
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is out today, 14th November 2025, and players are not happy, with its campaign being a particularly thorny issue.
Many of the problems fans are having with the single player story are technical ones, mainly relating to the game's always online nature.
For example, even when playing solo, you cannot pause the campaign at any point. Perhaps worse, there appears to be no checkpointing at all, meaning you have to restart a mission if you quit out.
Exacerbating this is that updates to the game will interrupt the campaign, forcing you to install them before you can continue.
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Some players are also complaining about the lack of AI companions; the story focuses on a group of soldiers that players take on when playing co-op, but if you're playing on your own, those characters simply won't be there to help.
It's also been pointed out that, even if you're playing solo, you have to engage with the game's online lobbies and so on to enter the campaign.
The campaign itself is also coming under fire. Activision made no secret that the game's story would be exploring some more surreal territory, but players aren't too pleased with some of the actual missions and content.
We won't post them directly here for spoiler reasons, but some choice clips doing the rounds on social media are getting a lot of attention.
Many Call of Duty fans are displeased with the campaign's direction, though this is obviously a more subjective point than the aforementioned online issues.
That's still not the end of it, either; some players allege to have found examples of AI-generated artwork throughout the game, notably in calling cards.
While we can't definitively say it's AI art, Call of Duty has been caught using the technique before, with six-fingered zombies and so forth.
However you slice it, Black Ops 7's campaign hasn't gone down well at all.
Our review of the game is on the way, but in the meantime, what are your thoughts on the game so far? Have you been playing it? Tell us in the comments section below.
[source x.com, via eurogamer.net]





Comments 61
What was Microsoft saying, too big to fail? Hmm, releasing mediocre campaigns for a full price game is definitely a good way to go about it. They better hope that online is better or Battlefield may have more of a win over this than expected.
It seems that lessons from Black Ops 4 were not learned at all)
@Bionic-Spencer this is crazy, its like they're tanking their own brand after the sale
It was so ass omg 😲 😭 all night hearing people complain about it lol 😆
Come on the Sony gang, don’t buy the game and teach them not to mug us gamers off.
We really should unite with terrible games like this.
I shall not be buying.
That's a bummer. I really enjoy Call of Duty campaigns. There were even aspects of Ghosts's campaign that I enjoyed, and that was NOT a good campaign. I'll be waiting for a sale on this one.
Sounds like quite a mess!
Edit: We just need a review in the style of Monty Python, because "its all getting very silly"!
Having played the campaign it's definitely still a better campaign than what battlefield offered hands down.
But the lack of checkpoints coupled with being kicked out by updates is pretty hard to overlook. One of those things I can understand. The always online nature of it is almost expected with AAA games nowadays though
That sounds atrocious.
EDIT: I wonder if behind the scenes they are focussing on one year on, one year off, for effort in CoD campaigns
Wow these devs have no idea what to do with COD anymore.
I don't know who Gamingtrend are, but ain't no way they have given the game a 100 😭
The funniest thing about all this is all the people parroting how Microsoft's acquisition of Activision would allow Call of Duty to take a few years off.
Yeah, right!
Was really looking forward and had high hopes for this COD campaign.
Never mind Nintendo have just cheered me up with a new Metroid Prime 4 trailer and of course that’s where my money and time will go.
No wonder Xbox is in the position it’s in, it’s all about the games and they lost that years ago and now console and game pass sales.
Hopefully this is the beginning of the CoD death spiral, although the release 2 years back was also completely panned and performed quite poorly, yet people still lined up to get the apparently much better BO6 last year.
Maybe they can only make a competent game every 2 years now.
@ElkinFencer10 I actually enjoyed ghosts campaign a lot. I typically buy CoD games explicitly for the campaigns, but everything I read on this one makes this an absolute no buy to me.
I didn't think it could get much worse than the new Modern Warfare III joke of a "campaign", but ABK always manages to surprise me.
@SeaDaVie Why do you want CoD to die? They are essentially the only Michael Bay style scripted action campaigns left in the industry. BF6 was ok, but that is a rarity from BF.
A lot of us out there like the option to have a heavily scripted high quality gun ho shooter. Couldnt care less about the MP in it though.
