Gamescom ’25: Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 gets a full reveal, and it’s mighty different from what’s come before

Looking less like a military action game and more like a slick sci-fi shooter is Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, in its full Gamescom reveal.

Whoa

Look, if there’s one thing that Call of Duty fans should be used to by now, it’s Activision green-lighting some wildly different stuff with its premier series. Well, that and seriously pushing the ‘military’ aspect as far as it can go.

From the look of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, it looks like both of the above elements are going to be in full effect. A full reveal of the title was on tap for Gamescom 2025 yesterday, and it’s both looking familiar and… different.

Black Ops 7 picks up the action from last year’s installment, but pushes it further into the future. As such, and while we’re not talking about some far off time, it’s got high-tech themes that we haven’t seen in the series for a while.

Fans can expect battle bots to fight and some futuristic weaponry (and traversal options) to put to use, but also some pretty wild themes to go along with its one to four player co-op. Those include hallucinatory worlds, filled with the kind of insanity that you’d more expect to see in a horror game. But even that’s not all, as the campaign is just part of the CoD experience.

We also got glimpses of multiplayer last night, plus zombies mode and a new riff on it. What’s that? Well, how’s a top-down battle against the undead called Dead Ops Arcade 4 sound? Yep, it’s on the way too.

Take a scroll down for the official reveal trailer, as well as the full, bulleted highlight list from Activision. While you’re at it, click here to take a look at the official blog, with even more details. Oh, and get ready, because Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 lands for consoles and the PC on November 14th.

Black Ops 7 Co-Op Campaign:

• An Unprecedented Campaign in Black Ops 7 dives deeper into the madness, playable solo or with up to four players.
• Returning Fan Favorite Characters, including David Mason and Raul Menendez, along with the introduction of new icons like Emma Kagan adds to the Campaign’s narrative intrigue.
• A Wide Spectrum of Environments: Take on high-stakes missions set in locations as varied as the neon-lit rooftops of Japan to the Mediterranean coast, and even into the deepest corners of the human psyche. Players will also experience Avalon, an expansive city whose secrets ripple across the Campaign.
• Endgame Unleashed: In the culmination of the story, Treyarch and Raven are unleashing Endgame as part of the Co-Op Campaign, where Avalon opens up for players as they wield personalized abilities and face unexpected challenges, putting everything they’ve mastered throughout the story to the test.

Black Ops 7 Multiplayer:

• A Massive Offering: 16 signature 6v6 multiplayer maps at launch (13 all new maps and three returning Black Ops 2 classics) plus two new large-scale maps, all combining a new level of visual fidelity along with refined Multiplayer design for the most engaging Black Ops MP ever.
• Near-Future Weaponry: Set in 2035, Multiplayer delivers an arsenal of new, near-future weaponry and gear, where all weapon systems have been overhauled down to the smallest detail to match the era.
• Overclocked Gear: In Black Ops 7, your loadout is alive with possibility. For the first time, Scorestreaks, Field Upgrades, and Equipment can be upgraded with the new Overclock system, growing more versatile the more you use them. Every match becomes a step toward unlocking their full potential.
• Perks and Hybrid Combat Specialties: On the Perks side, Hybrid Combat Specialties let you mix and match different Perks to unlock exciting and powerful Hybrid gameplay bonuses.
• Next-level Omnimovement, including Wall Jumps and more, open-up creative possibilities and fresh dynamics to gameplay.
• Skirmish is an all-new, 20v20 adrenaline-charged MP mode that blends a variety of objectives with new abilities like wingsuiting and grappling hooks, and intense vehicle warfare into a massive experience. Set across two launch maps, this is Black Ops large-scale combat, redefined.

Black Ops 7 Zombies:

• Round-Based Zombies returns with all-new vehicle gameplay that takes players across a massive set of new locations.
• When Crews Collide: Continuing the Dark Aether story, the Black Ops 6 crew collides with alternate versions of the original heroes: Richtofen, Nikolai, Takeo, and Dempsey. In a never-before-seen incarnation, these legends return to face a new kind of nightmare… though in the Dark Aether, nothing is ever what it seems.
• A Fight for Survival: Survival maps return for the first time since Black Ops 2, focused entirely on outlasting the undead.
• Dead Ops Arcade 4 blasts into Black Ops 7 with a wild new mode, deadly weapons, and new arenas in over-the-top chaos. Whether you’re solo or with the squad, DOA 4 is absolute mayhem.

Pre-Order Benefits:

• Beta Early Access: The Black Ops 7 Beta runs October 2–8, with Early Access for preorders and eligible Game Pass subscribers granted on October 2.
• Reznov Challenge Pack: Preorder digitally or subscribe to select Game Pass plans to unlock the Reznov Challenge Pack in Black Ops 6 and Call of Duty: Warzone. Then complete challenges to earn additional Operator Skins.
• Operator Collection: Preorder the Vault Edition to unlock four Operators – Karma, Harper, T.E.D.D., and Reaper EWR-3 – each with roots in Black Ops or Zombies. Play them in the Beta and at launch.
• Mastercraft Weapon Collection: Get the Vault Edition to unlock five Mastercraft Weapon Blueprints, each uniquely styled, with impressive weapon inspects and built for impact. Use them in the Beta, then carry them into launch.
• More Vault Edition Extras: The Vault Edition also includes eight Ultra GobbleGums for Zombies, one full season of BlackCell content, and a Permanent Unlock Token letting you secure any Black Ops 7 Loadout or Scorestreak Level Unlock.

Activision press release