Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 has posted the lowest user review scores in the franchise’s 20-plus-year history. The game dropped below Modern Warfare III (2023) on major review aggregators shortly after launch.
Player criticism centers heavily on the campaign. Multiple reports describe it as designed primarily for co-op play and requiring an online connection. Solo players say there are no AI squadmates to fill out the team.
The online-only structure creates problems for single-player runs. Players report getting kicked from servers if they pause for too long, losing campaign progress in the process. The system treats solo campaign sessions as online multiplayer lobbies with AFK timeouts.
Campaign missions feature enemies with visible health bars and damage numbers. Players describe them as bullet sponges that take multiple magazines to kill. The design leans into RPG mechanics more than previous entries in the series.
Story missions reportedly include hallucination sequences, floating islands, and robot enemies. Some players note that portions of the campaign reuse map spaces from Warzone. The tonal shift has drawn comparisons to more fantastical shooters rather than the military-themed campaigns the series is known for.
Multiplayer reception splits more evenly. Several players praise the gunplay and movement. The game launches with persistent lobbies and reduced skill-based matchmaking by default, changes that some veterans requested for years.
Other players complain about skill mismatches, with new accounts placed against highly progressed opponents and cheaters. The looser matchmaking creates wider skill gaps within individual matches.
Zombies mode earns positive feedback overall. Players call the launch map one of the best since Black Ops 4. The mode balances accessibility for casual players with depth for Easter egg hunters. Dead Ops Arcade returns as a side mode.
Some players allege the game includes AI-generated art for cosmetic items like calling cards. These claims have not been confirmed by Activision or Treyarch.
The sales question
User review scores don’t always predict sales performance for Call of Duty. Infinite Warfare became one of the most-disliked trailers in YouTube history but still sold well. Modern Warfare III (2023) faced harsh criticism yet performed strongly in the market.
Black Ops 7 launches in a more competitive window. Battlefield 6 released in a similar timeframe. Whether negative word-of-mouth affects sales beyond the PC platform remains to be seen.
Activision and Treyarch have not issued statements addressing the campaign structure or online-only requirements.
