Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
File:Call of Duty Black Ops 6 official box art.jpg
Developer(s)	Treyarch
Publisher(s)	Activision
Director(s)	Dan Bunting Corky Lehmkuhl Freddie Goodwin
Designer(s)	David Vonderhaar Tony Flame
Writer(s)	Craig Houston Dave Anthony Murray Kraft
Composer(s)	Jack Wall
Series	Call of Duty
Engine	IW (modified)
Platform(s)	PlayStation 4 PlayStation 5 Windows Xbox One Xbox Series X and Series S
Release	October 28, 2022
Genre(s)	First-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is a 2022 first-person shooter game developed by Treyarch and published by Activision. It is the nineteenth installment of the Call of Duty series and the seventh entry in the Black Ops sub-series, following Call of Duty: Black Ops 5 (2020). The game was released on October 28, 2022, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and Series S.

The single-player campaign returns to the Cold War period and is set primarily between 1986 and 1989. It follows Alex Mason, Frank Woods, Jason Hudson, and CIA operative Daniel "Rook" Kessler as they investigate a covert Soviet intelligence program known as Directorate K. The group discovers that the organization is connected to a clandestine American operation involving neurological conditioning, sleeper agents, and an attempted false-flag attack intended to prevent the end of the Cold War. The campaign features a mostly linear mission structure, while retaining optional evidence, dialogue decisions, and multiple endings from Black Ops 5.

The multiplayer component substantially changes many of the systems introduced in Black Ops 5. Treyarch described the game as a return to the "simple foundations" of early Black Ops multiplayer while expanding movement, class creation, scorestreaks, and match objectives. The Pick 10 system is replaced by a less restrictive loadout format, player health is increased to 150, scorestreak progress partially persists after death, and a new movement system allows players to dive, slide, roll, and fire in multiple directions. The game also introduces Combat Roles, passive class identities which provide minor team-oriented benefits without returning to the character-specific Specialist abilities of Black Ops III and Black Ops 4.

The cooperative Zombies mode was restructured under new creative director Freddie Goodwin. Goodwin discontinued the Chaos story from Black Ops 4 and Black Ops 5, replacing it with an original storyline inspired by the mystery, horror, fixed characters, and interconnected mythology of the Aether story. The new narrative, referred to as the "Veil" story, follows four survivors bound to supernatural entities after a wartime experiment breaches a realm beneath reality.

Rather than treating every Zombies release as a single self-contained map, Black Ops 6 organizes the mode around larger multi-location experiences called Operations. Each Operation includes a central round-based map, smaller excursion areas, changing world events, and a separate final quest location. The mode introduces Oaths, pacts which provide players with powerful benefits while imposing permanent restrictions or additional dangers. Other major changes include the removal of custom starting weapons, the return of fixed perk machines, evolving map layouts, weapon forging, shared quest progression, and a classic survival playlist.

Black Ops 6 received generally favorable reviews from critics. The campaign was praised for its Cold War atmosphere, performances, mission variety, and psychological story, though its final act and multiple endings received mixed responses. Multiplayer was considered faster and more experimental than that of Black Ops 5, but critics were divided over persistent scorestreaks, the 150-health system, and the removal of Pick 10. Zombies received widespread praise for its Operation structure, Oaths, atmosphere, and renewed focus on a fixed crew, although its number of interconnected systems was criticized as overwhelming for new players. The game was a commercial success and became the best-selling game of 2022 in the United States.

Gameplay

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is a first-person shooter containing three primary modes: Campaign, Multiplayer, and Zombies. Multiplayer and Zombies use a shared account level, weapon progression system, seasonal challenge structure, and cosmetic inventory. Campaign progression remains separate.

The game maintains a grounded movement system without wall-running, powered jumps, or jet-assisted traversal. Players can sprint, crouch, mantle, swim, slide, dive, and perform a short combat roll. Unlike earlier games, most movement actions can be performed in any direction. Players can also rotate while prone and transition directly from a forward dive into a supine firing position.

Weapon handling is influenced by movement direction, stance, and momentum. Firing during a dive or roll substantially increases recoil unless the player equips particular attachments or perks. Heavy weapons slow lateral movement, while submachine guns and pistols allow faster transitions between sprinting and firing.

Campaign

The campaign consists of thirteen main missions and four optional operations. Players primarily control CIA operative Daniel "Rook" Kessler, though several missions feature Alex Mason, Frank Woods, and Jason Hudson as playable characters. Missions take place in Angola, Afghanistan, East Germany, Nicaragua, Poland, the Soviet Union, Alaska, and the United States.

The campaign returns to a more conventional mission structure than Black Ops 5. Most levels follow a predetermined sequence of objectives and combat encounters, with fewer open combat areas. Treyarch stated that the change was intended to provide more deliberate pacing, scripted action sequences, and stronger narrative control.

Several missions nevertheless contain optional routes, secondary objectives, and hidden evidence. Evidence can be examined in a CIA safehouse between missions and is used to uncover information about Directorate K, Project Cicada, and Rook's personal history. Finding sufficient evidence unlocks optional operations and additional choices during the final missions.

