Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 – Everything we know so far about the upcoming shooter

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is set to arrive this November. The reveal of a concrete release date came during the Gamescom 2025 schedule, with a gameplay trailer dropping during the Opening Night Live showcase. And with pre-orders now live, it's also been confirmed that we can expect to see Early Access and Open Beta periods this Ocotober ahead of launch.

Initially revealed during the Summer Game Fest 2025 schedule lineup, exciting times are ahead for FPS fans, with Battlefield 6 also set to land later this year. In fact, with Battlefield being in such close proximity to the next Call of Duty game, Black Ops 7 lead Miles Leslie said FPS fans are "eating" thanks to the head-to-head release, "but if you want maximum variety" play the new Call of Duty.

We'll have to wait and see just how much variety it offers when November rolls around, but with a futuristic setting that will will be taking us into the year 2035, some 40 years after the events of Black Ops 6, we're curious to see how it's "mind-bending campaign will play out. For more on what promises to be one of the biggest new games for 2025, read on below as we breakdown everything that's been revealed so far about Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 release date

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is set to launch on November 14, 2025. This big news came our way during Gamescom Opening Night Live 2025, and all of us FPS fans couldn't be happier.

This means we only have a few more months of waiting, and it has co-op options so be sure to let your mates know the newly announced release date too!

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 platforms

At launch, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 will be on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and PC via Xbox PC, Battle.net, and Steam. Of course, with Activision now being in the Xbox family, Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers will get it day one. But a potential release on the Switch 2 hasn't been mentioned.

Despite the cutting-edge tech involved in the most recent Call of Duty games (BO6 used the IW 9.0 engine with current-gen-specific optimizations), the powers that be aren't ready to let go of last-gen consoles yet. Don't expect an optimal experience on 12-year-old hardware, though.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 trailer

The first trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 arrived right at the end of June 2025's Xbox Games Showcase and mostly consisted of a CG cutscene establishing the in-universe tech advancements in line with what we saw in 2012's Black Ops 2. It's an intriguing 3-minute teaser, though.

At the very end, we get quick glimpses of what appears to be in-game action, including multiplayer maps, campaign sections, and this year's Zombies mode. Of course, there's a new menace that needs to be taken down, and David Mason is back in action. Watch out for a surprise comeback, too.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 story and setting

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is set "more than 40 years" after Black Ops 6 in the year 2035, meaning it happens a whole decade after Black Ops 2, which took place in 2025 outside of its late-Cold War sections. If the 'numbers situation' of this sub-franchise doesn't make sense to you, know that you're not alone. It's the result of jumping all over the timeline in a very non-linear way and deciding to bring back numbered entries after Black Ops: Cold War.

Before we dive any deeper into Black Ops 7's story and setting, here's a rundown of the chronological order of the Black Ops sub-franchise: World at War (yes, it's connected to the series), 1, Cold War, 6, 2, 7, 4, and 3. Two important notes: If you want to avoid a bunch of spoilers, it's recommended to play 2 before 6 due to its late 1980s flashbacks, which have an impact on what comes after. Second, Black Ops 4 is skippable as it's the franchise's only multiplayer-only installment... and just isn't good overall.

With that whole mess out of the way, let's go back to Black Ops 7. Yes, it's set in the future, and the world is "on the brink of chaos" yet again. At this point, it's important to bring up that Black Ops 2 offered several endings depending on a couple of player choices and whether the optional Strike Force missions were completed or not before reaching the end of the campaign.

We've yet to receive confirmation on which ending has been chosen as 'canon' to shape the state of the world and the main characters when Black Ops 7's story begins, but the twisted bad guy Raul Menendez is back somehow. Many will instantly say he's not dead, but the Black Ops series is known for loopy twists and a focus on psychological warfare, so he could be back but not alive (think of The Joker's presence in Batman: Arkham Knight). Is he alive, dead but living rent-free in David Mason's head, or just part of an advanced AI system? All the options make sense in the Black Ops universe, so we're not ruling anything out.

Little else is known about the actual plot of the campaign beyond the fact that David Mason is said to lead a team and fight back against a "manipulative enemy who weaponizes fear above all else."

The teaser trailer also provides some clues: peace has been restored (or is in the process of being restored) thanks to an organization called The Guild. During the events of Black Ops 6, this group is involved in weapon trafficking and smuggling. 40 years later, it's evolved into a seemingly huge global weapons manufacturer led by CEO Emma Kagan. They're offering to protect the world from itself thanks to all sorts of automated weapons, drones, and robots.

Needless to say, David Mason and his team will have a hard time believing The Guild, and Raul Menendez might be key to uncovering a new conspiracy.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 gameplay

We got our first proper look at Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 gameplay during the Gamescom Opening Night Live 2025 showcase. Showing off some of it's "reality shattering" campaign, we see shots of big swords crashing down into the earth, and a giant figure shadowing over the environment in the futuristic setting, as David Mason and the team remark that what they're seeing can't be real.

Said to feature 18 maps at launch for multiplayer, Black Ops 7 is setting out to be the "most mind-bending entry yet", and we get that vibe in the gameplay trailer. It looks like we can still expect a a refined take on the winning first-person shooter formula seen in some of the best Call of Duty games over the years, with a bizarre new twist.

Additions introduced in 2024's Black Ops 6 – namely, the omni-movement system – are also back in 7 with more fine-tuning, with shots of the Black Ops team traversing across a changing environment and jumping up to a platform.

We also know that the story campaign, developed by Raven Software, will be playable in co-op for the first time since Black Ops 3 (2015). "Round-based Zombies in the heart of the Dark Aether" are also returning, meaning that Activision and Treyarch aren't messing with the core structure for the foreseeable future.

In our Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 hands-on preview from Gamescom 2025, in which design director Kevin Drew explains that the next Black Ops will feature an Endgame mode that Tryarch believes can "redefine what campaign can be in Call of Duty" by bringing in more replayability.

Can you pre-order Call of Duty: Black Ops 7?

Yes! Pre-orders for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 are now officially live across all platforms.

Two different editions are available to pre-purchase right now ahead of the November release date, with a cross-gen Standard Edition ($69.99 / £69.99) and a digital only Vault edition ($99.99 / £99.99). The latter edition gets you various additions, BlackCell (One Season), an Operator Collection, Mastercraft Weapon Collection, Ultra Gobblegum Pack for Zombies, and a permanent Unlock Token.

There are also some pre-order bonuses for purchasing either edition, including Early Access to the Open Beta (more on the below), along with a Reznov Challenge Pack.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 beta

The Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 beta will be taking place ahead of launch, with it being split into Early Access and open beta periods.

The Black Ops 7 beta times are set to run from October 2 to October 8, 2025 ahead of the November release date, the Early Access period to the beta will officially start at 10am PT / 6pm BST on October 2, and anyone who pre-orders the game can try it out over its 72 hour run-time.

The open beta will then follow it on October 5 at 10am PT / 6pm BST across all platforms for another 72 hours. The beta will then finish at 10am PT / 6pm BST on October 8.

While you need to pre-order the game to access the Black Ops 7 beta for the Early Access period, anyone can try out the Open Beta that will follow it.

For more future outings, read our pages on all the upcoming Xbox Series X games and upcoming PS5 games on the way.