I still dip in to bops6 just for nuketown however for some reason my multiplayer says not installed anymore and my files all messed up since yesterday. Deleted and give to cex and just stick to battlefield. F u cod
@Runex2121 because it is easy to hate on CoD.
I too enjoy the scripted action of the campaigns. In the world of quite large open world games, it is sometimes nice to turn your mind off and blast through.
It is just like watching Michael Bays films.
@Runex2121 They’re the only one because they canabalize the rest of the industry. The existence of it as such a sales machine basically stifles any kind of serious competition within the same market, and allows the developers to coast without any real creativity.
A huge number of the video game yearly spend going every year to a company just churning out minimum viable products most years is generally not a good thing for that industry.
People need to stop buying it if it's so bad. That's the only way that you will send a message to the publisher.
"Even when playing solo, you cannot pause the campaign at any point."
That's pretty ridiculous tbh 🤦♀️
I tried watching the cutscenes I YouTube and I could not even get past 30 mins. Its bad. it makes the campaign from the rebooted modern warfare III look like a masterpiece.
Yearly COD player here. 1st time in ages I'm not getting a COD this year. Battlefield is back and all I need. 1st time in ages not getting the yearly NHL game too. I'm done supporting any cut and paste dog meat games. I should have cut NHL off years ago, but I'm a hockey addict, so....At least with COD there's a new setting every year. NHL is so egregiously cut and pasted
Wow, I don't think a pause button has ever been a selling point before.
A game series has got worse under Microsoft corporate leadership?!?!
Unbelievable!
...Is, uh, is everyone here forgetting that CoD campaigns have always been hit-or-miss — mostly miss for over a decade?
Battlefield campaigns also tend to suck, and 6's was no exception.
And those sucky campaigns haven't dissuaded many buyers from purchasing games in either series in the past; why would that change now?
I swear, half the people on this site have some weird CoD mania this year that's keeping them from understanding CoD-adjacent reality.
@dodgykebaab Given that the CoD launcher has been s*** for years, CoD's quality varies year-to-year, and Microsoft doesn't have a history of releasing single-player always online games, I see little rain to attribute any of this to Microsoft.
With the size and success of Activision and Call of Duty, I doubt Microsoft has canooded with series direction aside from mandating GamePass releases and marketing.
@Bionic-Spencer CoD has been releasing medicine campaigns at full price since the 2000s. Battlefield just released a mediocre campaign at full price and sold better than anticipated.
They'll be fine.
It's a dumpster fire. I can't believe they made these design decisions. Let's hope they can make some changes to address some of the issues.
doesn’t matter, COD will be around forever and always sell gang numbers
Jesus and I thought BO6 was bad. I remember the game used to create massive hype that I couldn’t even sleep at night from the excitement. Now they make such slop I forgot this one was releasing or even existed.
Can say I’m glad I’m not a CoD fan anymore. Was a massive fan during CoD4, WaW, MW1, 2, BO1 and 2 days so those will always be the best in my eyes.
@Vovander The only lesson learned, it seems, is that 4 = IV, not IIII
The Ghibli filter AI art is ick.
Jeez😂, who is running these dev studio these days because money well saved.
Edit: expect some layoffs shortly because microshat wants another trillion after this.
Never really cared for the franchise, but the blatant enshitification of it continues unabated.
How the mighty have fallen.
I’ve bought every title since the beginning in 2003. But I’ve dropped out this year. After being disappointed several years in a row now. It’s just not the game I used to love playing anymore. Sad times.
Hopefully the whole game gets torn apart, he says, as Battlefield is booting up.
Once again Activision pisses on their fans but a lot of them enjoy the golden shower that is Call of Duty so they’ll continue to buy the next game every year
@UK_ Looks like garbage. I’m not buying.
Battlefield 6 ❤️
I only play the campaigns, and have bought every single yearly COD game since they started. I usually enjoy them, although they've been underwhelming for a while now. But after seeing the preview this year, I can't anymore. Not buying this year. Not doing Battlefield either as the Saudis will never see a cent from me.
"For example, even when playing solo, you cannot pause the campaign at any point. Perhaps worse, there appears to be no checkpointing at all, meaning you have to restart a mission if you quit out."