The safehouse is located beneath a disused railway station in West Berlin. Players can speak with team members, examine evidence, decode transmissions, customize weapons, and practice shooting in an underground range. The safehouse changes throughout the campaign as characters arrive, leave, or become suspicious of one another.

Dialogue choices return but have less influence on individual missions than in Black Ops 5. Decisions affect character relationships, the availability of several optional objectives, and which ending is received. Certain characters can be killed, arrested, or allowed to escape depending on the player's actions.

Rook can carry two weapons, one tactical item, one lethal item, and a field tool. Field tools are assigned by mission and include a grappling launcher, fiber-optic camera, lock bypass kit, radio jammer, and remote explosive drone. Unlike the futuristic equipment featured in Black Ops 5, most tools are based on fictionalized Cold War technology.

A disguise system appears in several infiltration missions. While disguised, the player must avoid suspicious behavior, restricted areas, and prolonged observation by enemy personnel. Identity documents, passwords, and alternate uniforms can be discovered to access additional sections of a level.

The campaign features returning Recruit, Regular, Hardened, Veteran, and Realistic difficulties. Realistic mode removes most interface elements and significantly increases weapon lethality. A new Redacted mode randomizes ammunition placement, certain enemy patrols, and portions of mission dialogue while disabling objective markers.

Multiplayer

Black Ops 6'ss multiplayer was designed as a partial reversal of the conservative direction taken by Black Ops 5. Treyarch retained grounded combat and cosmetic operators but altered movement, health, class creation, scorestreaks, and objective systems.

Players have 150 health, increased from 100 in Black Ops 5. Automatic health regeneration remains available but begins more slowly. Players may equip a Stim Injector as tactical equipment to immediately begin regeneration, though manual healing is not a universal mechanic.

The longer time required to eliminate opponents was intended to place greater emphasis on weapon tracking, recoil control, and coordinated team fire. Headshots and upper-body damage have larger multipliers than in Black Ops 5, allowing accurate players to reduce the number of shots required.

The Pick 10 create-a-class system is replaced by the Armory system. Players select a primary weapon, secondary weapon, tactical equipment, lethal equipment, field upgrade, three perks, one Combat Role, and one Wildcard. Weapon attachments do not consume general class slots, though most weapons are limited to five attachments unless the Gunfighter Wildcard is equipped.

Attachments are divided into Optic, Muzzle, Barrel, Body, Underbarrel, Magazine, Handle, and Stock categories. Each attachment provides both advantages and disadvantages. Several attachments alter weapon behavior more substantially, including burst-fire conversions, alternate ammunition, shortened barrels, and integrated suppressors.

Wildcards include Gunfighter, which increases the attachment limit to eight; Perk Greed, which allows the selection of an additional perk from each category; Danger Close, which grants additional equipment; Lawbreaker, which permits weapons or perks from the same category; and Specialist Training, which strengthens the player's selected Combat Role.

Combat Roles are passive multiplayer classes which provide minor benefits to both the player and nearby teammates. Unlike Specialists, Combat Roles are not tied to named characters and do not grant exclusive weapons or lethal abilities. The launch roles are Assault, Recon, Support, Breacher, Sentinel, and Operative.

Assault players gain improved weapon handling after capturing an objective. Recon players briefly reveal enemies damaged by their equipment. Support players earn additional score from assists and resupply nearby teammates. Breachers deal increased damage to deployable equipment and doors. Sentinels gain resistance while defending objectives, while Operatives move more quietly after performing a takedown.

Field Upgrades return and recharge during a match. Available upgrades include the Trophy System, Field Microphone, Assault Pack, Signal Scrambler, Deployable Cover, Decoy Beacon, and Munitions Drone. Field Upgrades are less powerful than the Specialist equipment featured in Black Ops 4 and can be destroyed by enemy fire.

Scorestreak progress uses a hybrid system. A portion of the player's earned score is retained after death, while score earned from kills without dying contributes to a temporary multiplier. Lower-level streaks can therefore be earned across multiple lives, while high-level streaks remain considerably faster to obtain through extended kill chains.

Players can equip three scorestreaks. Streaks cannot normally be earned more than once during a single life, preventing players from repeatedly cycling through low-cost rewards. The Streak Reset Wildcard removes this restriction but causes all scorestreak progress to be lost upon death.

Returning scorestreaks include the RC-XD, Spy Plane, Counter-Spy Plane, Care Package, Sentry Turret, Napalm Strike, Attack Helicopter, Chopper Gunner, and Gunship. New streaks include the Hunter Pack, a group of autonomous ground drones; the Blackbird Relay, which periodically reveals enemy movement direction; the Firestorm Jet, which performs two player-directed strafing runs; and the Emergency Extraction, which allows the user to preserve their current score multiplier after death.

The movement system, referred to as Directional Action Movement, allows players to dive and slide forward, backward, or sideways. Players can fire during dives, rotate while prone, and perform a combat roll after landing from a moderate height. Repeated dives and rolls reduce movement speed through a fatigue system.

