Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Review

Presenting a review in three(-ish) parts: Honestly, no one can ever get this field ops intel right ahead of launch, the best we can do is observe, engage and report after lines have been broken… how the rest of the grunts see it, though, is a whole other thing

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has already done what Microsoft and the Xbox side of the business always hoped it would. After months and months of drawn out acquisitional, bureaucratic schoolyard nonsense, Call of Duty is indeed a Microsoft entity, and while it does coexist on other platforms, as promised, its recent Game Pass wins for the platform holder and in just how well all of that seems to be delivering, from a messaging perspective (plus sales and signups), has probably gone better than anyone expected. How this shapes it and so many other major futures under the very, very large corporate umbrella of the above moving forward is anyone’s guess, but it's here and it is seemingly kicking some very, very big goals, and from all over the park.

So while there’s plenty to talk about from a larger perspective, there is a game here and for the time being, we’ll focus on what’s on offer, how it’s shaped post-release (honestly, reviewing this series at or on launch is ridiculous, lest reviewers have had access to weeks of multiplayer in a live environment) and where it sits in the rather large and diverse Call of Duty library, with that last bit being kind of pertinent here, and now.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Genre: First-Person Shooter

Developer: Treyarch/Raven Software

Publisher: Activision

Release Date: October 25, 2024

Classification: MA 15+

Author: Stephen Farrelly

Date: November 14, 2024

CODVGU (or CODVU, for us)

The biggest tell with Black Ops 6 and what it represents for the brand of Call of Duty moving forward is in the game’s “Call of Duty” title cinematic; MCU-like in its design and point, along with the ludicrously large download size of the game which also features other CoDs for you to play as well as this latest offering, suggests when you sign up for one Call of Duty, you’re now kind of signing up for all of them.

And that’s okay. If you’re a long-time servant of the series, you’ll likely enjoy the ability to replay moments from the older games just to see how far this one (or the next one) has come, or if you’re new… well you can taste test to see what all the fuss is about. But there might also be a missed opportunity here, which you can learn more about by clicking on our “Would you like to know more?” box outs. And we digress…

"Hidden within the full campaign is a mission that belongs elsewhere as a genesis point for a different VGU..."

With Black Ops 6 Raven once again runs lead on all things campaign. Despite Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War being developed under the duress of COVID, it was this writer’s favourite campaign delivery across every entry in the series and what I wrote over at AusGamers at the time as the veteran developer “cementing itself now as the studio to watch within the Activision camp”, universe regardless. And while this is a straight continuation of the events of that game, it doesn’t hold as much of that ‘break-free’ gusto I found within Cold War. It’s still very good, but misses a few opportunities to expand upon its own sentiment of expansion. And that’s based largely on the notion that you are, in fact, making an impact on everything around you, but you just kind of aren’t. Still, there’s a lot to love here. Hidden within the full campaign is a mission that belongs elsewhere as a genesis point for a different VGU (or VU, for us), one that is straight out of a Bond film, another that is a literal sandbox (in setting), and others that almost feel like the mind trips in X-Men comics in the 90s, as hosted by Professor Xavier. And each and all, naturally, tell a fantastic story -- all (mostly) starring you, William ‘Case’ Calderon.

Would you like to know more?

It’s been no secret that the two lead studios over the course of the series' ultra-successful life have been Infinity Ward and Treyarch, respectively. It’s also been no secret that both studios’ efforts live in their own equally respective universes. But with the timelines closing now between Black Ops 6 and the first Modern Warfare we couldn’t help but wonder if there might be a chance for a Captain Price or a Ghost to somehow appear or even just be name-dropped (in the mission “Hunting Season” you are teamed with British SAS where Price could easily have been also deployed). It’s not a wish, mind, but a homogenised Call of Duty could still be a thing, one day.

How Can You All Just Ignore the Secret Rooms Beneath You?

Case himself is an interesting character. Appearing for the first time in Black Ops 6 and entirely unvoiced, he is prototypical of earlier versions of the series, and equally has a murky background. As you progress through the game’s Campaign you’ll learn that he has a chequered past and no real friends outside of the motley crew fan-fave Frank Woods has pulled together to A-Team this whole thing. And while there’s a tug, pull and even unravel here and there around him, it’s not until the mission “Emergence” that we fully understand that Case -- our key protagonist and player-character -- is a deeply layered individual with a dark, twisted and mind-altered past most would only have nightmares of.

As mentioned earlier, missions here come in varied forms, though all are tied together from a base of operation otherwise known as the “Rook” -- a former KGB safehouse set in the middle of nowhere on a crumbling seaside cliff. From here you can spend money (found in missions) to expand your ‘readiness’ (meaning upgrade your abilities with active and passive perks), engage in conversations with other teammates and generally flesh out this slice of all things Black Ops, though the conversational aspect of the game’s relationships winds up meaning little in the grand scheme -- the first among many missed opportunities.