Lol WTF is happening with Activision? It seems they're getting worst under MS 🤣
@OldGamer999 I think your suggestion wouldn't work for CoD rabid fanboys. And there's a ton of kids with PS5 who doesn't care about this news and they will buy this game and play it with their friends.
For me, the last time i bought a CoD game was Black Ops 1 on PS3. Since then i never buy any CoD but i've played some from PS+.
As someone who used to be obsessed with COD, please for the love of god people stop buying it and let it fail.
Don't know if it's ironic that they're using AI to steal Ghibli art, but won't implement companion AI in the campaign.
I'm not one of the people who complains about AI art but damn, needing to be always online and not being able to pause single player missions of all things is just mind boggling.
I’m enjoying the multiplayer on this one so far. Don’t care for the Battlefield games, will never purchase any of them.
Microsoft you beautiful destroyer of gaming,we salute you,WE all salute you. Some day they will buy Steam and voilaaaa gaming Armageddon !
Bro, wth is this? Treyarch and the billion ABK studios are literally out here begging for time away from COD Mines!
Well, it's absolutely tanking on Steam but I'd be shocked if it tanks anywhers near as bad on PS
CoD campaigns are a guilty pleasure of mine and except for Advanced Warfare I honestly liked 'em all. This time around I won't buy the game, got myself gamepass for a month to test out the campaign and it's an utter disgrace tbh. This whole thing plays like a limited Far Cry or some lootershooter live service crap. Enemies have health bars and way too high ttk, every level ends with an "endboss". Enemies don't lose their weapons (so I can test 'em out on them), there are no checkpoints, no pause option and every now and then some live servicy blingbling like level ups and sh*t appears. The art style is horrendous and the game looks like the earlier iterations pre MW reboot. Gone is every notion of the gritty more realistic style of the latest games which I really liked.
it’s been a long ass time since cod’s single p campaign has been even just ok. gave up after vanguard myself, Infinite Warfare was the last campaign i found to be mostly enjoyable.
@OldGamer999
The people you are asking not to buy this don't visit Push Square. They don't go to any gaming websites or check out reviews or anything. They see a new CoD in stores and mindlessly buy it. That's the kind of audience that CoD thrives on. The ultra casual, buy and play only 1 or 2 games every year crowd.
I love FPS games but COD has been garbage for a very long time. I get that single player campaign hasn't been their main focus since probably the PS3 days but at least make the thing bloody function properly
I can't say I am surprised by this outcome. Call of Duty lost it's way many years ago. I always felt the franchise would just fully shift to Online (which it essentially has) and forget campaign all together. Because right now they are only paying lip service to players who want a single player experience.
The Always Online component just proves how little they (and other developers) care about user experience. It is literally just tacked on so they can tick a box.
On a slightly unrelated note - it still perplexes me how these games can take up to 200GB of space! The lack of optimisation is as I say...perplexing!
Yes, it really bad. I'm almost through. Glad I mostly bought this for mp.
Tried the campaign. If I listed all the issues I had with this s*** storm yesterday, I would be here all day. It's a sad day for me. I looked forward to playing the campaign, like I do every year. Quit, uninstall and I just moved on. Microsoft has found yet another franchise that they screwed up. Not sure there is any going back at this point. They should just close shop.
Activision have a consistency issue. Modern Warfare 2 (2022) was a great campaign and then Modern Warfare 3 (2023) reused multiplayer maps and Warzone. Black Ops 6 was a great campaign and now Black Ops 7 is a series of online-only co-op missions
i haven't finished the last few story modes , so i guess i'll go back and finish those instead, but it was a disappointment when i installed bo7 and saw it was online only for a story mode.
@SeaDaVie I don't think Cod needs to die but I think they are in a similar situation to Pokémon. Regardless of how bad their games quality is it sells way more than if another series had a lazy entry. I think both Cod and Pokémon both need to be humbled and have a really bad flop so they are forced again to innovate and create really good entries instead of low bar yearly sequels again and again.
Played it on gamepass and its the worst COD campaign ever.
Heard its bad but what about the endgame sou ded decent. anyone played it what's it like?
@ElkinFencer10 buy it second hand if you want to make s statement
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