Traditional multiplayer modes include Team Deathmatch, Domination, Search and Destroy, Hardpoint, Kill Confirmed, Free-for-All, Headquarters, Control, Gun Game, and Capture the Flag. The game also introduces Heist Operations, Frontline, and Pursuit.

Heist Operations is a round-based mode in which players purchase weapons and equipment between rounds before attempting to steal and extract a neutral intelligence case. Frontline assigns each team a reinforced home area and moves spawn locations as territory changes. Pursuit assigns one player on each team as a marked target, with teams earning additional score by protecting their own target and eliminating the enemy target.

The game launched with sixteen standard six-versus-six maps, four smaller Face Off maps, and three Combined Arms maps. Map design generally uses recognizable lanes and central conflict areas, though several maps include alternate routes which can be opened, destroyed, or disabled during a match.

Interactive map elements include security doors, elevators, flood controls, electrical systems, and destructible cover. Treyarch limited these elements to specific portions of each map to prevent environments from becoming unpredictable.

A map voting system allows players to select between two maps or vote for a random option. Persistent lobbies return, allowing players to remain with the same group after a match unless matchmaking requires teams to be rebalanced.

League Play launched in January 2023 and uses rules based on the Call of Duty League. Combat Roles, particular attachments, several field upgrades, and persistent scorestreak progress are disabled in competitive play.

Zombies

See also: Zombies (Call of Duty mode)

Zombies returns as a cooperative mode for up to four players. Development was led by Freddie Goodwin, who replaced the previous Zombies leadership team following the completion of post-launch support for Black Ops 5.

The Chaos story was discontinued and replaced by the Veil story, an original narrative inspired by the fixed crews, hidden mythology, supernatural locations, radios, ciphers, and elaborate quests of the Aether storyline. The Veil story is not narratively connected to Aether, Chaos, or their respective versions of reality.

The playable crew consists of occult physicist Doctor Mara Voss, British Army captain Elias Kane, Soviet engineer Yuri Belov, and Spanish thief Lucía Ortega. The four become bound to ancient entities after an experiment conducted during the final months of the Second World War tears open a barrier beneath reality.

Zombies is divided into Operations rather than conventional individual maps. Each Operation contains a central round-based location known as the Core, two smaller excursion areas, a changing secondary objective network, and a separate Depth used for the main quest finale.

The Core functions similarly to a traditional Zombies map. Players survive rounds, purchase doors, activate utilities, acquire perks, use the Mystery Box, upgrade weapons, and complete the primary quest. Excursion areas are reached through gateways and contain their own enemies, objectives, resources, and environmental rules.

Excursions last between three and eight rounds before the gateway destabilizes. Players may leave early, remain for an additional reward tier, or risk being trapped and forced to complete an emergency escape objective. Certain quest items and weapon upgrades can only be obtained within excursions.

The Depth is a separate location unlocked by advancing the main quest. It usually contains puzzle encounters, story sequences, and a final boss. Once discovered, the Depth can be revisited through a practice option, though quest rewards are disabled outside a complete Operation run.

Operations change between matches through a system called Shifts. Shifts alter available routes, excursion destinations, enemy combinations, weather, power locations, and several side quests. Major quest steps remain consistent, while their exact requirements and item locations can vary.

A Classic Survival playlist removes excursions, Shifts, Oaths, and most objective systems. Classic Survival takes place within the Core map and continues indefinitely through conventional rounds. Main quests and Operation-specific rewards cannot be completed in this playlist.

Players begin with a map-specific pistol and basic equipment rather than a selected loadout weapon. Starting pistols can be customized cosmetically but cannot equip damage-altering attachments. Treyarch stated that the change was intended to restore early-round weapon progression and the importance of wall purchases.

Weapon rarity is removed. Weapons instead have fixed base statistics and can be modified through the Forge. The Forge provides three upgrade paths: Tempered, which increases direct damage and ammunition; Ritual, which grants supernatural effects; and Refined, which improves accuracy, handling, and critical damage.

A weapon can receive two Forge upgrades before being placed into the Pack-a-Punch machine. Pack-a-Punch has two tiers, with the second tier requiring a resource obtained through excursions or major side objectives. Alternate ammunition types are selected separately and can be replaced during a match.

The traditional Mystery Box returns with a smaller weapon pool and no weapon rarity system. Wonder Weapons cannot normally be obtained from the box until their associated quest has been completed at least once. After completion, they become rare Mystery Box rewards in future matches.

Fixed perk machines return. Perk selections are not chosen before the match, and each machine has a predetermined location or set of possible Shift locations. Players can initially carry four perks, though additional slots can be earned by completing excursion challenges or fulfilling Oaths.

Returning perks include Juggernog, Speed Cola, Quick Revive, Stamin-Up, Deadshot Daiquiri, Mule Kick, and PhD Slider. New perks include Iron Lung, which reduces damage while performing movement actions; Grave Sight, which highlights recently damaged enemies through obstructions; and Witching Hour, which increases equipment recharge during special rounds.