There’s even a puzzle set within the house itself to solve which reveals a sub area of the premises designed for interrogation, indoctrination, code-breaking, comms and more from its former Moscow-based resident. (Though even if you solve the puzzle and find the place, no one in your team EVER speaks a word of it, which we just found really, really odd given the visual awe of it.)

"On the whole there’s a lot of variety -- each contextually aligned with the narrative at play..."

Still, within each mission you’ll find a lot to enjoy. We mentioned the sandbox and heist stuff already, but on the whole there’s a lot of variety -- each contextually aligned with the narrative at play, but there’s a detriment embedded here. And this is because almost all actions and missions and goals are so contextual, there’s no real room to play with them later. In Emergence, for example, we’re finally reintroduced to a Grapple Hook for the series (ala Advanced Warfare, Infinite Warfare and Mobile) but it only comes back, fleetingly, in the game’s final salvo. But it’s a game-changer and makes the whole of exploration alone in Emergence just so much better.

It’s hard not to applaud the team at Raven for serving up so many different ideas, but when they’re offered more as ‘flash-in-the-pan’, they quickly become tacky and altogether forgotten, which is a shame, because some of them are genuinely transformative to the experience. And many of them could have lent (or might still do) a very, very helping hand in Zombies. Just saying…

Zombie Easter Egg H(a)unt

With full bias, Zombies is our favourite mode with Black Ops 6. It is just huge amounts of fun, especially with friends, and quickly becomes a very real skill-tester for those willing to uncover its many, many hidden secrets. Secrets and the ‘Easter Egg’ side of Zombies in the series aren’t new, but we’d argue they’re handled better here than in any previous iterations. Especially in the Solo camp as there’s seemingly a renewed focus on ensuring friendless players like us can still make it through the undead slaw before them (this did include us on many a sojourn).

Where Zombies excels most, however, is in its level-design. The two playable spaces at launch, Liberty Falls and Terminus, are nuanced maps with completely different design and progression philosophies. Liberty Falls -- this writer’s fave of the two -- could be an episode setting for any supernatural teen-focused TV joint since as far back as Buffy, or could just been seen as a slice of “Anytown, USA”. What sets it apart is how you get around, and in its Easter Eggs (which we’ll get to shortly). The “how” you get around stuff is simply a matter of paying zombie dollarydoos for access to gated zones within the map, as well as its zipline system which is new and very fun, and is both a quick escape route and a mousetrap. In this example you are the mouse.

"Black Ops 6’s Zombies borrows A LOT from Vampire Survivors. Unashamedly so..."

This makes ‘training’ zombies a lot of fun (see our “Would you like to know more?” box out for… MORE!), but also means like most zombies you can bite off way more than you can chew and quickly become overrun. The game is ultra-aware of your movements this way too, and it became pretty abundant at a point that portions of Black Ops 6’s Zombies borrows A LOT from Vampire Survivors. Unashamedly so. And especially in Solo where you’re back can be so against the wall, especially if you manage to OP yourself through the earlier-mentioned Easter Egg upgrades plus the Crafting Tables, Gobblegums, Coffins and everything else you’re able to bolster your strength with, that the game just swarms you to oblivion. But before we get to that, let’s talk Terminus…

This more traditional (in the context of the series’ history) Zombies setting is one that requires ‘switched-on’ power to progress through its gated zones, with each power station in need of some security before everything is green and good to go because these things attract zombies like moths to a flame. You know, the usual affair. That, and the area itself is both a prison and a research facility, operating as a “Blacksite” somewhere in the Philippines Sea (a creepy one we might add, and therefore polar opposite in tone and presentation to Liberty Falls).

Where Terminus really sets itself apart, however, is in its Easter Egg deploy and how complicated it is. While both maps can be played Solo, you get the distinct sense that Terminus really requires cooperative play, if just to keep the scavenger hunt at an undead arm’s length. Doing every little thing on your own while also looking over your shoulder every microsecond is the very definition of futility, so buddy up because while you can joyously be ziplining your way across the sun-drenched ruins of Liberty Falls on your own while holding your own, you’ll be island-hopping and exploring subterranea in a storm-ravaged nighttime hellscape in Terminus, which truly requires company.

At the time of publish, Season One’s third map has dropped alongside Directed Mode, which is an easier way to get through the Story aspects of both Liberty Falls and Terminus, particularly when playing Solo. The new map, Citadelle des Morts, is a direct narrative follow on for those counting the story beats at home. The conclusion to all of the above, though, and the game mode’s future in particular, is that Zombies really is an experience for everyone, largely because it caters to all styles of play while also making sure nothing ever feels ‘samey’. For that reason alone this is arguably the best Zombies we’ve seen in Call of Duty… ever, and promises only to continue to get better based on the Roadmap ahead, and just how strong it’s been out of the gate.

