What is Call of Duty Black Ops 7?

Developed by Treyarch, Raven, and numerous other Call of Duty Studios, Black Ops 7 is the 22nd entry in the long-running annual franchise. This is the first time in franchise history to see back-to-back Black Ops entries. While Black Ops 6 came out with some hefty improvements, such as omnimovement and a campaign to remember. This year’s campaign is primarily co-op-focused, with some baffling online components that bury a refreshing PVE mode, which looks like it has an expiration date. 

Developer & Publisher // Treyarch, Raven Software, Activision
Platforms // PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Game Pass
MSRP & Release Date // $69.99, November 14th, 2025
Reviewed On // PC

PC Specs:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5700x
GPU: AMD Radeon RX6950 XT
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 32GB DDR4 3600Mhz

Black Ops 7 Narrative

• Set in 2035, Black Ops 7 follows JSOC’s mission to investigate a resurfaced Raul Menendez threat. 
• A trap by The Guild’s CEO exposes JSOC to a hallucinogenic gas called The Cradle.
• The gas engulfs Avalon, triggering surreal, hallucination-driven combat scenarios.

Black Ops 7 takes place in 2035, 10 years after the events of Black Ops 2. After the death of Raul Menendez, he resurfaces once again in a cryptic and menacing video, threatening to unleash a global attack on a scale humanity has never witnessed before. Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) dispatches a special unit led by David Mason to Avalon to investigate whether there is a link between the Private Military Contractor, The Guild, with the leaked video of Menendez. 

JSOC eventually led to a laboratory where a trap was unleashed by The Guild’s CEO, Emma Kagan, resulting in JSOC being exposed to a hallucinogenic, toxic red gas known as The Cradle. The toxin escapes the lab and engulfs the entirety of Avalon. This sets up the main context of the game. Many levels occur within the hallucinations JSOC is experiencing, where weirdness is guaranteed. 

Black Ops 7 Narrative Shortcomings – Weekend at Bernie’s 

• Black Ops 7 overuses the Cradle gas as a narrative crutch, rehashing zombies and character hauntings. 
• Fan service moments like Eric Samuels’ flashbacks echo Black Ops 2 but lack fresh impact.
• The co-op campaign blends corridor and open-world missions, but falls short of Black Ops 6’s excellence.

The game clearly overly relies on the toxic gas known as the Cradle as a narrative. Not only does the toxic gas cause people to turn into murderous zealots and zombies, but it also provides a plot device to bring previous hauntings of the JSOC members front center. For example, JSOC member Eric Samuels recounts his shortcomings when he was a Secret Service member from Black Ops 2. Although the Cradle hauntings attempt to add depth to the characters, it is clearly aimed at fan service of the Black Ops universe. But overall, the use of the Cradle gas is overused, and once again reintroducing zombies through the campaign is a “been there, seen that” affair from Black Ops 6. 

Let’s not beat around the bush, Black Ops 7 coop campaign is a step down from the stellar campaign from Black Ops 6. Black Ops 7 mixes the classic corridor levels with missions set in the open-world Avalon map. The corridor missions are great, tight, and action-packed; it’s what defines the Call of Duty campaigns for over two decades. In contrast, even the open-world missions are decent and not too overdone compared to Modern Warfare 3, which just felt rushed overall. The ratio of corridor and open world maps in Black Ops 7 is evenly split. 

Boss Fights and a Stealth Section

• Boss fights add variety but often feel tedious, with Harper’s hallucination becoming an online meme. 
• The Priya sniper encounter stands out as a fun, if not innovative, highlight.
• A stealth prison mission falls flat, offering little consequence for detection and minimal impact.

Some missions are capped off with a boss fight. They range from giant plant creatures to teleporting snipers. Though they do add a change of pace to the gameplay loop, most of them are tedious encounters. The most comical was the giant hallucination of JSOC member Harper, which has been making the rounds on the internet. My personal favorite was the Priya sniper boss fight. She would teleport around and try to one-shot you. It wasn’t groundbreaking by any stretch of the imagination, but enjoyable nonetheless.

There was one stealth section during the coop campaign in the level Suppression. Essentially,  you can enter vents and have to sneak around zombies in different parts of the prison. But overall, it was a weak section and forgetful. Funnily enough, it didn’t matter if you were spotted since you could just fight your way out. 

Third Person and Voice Acting

• Third-person mode returns with smoother controls and full toggle support during co-op missions. 
• Voice acting is polished but mostly uninspired, typical of Call of Duty’s cinematic style.
• Michael Rooker’s portrayal of Mike Harper stands out with sharp charisma and memorable delivery.

Third person perspective makes its return in Black Ops 7. This time, it works great and feels a lot smoother compared to previous iterations. Best of all, it can be toggled at any time during the coop campaign. Third-person mode is great at naturally expanding the FOV in open areas.

The voice acting and motion capture in Black Ops 7 are what you expect from any Call of Duty title. Hollywood-grade deliveries of uninspiring dialogue are the name of the game. But one standout performance has to be JSOC member Mike Harper, portrayed by Michael Rooker, who is the shining light that adds witty and gung-ho charisma in a sea of blandness. However, those aren’t the only issues in the Black Ops 7 coop campaign…

Issues in Black Ops 7 Co-Op Campaign – From The Cradle To the Grave

• Solo play lacks AI teammates and revives, making the co-op campaign punishing without a squad. 
• No checkpoints and idle timeouts frustrate players, especially those juggling real-life interruptions.
• Completing the campaign unlocks “Endgame,” an online-only extraction mode set in post-crisis Avalon.