Downed players retain their first three perks. Quick Revive increases the speed of reviving teammates and permits one self-revival after being upgraded through an in-match challenge. Self-revive kits can also be earned from difficult excursion objectives but cannot be crafted freely.

Specialist weapons and field upgrades are replaced by Artifacts. Each character is associated with a unique Artifact that can be temporarily manifested after filling a meter. Artifacts gain new functions after completing character-specific challenges during a match.

Voss uses the Lantern of Saint Germaine, which burns enemies and reveals hidden symbols. Kane uses the Bell of Mourning, which stuns enemies and strengthens nearby allies. Belov uses the Perun Coil, which chains electricity between targets and powers machinery. Ortega uses the Mirror Knives, which create spectral copies of thrown blades.

Players may exchange Artifacts after completing each character's personal quest. This allows any player to use any unlocked Artifact while maintaining the fixed crew and character dialogue.

Oaths

Oaths are the central progression and difficulty system of Black Ops 6 Zombies. An Oath is a pact made with one of the entities imprisoned beyond the Veil. Each Oath grants a powerful benefit, known as a Grace, while applying a permanent restriction or danger, known as a Burden.

Oaths are accepted at Oath Stones found within each Operation. Players can refuse to take an Oath and complete the Operation using standard rules. Each player may hold one Major Oath and one Minor Oath, though the second slot must be unlocked during the match.

Major Oaths substantially alter gameplay. The Oath of Blood increases weapon damage after the player takes damage but prevents natural health regeneration. The Oath of Iron increases armor strength but reduces movement speed. The Oath of Hunger causes enemies to drop additional ammunition but gradually drains reserve ammunition when the player avoids combat.

The Oath of Silence reduces enemy awareness and suppresses weapon noise but disables the minimap, enemy indicators, and spoken objective guidance. The Oath of Ash increases fire and explosive damage but causes burned enemies to revive once as Ashen forms. The Oath of Fortune improves rewards and Mystery Box results while increasing the price of doors, perks, and upgrades.

Minor Oaths provide smaller effects. These include faster equipment recharge in exchange for reduced ammunition drops, increased critical damage in exchange for lower body-shot damage, and additional perk slots in exchange for stronger special enemies.

Oaths evolve through three stages: Spoken, Bound, and Fulfilled. Players advance an Oath by completing objectives associated with its Grace and Burden. Each stage strengthens both sides of the pact.

A player using the Oath of Blood, for example, must defeat enemies while injured. At the Bound stage, the damage bonus increases, but all healing items become less effective. At the Fulfilled stage, fatal damage can be survived once, but the player permanently loses a portion of their maximum health.

Oaths can be broken at an Oath Stone. Breaking an Oath removes its Grace but triggers a punishment, such as the loss of a perk, temporary weapon degradation, or the appearance of an elite enemy known as an Oathbreaker.

Fulfilling Oaths unlocks Sigils used outside matches to access cosmetic rewards, additional Oath variations, character journals, and optional starting conditions. Sigils do not permanently increase player damage or health.

Teams can combine particular Oaths to activate hidden Covenant effects. These effects are not displayed in the menu and must be discovered through experimentation, environmental clues, or intel. Some main quest paths require the team to identify and fulfill a specific Covenant.

Enemies and objectives

Standard zombies are joined by Operation-specific enemy types and several creatures originating from beyond the Veil. Enemy combinations change through Shifts and become more complex during excursions.

Revenants are fast-moving enemies which retain fragments of their former intelligence and can use simple weapons or environmental objects. Wardens are armored enemies capable of locking doors and disabling machines. Lamenters release a scream which temporarily interferes with perks and Artifacts.

The primary elite enemy is the Oathbreaker, a distorted former human bound to multiple entities. Oathbreakers adapt to the active Oaths of nearby players, gaining resistance to their strongest effects while exploiting their Burdens.

Special rounds vary between Operations and can occur within the same match. These include Hound rounds, Veil Storms, Black Processions, and Hunts. Veil Storms alter the map and cause enemies to appear from temporary fractures, while Black Processions require players to survive without access to machines.

Hunts mark a powerful enemy which attempts to escape through the map. Killing the target provides a large reward, while allowing it to escape causes it to return during a later round with additional abilities.

Optional objectives appear throughout an Operation. These include defending ritual sites, escorting spirits, recovering artifacts, sealing fractures, hunting marked enemies, and surviving within corrupted areas. Completing objectives provides salvage, keys, Sigils, temporary upgrades, or access to excursion gateways.

Salvage is used to purchase armor, equipment, and limited machine repairs. It cannot be used to directly increase weapon damage. Armor consists of two plates and must be manually repaired or replaced.

Main quest progress is shared between players. Quest items are stored in a team inventory, preventing one player from permanently holding an essential object. Several quest steps require players to split between the Core and an excursion area.

A Guided Ritual option was added after launch. Guided Ritual provides limited objective hints and highlights essential areas but disables the highest-tier quest reward and several hidden ending variations.

Private matches support Custom Operations, allowing players to alter round speed, enemy health, Oath availability, excursion frequency, starting rooms, and perk rules. Main quest completion and leaderboard placement are disabled when major modifiers are active.