Would you like to know more?

All aboard the lumber train! “Training” zombies is the act of corralling the undead usually for three purposes; to distract them from an objective you can have a teammate go and do, to essentially get them all together for a mass extermination event (ie explosives, traps, heavy weapon fire etc) or to leave just one or two alive that will follow you relentlessly, but aren’t quick enough to keep up with you. This allows you to do things in a level, particularly in Solo, unhindered and means you can pretty much control the cadence of things. This is especially true in round-based Zombies, which Black Ops 6 is, so put on your best Casey Jones hat and get to training.

Prestige(ous)

Which brings us to the cream of the crop -- multiplayer. Treyarch has been the MP lead studio for Call of Duty for a lot longer than many might expect, or even care to admit. The first Black Ops one-upped IW’s efforts back in the day (in our opinion: World at War being wholly unheralded and the original Black Ops a revelation), and we’d argue no one has come close since. (Sledgehammer’s AW MP was forward-thinking though, with the introduction of exo-suits, but as we know… short-lived.) So the query is, has the studio done enough with Black Ops 6 to take its own game -- and brand -- to a new level?

The answer is pretty much a resounding yes, but it also depends on how you play, how you came into the game at all, and what your future plans are considering for many, multiplayer now in a Call of Duty is a full-time gig.

For a quick breakdown of the “how you came into the game at all?” query, check out our third “Would you like to know more?” box out, but as far as the question mark over how you play -- Season One’s introduction of Ranked Play will help delineate this; casuals, even those who lurk and gank, now have one stomping ground to dominate in while true skill testers get to go out and rep their wares in a more rounded and truly competitive environment and we foresee this becoming the more aspirational line of play. But all of that’s just a stage, right? First you gotta learn the moves and ‘choreo’, yo. And with Black Ops 6 and its Woomnimovement system… girl, you gotta learn to Sissy that Stalk.

"We’re not saying it should be ignored, but rather that you should learn to pick your spots, battles and overall game and match agenda, because Black Ops 6’s multiplayer has a lot more than just stylish diving in its repertoire..."

Sorry, there was no other wordplay there to rhyme “sissy that walk” with when talking about evasive manoeuvres, which is really what the touted and game-changing Omnimovement is, and does. We mean, it looks slow-mo doves, dives and explosions levels of cool when it comes off, especially in a “Best Play” replay, but it can also make you a bit of a sitting duck if you’re only here to prance about. Additionally, not all maps are Omnimovement specialist in design or layout, so the new addition needs to be operated with both care and flair. We’re not saying it should be ignored, but rather that you should learn to pick your spots, battles and overall game and match agenda, because Black Ops 6’s multiplayer has a lot more than just stylish diving in its repertoire to learn and understand for those willing to werk.

A lot of this comes in map design and layout and how most work with each of the game’s numerous modes as of Season One. We’ve already established a handful of favourites, for example, such as the lane-centric “Derelict”, the hide-and-go-seek “Pit”, the chaos party that is “Gala” and, of course, franchise favourites, “Nuketown” and “Warhead”. The truly interesting maps are those that are designed for both Core and Strike modes (6v6 or 2v2) and these tend to have the best hidey-holes, aren’t overly large and feel the most like Call of Duty. Additionally, the numerous modes make for fun, varied play and in our experience we were being teamed less and less with KDR hoarders and more and more with actual werkers -- peeps willing to do the objective laid out before them. This could just be luck of the draw, or maybe there’s just a better balance in rewards that players are playing the game now more as intended than as a pure flex (though those people still do exist, just not in as large a number).

The issue with ‘reviewing’ the MP side of it all, is this is an evolving beast and despite the locked-in Roadmap, will still feature reactionary tweaks and adjustments as the Community shapes it. What we can definitively say is that out of the gate, it’s bloody good fun and doesn’t feel gated, regardless of your level or lack of Prestige. Part of this is because XP is shared between Game Modes, but also just in another nod to that balance mentioned above. And all of this is without talking about Finishers, Augments, Unlocks and more… there just really is a lot, and as has been a theme throughout this review -- something for everyone.

Would you like to know more?

If you jumped into Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 strictly through Game Pass, you’ll know it’s only one part of the full suite available to play. Ultimate subscribers get the “Standard” edition of the game, but will still need the Vault edition in order to gain access to Season 01 (and ongoing seasonal) content as well as other bells and whistles. Additional add-ons for Cosmetics via the likes of the Tracer Pack are also available meaning if you want to look all gussied up like some of the others around you, you might still need to spend some serious cash. As of Season 01 you can earn in-game currency to spend on skins and more, so it’s not all a cash-grab, but it’s still not, you know… free.

