Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 review – Guns ‘n non-disclosures

The last couple of years haven’t exactly been the best for Activision’s Call of Duty. Sure, the gunplay remains best-in-class and each annual entry offers a plethora of modes to gorge your eyeballs on, but recent releases have fallen short of the gold standard that makes each COD feel like a blockbuster franchise. Vanguard had one of the most lackluster campaigns of all time, Modern Warfare 2 was passable at best, and Modern Warfare 3 was DLC disguised as a full game, like an airsoft enthusiast trying to sneak into a military operation and finding themselves in way over their head.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is a welcome return to form, a prime example of how the franchise can innovate and iterate on its formula, creating a product that caters to both newcomers and veterans. Four years of work by developers Treyarch and Raven Software has resulted in a lean-and-mean military-themed shooter. Black Ops 6 goes all in on its ridiculous Cold War-era premise, tells a ripping yarn centered on a team of rogue operators looking to save the day, offers a suite of multiplayer options that feel more dynamic than ever, and delivers a Zombies mode that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat.

The single-player campaign is a highlight here, as it delivers that perfect blend of intrigue, conspiracy, and bombastic moments as you chase down a sinister organization hellbent on plunging the world into chaos. Set in 1991, it’s up to a ragtag team of misfits to stop the Pantheon from running riot across the globe, and, as you’d expect, there’s no shortage of explosive moments designed to give Michael Bay a few ideas for when he decides to direct this next OTT blockbuster. Trust me, you haven’t lived until you’ve escaped a squad of assassins while riding dirt bikes through Washington DC.

The big surprise here is that each mission offers an impressive amount of flexibility compared to the typical skop, skiet, en donner approach of older Call of Duty games. True to its covert themes, Black Ops 6 allows for a stealthier approach to missions, letting you infiltrate, mark, and accomplish missions while enemies are none the wiser. You can still go in with a gung-ho approach if you want, asking nearby F-117A stealth bombers to deliver explosive payloads and sending in remote-control cars loaded with C4 to wipe out enemies. That said, finding the best approach per level turns the game into an action-packed sandbox puzzle for you to explore.

Each mission is also a masterclass in design, offering twists and turns that’ll keep you on your toes. One moment you’re gunning down Iraqi soldiers during Operation: Desert Storm; the next you’re experiencing a Call of Duty riff on Resident Evil thanks to an inconvenient inhalation of mind-altering drugs.

On the multiplayer side, the new Omnimovement system is a blast of fun once you get the hang of it. Designed to make you feel like an action movie star as you experiment with an expanded range of motion, online competition is fast, fluid, and furious now that everyone can move like John Wick. Maps feature tighter spaces that make good use of the new systems as you find yourself funneled into frantic firefights, the levels on offer are as imaginative as ever, and a range of small tweaks helps everything feel fresh. There are still some teething issues present, like dodgy respawn points, but overall, this year’s multiplayer is an arena of bunny-hopping tweens, superb weapons, and enough refinement to provide phenomenal gunfights in well-designed maps.

Finally, the Zombies mode delivers the round-based fun that fans have come to know and love over the years. It’s frantic and armpit-moistening chaos as you’re thrown into a shooting gallery full of undead targets that become progressively more challenging the longer you survive. That thrill of levelling up weapons, taking on ghoulish bosses, and uncovering fun Easter eggs feels as good as ever, so if you’re looking for a gauntlet of flesh-eating monsters designed to scratch your itchy trigger-finger, you’ve come to the right place. And yes, it’s better with friends. Especially the ones you can outrun when you’re facing down a mob of brain-eating monsters.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is out now for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC, having released on 25 October 2024. It is also available with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass memberships.