Synopsis

Characters and settings

The campaign takes place primarily between 1986 and 1989 during the closing years of the Cold War. It follows CIA operative Daniel "Rook" Kessler (Troy Baker), Alex Mason (Sam Worthington), Frank Woods (James C. Burns), and Jason Hudson (Michael Keaton) as they investigate Directorate K, a compartmentalized Soviet intelligence program believed to be operating without the authorization of the Soviet government.

Rook is a former United States Army intelligence officer recruited into the CIA after surviving captivity in Afghanistan. He experiences memory loss, recurring number sequences, and unexplained familiarity with Directorate K facilities. His condition causes distrust between members of the team, particularly Hudson, who appears to know more about Rook's history than he reveals.

Mason and Woods return after conducting operations against Raul Menendez and his growing network in Central America. Mason remains affected by the neurological conditioning he experienced during the 1960s and recognizes similarities between his own symptoms and Rook's episodes.

Other characters include MI6 intelligence officer Evelyn Cross (Charlotte Riley), Soviet defector Doctor Nikolai Sokolov (David Harbour), CIA communications specialist Helen Park (Lily Cowles), and Joint Special Operations Command officer Lawrence Sims (Reggie Watkins).

Directorate K is led by Soviet General Anton Volkov (Robin Atkin Downes), a former KGB officer who believes the Soviet Union can survive only by extending the Cold War. Volkov oversees Project Cicada, a program which uses coded audio, pharmaceuticals, and sensory conditioning to create sleeper agents capable of operating without conscious knowledge of their orders.

CIA Deputy Director Malcolm Grey (Lance Reddick) serves as the principal American authority overseeing the team's investigation. Grey publicly supports efforts to dismantle Directorate K but is later revealed to have contributed American research and prisoners to Project Cicada.

The Zombies story is set across several periods, though its primary events begin in 1945. Doctor Mara Voss (Laura Bailey) is a German physicist forced to work for the occult research organization Morgenstern. Captain Elias Kane (Gideon Emery) is a British Special Operations Executive officer sent to capture Voss and destroy her research.

Yuri Belov (Dimitri Diatchenko) is a Soviet engineer assigned to seize Morgenstern technology, while Lucía Ortega (Carolina Ravassa) is a Spanish thief hired to recover an artifact known as the Hollow Crown. The four become trapped together when Morgenstern activates the Threshold Engine beneath a ruined monastery.

The Threshold Engine breaches the Veil, a metaphysical barrier separating the human world from an ancient realm called the Below. The Below contains ruined civilizations, impossible landscapes, and entities referred to as the Bound.

The principal human antagonist is Doctor Konrad Weiss (Thomas Kretschmann), director of Morgenstern and creator of the Threshold Engine. Weiss believes the Bound can be controlled through ritual contracts and intends to use them to reshape human history.

The Bound are led by an entity known as the First Witness (Robert Picardo), which claims to have observed humanity before the formation of the physical world. The First Witness communicates with the crew through Oaths and appears to assist them, though its motivations remain uncertain.

Plot

Campaign

In 1986, Mason and Woods participate in an operation in Angola to intercept a Soviet weapons convoy believed to be supplying forces connected to Raul Menendez. The convoy instead contains neurological drugs, recording equipment, and several American prisoners.

Mason and Woods rescue Daniel "Rook" Kessler, a CIA operative officially listed as having been killed in Afghanistan two years earlier. Rook has no memory of his captivity and repeatedly speaks a sequence of numbers while unconscious.

Hudson orders the group to transport Rook to a CIA safehouse in West Berlin. During the journey, the aircraft is attacked by soldiers carrying American weapons and using valid CIA identification codes. Rook instinctively recognizes one of the attackers and identifies him as a member of Directorate K.

At the safehouse, Doctor Nikolai Sokolov explains that Directorate K was formed to develop agents capable of surviving interrogation and operating inside foreign governments. Sokolov claims the project was terminated after several test subjects became violent or psychologically unstable.

Rook undergoes a memory reconstruction procedure and recalls a facility in the Hindu Kush. Mason recognizes visual elements from his own conditioning and warns Hudson against continuing the procedure. Hudson ignores him, believing Rook's memories may identify Directorate K operatives inside the CIA.

The team travels to Afghanistan and discovers an abandoned Project Cicada laboratory. Records show that American prisoners were exchanged for Soviet intelligence through an unauthorized arrangement. Rook finds footage showing himself voluntarily entering the facility under orders from CIA Deputy Director Malcolm Grey.

Before the team can retrieve the complete archive, Volkov's forces attack. Rook becomes disoriented after hearing a coded broadcast and turns his weapon on Mason. The player can resist the command or fire, though Woods intervenes before Mason is killed.

Hudson conceals the incident and orders the team to East Germany, where Evelyn Cross has located a Directorate K courier. Rook and Cross infiltrate a diplomatic reception in Leipzig and identify the courier as an American intelligence officer.