The Longest Credits… Ever

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 does seemingly have it all, but it’s not perfect. The game’s audio, for example, feels a step back from what Infinity Ward was doing with the Modern Warfare reboots, and its ‘open’ Campaign isn’t open enough for it to have been attempted in that way and style in the first place. Connectivity issues continue to plague players, while a lot of its menu navigation and overall UI design feels convoluted and can be difficult to understand, especially for newcomers. It does, however, offer up a huge amount of variety across all of its game modes and looks and plays awesomely thanks to a fairly stable 60fps. Zombies is just ridiculous amounts of fun and if we’ve taken one major thing away from the game, it’s that there needs to be an emergence because of the Emergence mission as we've explored in-depth here.

All of the above and we haven’t even touched on Warzone, which we’re treating as its own game at this point (hence its exclusion here), and you just get an incredible package. It might be a bit limited via Game Pass, but few Game Pass games offer this much replayability and with Game Pass Ultimate you can Stream the game via the cloud (remember “this is an Xbox”), but most reports are that connectivity and stability this way is a mixed bag. For PlayStation players, you’re forced to pony up for the full retail value of whichever tier you want, but you never know what the future might bring, especially in the wake of anything Phil Spencer says these days.

This is definitely in the upper echelon of Call of Duty releases, and is definitely the best of the modern era.

What’s Boss?

Three huge game modes at launch
Omnimovement really is a game-changer
Emergence in Campaign is a brilliant tangent from the norm
Zombies is as good as ever and features very different maps and objectives
So much variety in multiplayer it's hard to put a price or score on the replayability here alone, it's also incredibly well-balanced, so far
Fast and furiously fun entry in the long-running series with numerous best-in-class elements

Not Boss Enough?

Campaign can feel a bit disjointed and wooden at times
There's a sense, also, that it's more 'open' but that's a lot of smoke and mirrors and as such feels like a missed opportunity
Soloing in Zombies is still a very, very tough affair, some Solo-specific help wouldn't go astray
Some connectivity issues reported (and continue to be) at and post-launch
A fairly big investment to get everything on offer, though not all of it is 'needed' to play

Another stellar entry in the long-running series. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has so much on offer, there's really something for everyone, regardless of your playstyle or skill-level. And it will only grow post-launch. Plus this is easily the best Zombies offering to date.

About the Author

Written By Stephen Farrelly

Stephen Farrelly is a veteran journalist and editor with more than two decades experience in the worlds of gaming, entertainment, lifestyle and sport under his belt. He is a proud pug dad, loves art in all forms but particularly street and tattoo culture, and is the director of Swear Jar...

Explore More in Gaming

An out of left-field update is coming to Cyberpunk 2077 in news you never saw coming. And it's happening on the four-year anniversary of the game's initial release date, because CD Projekt RED just does stuff like that!

SPINE is a Wick-inspired shooter-brawler filled with gun fu and cinematic camerawork that is dynamic to the action at hand. It's ambitious and stunning in its presentation, but will it deliver in full, or just remain flash in the pan?

The closer we get to New Year's, the closer we get to this gem making its way into our hands, and the hands of your friend, whom you can now play with in real-time. We spoke with the game's Creative Director, and fellow Aussie, Alex Hutchinson. Have a squiz...

What could a Black Ops game-universe look like? Shared universes are all the pop culture rage right now (though not very new), but does this one, in particular, have the chops to not just stand out, but even dominate? And we're not even adding other Call of Duty titles... this is strictly Black Ops' time to shine. Click through to learn more!

Available now on Steam alongside a massive title update and the first story DLC, Star Wars Outlaws has re-entered orbit as a game to jump back into. And we've got all the reasons why inside...

Halls of Torment is a new roguelike survival game that might not stray far enough from the formula laid out by Vampire Survivors, but it has enough new things to keep you coming back. That is, in addition to the awesome retro Diablo-style visuals that look like they're straight from 1998.

Our definitive Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 review. We dissect its three key pillars in Campaign, Zombies and, of course, Multiplayer and how they stack in the grand scheme of things. There's more here than initially meets the eye, too, so strap in and give it a digest of some possessive reader-type form...

After a year of Seasonal updates and overhauls and a brand-new expansion introducing new story, a new class, and new activities, Diablo IV is in a great place. In fact, so much has been improved or refined since the game's initial June 2023 debut, that the game feels like it has grown into what it was always meant to be.

Half-Life 2 turns 20 this year, and to celebrate NVIDIA has released a new retrospective video on the game's legacy from the talented team behind the impressive Half-Life 2: RTX mod currently in development.

Atomfall from veteran developer-publisher Rebellion becomes increasingly more and more enticing. Is it Fallout-like? Dying-Light-like? Metro-like? Is it completely new and something we shouldn't be comparing to other games? And won't somebody answer that damn phone?!

Your cart is empty

Your cart

Estimated total

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Review