plenty of Easter eggs, Wonder Weapons, and Perk-a-Colas. Obviously, that's easier said than done, but there might be a little less pressure to fully reinvent the wheel this time around.
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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