The Black Ops 7 co-op campaign has some seriously baffling design issues that cannot be overlooked. First, since the campaign is heavily coop-centric, playing solo removes any AI teammates. Not only is it baffling that most cutscenes feature the four-member squad of JSOC, but it is also an inconvenience since you can’t be revived during solo play unless you have a self-revival kit. So if you already used yours and you get downed again, better luck next time!

Then, the lack of checkpoints is also problematic. Exiting out of a coop game will result in you restarting the mission from the beginning. Worst of all, idling for too long will also result in you getting kicked out of the campaign. Now, as a “dad gamer”, I am regularly interrupted when gaming. In fact, I have been kicked from the Black Ops 7 campaign while tending to my family. It was a real nuisance, a common issue for gamers with responsibilities. However, after completing the 11-chapter campaign (4-5 hours to complete), I understood why Treyarch, Raven, and the rest of the studios chose this online approach for their campaign: Their repackaged take on the game’s PVE element. 

Finishing off the campaign opens up a new chapter called “Endgame”. This new online-only mode is the resurrection of the previous COD foray into the extraction genre in DMZ. Endgame returns players to Avalon, where now there are JSOC tasked with fighting back against the Guild’s influence on the island. 

Black Ops 7 Endgame – The Crown Jewel

• Endgame is a 32-player, squad-based PVE extraction mode with combat rating progression and timed survival.
• It removes PVP, but still delivers intense encounters across four difficulty-tiered zones.
• Unified progression and exclusive rewards incentivize play, though locking it behind campaign completion feels restrictive.

The new PVE mode is always online and pits up to 32 players with up to 4-player squads together to collaborate to contain the Guild’s threat. Endgame has all the hallmarks expected from extraction. Permanent skills? Check. Player progression through combat rating? Check. Progressive difficulty and challenge? Check. Deployment timer to emphasize survival and add tension? Check at 40-minute limit.  Enemies storming the extraction zone with a boss appearance at the end? Double check. 

There are four zones, each with its own difficulty levels and recommended combat rating. Players increase their combat rating by defeating enemies and completing activities.  

In contrast to the old DMZ mode, Endgame ditches the PVP entirely, which is honestly a welcome endeavor. One would think that this would create a more relaxed atmosphere in Avalon, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. You will get rushed, and bosses and enemies will quickly deplete your ammo. You will have to maneuver and always be on the lookout for 

It’s clear that Black Ops 7 Endgame is incentivizing players to play the mode with unique campaign coop weapon and operator skins. In addition, Treyarch and co want to make sure that players aren’t wasting their time by ensuring unified progression carries over between all modes, the coop campaign, and Endgame included. However, I can’t help but feel that it was a mistake to lock the mode away in the campaign.  

Experimental Enjoyment

• Endgame offers a more relaxed, replayable PVE experience compared to COD’s usual high-stress modes. 
• Memorable boss fights like Dr. Faulkner highlight teamwork and spontaneous, large-scale cooperation.
• Rewards and shared objectives foster a sense of community rarely seen in traditional COD gameplay.

In all sincerity, Endgame is an enjoyable mode with lots of replay value. It’s a different vibe from the twitch shooting multiplayer, and anxiety-inducing zombies and warzone modes. Endgame is a little more lax given its pure PVE focus. Teaming up with players for common objectives is good fun. In one memorable instance, my squad and I decided to jump into the hardest location in Avalon, where the rest of the players were currently congregated. We were severely underpowered, and we took one of Avalon’s toughest bosses, Dr. Faulker. 

The power disparity was so evident that other players from other squads had to continuously revive us. We would huddle in a bubble shield, and eventually, we took down Dr. Faulkner. Naturally, defeating him rewarded all the players with a sweet legendary assault rifle. The moment was completely random, and the sense of collectiveness prevailed to achieve the objective. Obviously, this is a far cry from the typical ultra-sweaty and competitive nature of COD.

Endgame Expiration Date?

• Endgame is fun and expanding, but risks being abandoned with the next COD release. 
• COD’s PVE remains experimental, raising concerns it could be phased out in favor of Zombies-only.
• A standalone, free-to-play PVE mode could boost accessibility, but the future direction feels uncertain.

Endgame is slated to receive additional content in the coming year. However, I do feel that once the next COD game releases, the mode will be left by the wayside, which is unfortunate because it is good fun. 

The main trepidation is that the PVE component of the game will continuously remain an experiment. Down the line, it could be an excuse to drop the campaign/PVE component entirely and leave the Zombies mode as the only PVE mode. 

It’s up to the higher-ups at COD to decide whether to treat the PVE element of their game in the same vein as Warzone. In other words, have a dedicated free-to-play separate mode within the COD launcher. That way, more players will have access to the PVE mode. But I have a sneaking suspicion that more experimentation will likely set the course. 

Final Thoughts Black Ops 7 

The Black Ops 7 campaign falls short compared to its predecessor. The overreliance on the hallucinogenic gas gets stale fast. Boss fights feel tepid at best. However, the coop campaign’s saving grace is, no doubt, Endgame. It is a refreshing take on the PVE formula. However, accessing it will be a big ask, and that could dilute enthusiasm quickly. It’s time to give the PVE the same Warzone treatment and remove it from the premium package for its sustainability.  

Final Score: 6.7

Pros:

• Endgame is Truly a Breath of Fresh Air
• Stellar Corridor Levels
• Star-Studded Cast
• Unified Progression

Cons:

• Always Online Campaign
• Lack of Checkpoints is Frustrating
• Kicked If Idle
• Open World Missions Make Their Dreadful Return
• End Game Hidden Away in Campaign
• Lame Boss Fights

Note – A key was provided for the purpose of this review.