The courier reveals that Directorate K has placed Cicada agents throughout NATO and the Soviet government. He claims Volkov intends to trigger simultaneous attacks which will appear to have been ordered by both sides, preventing diplomatic negotiations and extending the Cold War.

The courier is killed before he can identify the American leader of the operation. Cross recovers a coded key linking the conspiracy to a communications station in Poland.

Mason, Woods, and Rook infiltrate the station during a winter storm. They discover recordings of numbers broadcasts created using the voices of deceased relatives, former commanders, and trusted political figures. The broadcasts are personalized to activate individual sleeper agents.

Rook hears the voice of his younger sister, who died years earlier, and becomes separated from the group. He experiences a hallucination in which the station changes into a suburban American home. The player must identify inconsistencies in the environment to escape the conditioning.

After destroying the station, Rook admits that portions of his childhood memories may have been fabricated. Mason tells him that false memories can still produce genuine feelings and warns him not to allow Hudson or Grey to define his identity.

Evidence recovered in Poland points toward a meeting between Volkov and an unknown American official in Nicaragua. Woods believes the meeting is connected to Menendez and argues that the team should capture both men.

During the Nicaragua operation, the team discovers that Volkov is attempting to purchase chemical weapons from Menendez. Menendez refuses to cooperate, considering Project Cicada an attempt by old governments to maintain control over a changing world.

Rook secretly follows Volkov and witnesses him meeting Grey. Grey provides Volkov with a list of peace negotiators and military officers targeted for activation. He explains that both men require the Cold War to continue: Volkov to preserve the Soviet state, and Grey to protect the CIA's covert authority.

Rook records the meeting, but Hudson orders him not to confront Grey. Hudson admits that Project Cicada originated as a joint American-Soviet experiment involving prisoners considered politically expendable. He claims he learned of the program only after Rook disappeared.

The team returns to Berlin and finds the safehouse destroyed. Sokolov has been abducted, while several CIA personnel have been killed. Grey publicly identifies Rook, Mason, Woods, and Hudson as compromised agents responsible for the attack.

The group becomes the target of both American and Soviet forces. Cross arranges passage into Moscow, where Sokolov is being held beneath a Directorate K archive. The mission can be completed through stealth, disguise, or a direct assault.

After rescuing Sokolov, the team learns that Volkov plans to activate Project Cicada during a diplomatic summit in Washington, D.C. Sleeper agents within both governments will assassinate their own leaders, while a stolen American missile is launched toward Soviet territory.

Sokolov also reveals that Rook was not merely a Cicada test subject. He was trained as the system's primary controller and can activate or disable other agents through a specific sequence. Grey ordered Rook's conditioning erased after he attempted to expose the project.

Hudson proposes using Rook to transmit a deactivation command. Mason objects, arguing that the process could permanently destroy Rook's identity. The player can agree with Hudson, side with Mason, or refuse both plans.

The team infiltrates Washington during the summit. Woods and Cross locate the sleeper agents, while Mason and Hudson pursue Grey through a subterranean emergency command facility.

Rook reaches the Cicada transmitter but is intercepted by Volkov. Volkov claims Grey never intended to share control of the program and urges Rook to activate the sleepers against both governments. Rook kills or captures Volkov depending on the player's earlier choices.

Grey launches the stolen missile and activates the Washington sleeper cells. Mason and Woods prevent the assassination of the American delegation, while Cross warns Soviet security personnel through an unauthorized channel.

Rook enters the transmitter and experiences a final reconstructed memory. He recalls discovering that Grey had selected civilian targets for Project Cicada and attempting to transmit the evidence. Hudson captured Rook and approved a limited memory erasure to prevent Grey from executing him.

Hudson admits that he sacrificed Rook's identity to preserve his life and the investigation. The player can forgive Hudson, reject him, or kill him during the confusion.

In the standard ending, Rook transmits the deactivation sequence and redirects the missile into the ocean. Grey attempts to escape but is arrested by Mason and Woods. The CIA publicly attributes the incident to a failed Soviet operation, while Project Cicada remains classified.

Rook leaves the CIA and disappears under a new identity. Mason tells Woods that the truth about Cicada will eventually surface, though Woods doubts either government will allow it.

If the player collected sufficient evidence, Rook can transmit Project Cicada's records to several international news organizations. Grey is exposed, Volkov is denounced by the Soviet government, and Hudson resigns from the CIA.

If the player accepts Volkov's proposal, Rook activates the sleepers and allows the summit attack to proceed. The United States and Soviet Union abandon negotiations, while Rook becomes the unseen controller of Project Cicada.

In another ending, Rook destroys the transmitter without deactivating the agents. Woods and Cross stop most of the attack, but the stolen missile destroys an American military installation in Alaska. Grey is killed, and the Cold War enters a renewed period of hostility.

A post-credits scene set in 1989 shows Woods preparing for an operation in Panama. Hudson gives him a file concerning Raul Menendez and warns him that their next mission cannot be allowed to fail.

Zombies (Veil Story)

No.	Title	Original air date
TBA	TBA	TBA
TBA	TBA	TBA
TBA	TBA	TBA
TBA	TBA	TBA

Development

Development of Black Ops 6 began in 2019 while Treyarch was completing Black Ops 5. The game was initially planned as a direct continuation of the previous title's near-future campaign and multiplayer systems.

Following internal reviews, Treyarch abandoned the initial concept and moved the campaign back to the Cold War. The studio believed that the futuristic setting of Black Ops 5 restricted weapon design and made its story too dependent on technology established in Black Ops III.

Raven Software was assigned to co-develop the campaign. Treyarch created the overall story, characters, and safehouse systems, while Raven led development of the Afghanistan, Leipzig, Poland, Moscow, and Washington missions.

The developers described the campaign as an attempt to combine the straightforward pacing of the original Black Ops with the evidence, dialogue, and ending systems of Black Ops 5. Open combat missions were reduced after testing found that players frequently missed scripted story moments.

Project Cicada was conceived as a less technologically advanced counterpart to Project Blackout. Writer Craig Houston stated that the story was intended to return to the series' themes of numbers, unreliable memory, institutional betrayal, and covert operations without repeating the exact brainwashing plot of the original game.

Rook was designed as a partially defined protagonist. The character has a fixed name, appearance, and history, but several details concerning his memories and loyalties are determined through player decisions.

Early versions of the story revealed that Rook was an artificial recreation created by Project Blackout. The concept was removed because the writers believed it connected the campaign too closely to Black Ops 5 and weakened the intended Cold War setting.

The multiplayer team initially planned to retain the Pick 10 system, 100 player health, and traditional scorestreak reset rules used in Black Ops 5. Internal feedback described the prototype as overly similar to the previous game.

Design director David Vonderhaar stated that Treyarch deliberately "backpedalled from the backpedalling" performed during Black Ops 5, retaining its grounded combat while rejecting several systems which had been restored primarily for familiarity.

The team believed Pick 10 discouraged players from using tactical equipment and secondary weapons because attachments provided greater immediate value. The Armory system was created to make complete loadouts standard while using Wildcards and attachment disadvantages to preserve class-building decisions.

Player health was increased to 150 after testing at 100, 125, and 150. Developers argued that the longer time-to-kill allowed Directional Action Movement to influence gunfights without making movement impossible to counter.

The persistent scorestreak system underwent several revisions. An early version allowed players to retain all score after death and was criticized by testers for guaranteeing high-level streaks. The final system preserves only part of the score and gives players a temporary multiplier for surviving.

Combat Roles originated as a new Specialist system. Treyarch developed six named characters with exclusive equipment before deciding that the concept conflicted with the game's simplified direction. The abilities were reduced to passive bonuses and separated from cosmetic operators.

Directional Action Movement was created after an animation prototype allowed a character to dive backward while maintaining aim. The developers expanded the prototype to include sideways dives, prone rotation, and combat rolls.

The system required new first-person and third-person animation sets for every weapon category. Motion capture performers recorded movement while carrying weighted replicas to reproduce differences between pistols, rifles, and machine guns.

Development of Zombies was reorganized after the departure of several senior staff members. Freddie Goodwin was promoted to creative director of the mode in January 2021.

Goodwin cancelled Treyarch's planned continuation of the Chaos story. The cancelled project would have followed Scarlett's crew after their confrontation with Medusa and included two partially completed environments.

Goodwin stated that Chaos contained characters and mythology worth continuing, but its unresolved story had become dependent on material from downloadable maps, comics, ciphers, and Black Ops 5. He instead proposed an original story that would reproduce the atmosphere and discovery associated with Aether without directly reviving it.

The Veil story was initially developed under the working title "The Below". The narrative team created a fixed crew after concluding that customizable operators reduced character interaction and made quest dialogue difficult to write.

The Operation structure originated from criticism that traditional Zombies maps were often completed once by casual players and then abandoned. Goodwin wanted each release to contain several distinct spaces, objective types, and routes without replacing round-based survival.

Early Operations contained up to five excursion areas. The number was reduced to two after testing found that larger runs became excessively long. Excursion areas were designed so portions could be reused in different Shifts without functioning as identical encounters.

Oaths began as optional difficulty modifiers called Covenants. The original prototype contained more than thirty modifiers selected before a match. Goodwin moved the system into the maps and added narrative consequences, restrictions, evolution stages, and hidden combinations.

The team designed Oaths to prevent upgrades from being purely beneficial. Gameplay director Kevin Drew stated that every powerful effect needed to "change what the player fears" rather than simply increasing statistics.

Custom starting weapons and weapon rarity were removed after developers concluded that both systems weakened early-round progression. The team retained armor and salvage but limited their influence on weapon damage.

Classic Survival was added late in production after internal testers requested a mode without Operations, excursions, or Oaths. Goodwin described it as an accessibility option for players who wanted traditional survival rather than the primary form of the mode.

The game uses an updated version of Treyarch's engine. Current-generation versions support higher-resolution textures, 120 frames-per-second output, reduced loading times, spatial audio, and ray-traced shadows. The PlayStation 5 version uses the adaptive triggers and haptic feedback of the DualSense controller.

The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions required several Operation areas to be divided by longer gateway sequences because of memory limitations. Environmental detail, crowd density, and certain visual effects are also reduced on previous-generation hardware.

Marketing

Reports of a new Treyarch-developed Call of Duty title emerged in January 2022 after actors associated with Mason and Woods were observed recording dialogue together. Activision declined to comment on the reports.

In April, several Call of Duty content creators received cassette players containing recordings of number sequences. Each tape also contained portions of a conversation between unidentified CIA personnel.

Players combined the numbers to access a website displaying photographs of Berlin, Angola, and Washington. The site contained the phrase "EVERY MEMORY SERVES SOMEONE".

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 was officially announced on May 12, 2022. Its reveal trailer showed Mason, Woods, Hudson, and Rook conducting operations across multiple Cold War locations. The trailer ended with Rook pointing a weapon at Mason while a numbers broadcast played.

A campaign presentation was held on June 9. Treyarch and Raven Software demonstrated portions of the Leipzig infiltration mission, the Berlin safehouse, and a combat sequence in Afghanistan.

The multiplayer mode was revealed on August 17. The presentation focused on Directional Action Movement, 150 health, Combat Roles, persistent scorestreak progress, and the Armory system.

Reaction to the multiplayer reveal was mixed. Directional movement and interactive maps received praise, while the partial persistence of scorestreak progress was compared to the system used in Black Ops 4.

An early multiplayer alpha was released exclusively for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 from August 26 to 28. It featured four six-versus-six maps, two Face Off maps, and five modes.

A cross-platform beta was held over two weekends in September. Treyarch increased scorestreak costs, reduced slide distance, and adjusted health regeneration after the first weekend.

Zombies was revealed on September 21 through a cinematic trailer depicting the activation of the Threshold Engine. The trailer introduced the four playable characters and showed portions of several Operation locations.

A separate gameplay presentation explained Operations, excursions, Shifts, fixed perk machines, the Forge, Artifacts, and Oaths. Treyarch confirmed that the Chaos story would not continue.

The cancellation of Chaos received criticism from players who had followed the storyline through Black Ops 4 and Black Ops 5. Goodwin stated that Treyarch would publish a written conclusion to the storyline but would not produce additional playable maps.

A limited Zombies trial was held from October 14 to 16. Players could access the first fifteen rounds of one Core location and a single excursion. Oaths, the main quest, and the Depth were disabled.

Release

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 was released worldwide on October 28, 2022, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and Series S.

The Windows version was released through Battle.net and Steam. It was the first Treyarch-developed Call of Duty game released on Steam since Black Ops III.

Cross-platform multiplayer and cross-platform progression are supported across all versions. Console players can choose whether matchmaking includes Windows players.

The game requires approximately 155 GB of storage when all three modes and the high-resolution texture pack are installed. Campaign, Multiplayer, Zombies, and optional language files can be individually removed.

The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X versions support a 120 frames-per-second performance mode at reduced resolution. The Xbox Series S version supports 120 frames per second in Multiplayer but not during all Zombies Operation areas.

Special editions and downloadable contents

Three editions of Black Ops 6 were released: the Standard Edition, Cross-Generation Edition, and Vault Edition.

The Standard Edition contains the game for the selected platform. The Cross-Generation Edition includes both previous-generation and current-generation console versions within the same console family.

The Vault Edition includes the cross-generation versions, four operator skins, five weapon blueprints, the Hollow Crown Zombies cosmetic pack, the first seasonal Battle Pass, and twenty Battle Pass tier skips.

The Hollow Crown pack includes alternate costumes for the four Zombies characters, Artifact skins, a Mystery Box appearance, and cosmetic weapon engravings. It does not provide additional Oaths, weapons, perks, or gameplay advantages.

New multiplayer maps, weapons, modes, Zombies Operations, Oaths, and gameplay systems were released without an additional content purchase. Activision continued the seasonal content model introduced in Black Ops 5.

Each season contains a free reward track and a premium Battle Pass. Functional weapons are available through free tiers and can later be unlocked through gameplay challenges.

The in-game store sells cosmetic bundles containing operator skins, weapon blueprints, finishing moves, vehicle appearances, calling cards, emblems, loading screens, and Zombies cosmetics.

Zombies character skins do not replace the fixed crew with multiplayer operators. Instead, each skin is an alternate appearance for Voss, Kane, Belov, or Ortega, preserving their dialogue and role in the story.

The game received six content seasons between December 2022 and October 2023. Post-launch additions included multiplayer maps, weapons, modes, Combat Roles, scorestreaks, Zombies Operations, Oaths, excursion areas, enemies, perks, and Artifacts.

A free written epilogue for the Chaos storyline was published on the official website in December 2022. It summarized the intended conclusion of Scarlett's conflict with Medusa but was criticized for resolving a multi-game storyline outside the games.

Comics tie-in

In August 2022, Dark Horse Comics announced Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 – Cicada, a four-issue prequel series following Rook's disappearance and involvement with Project Cicada.

The series was written by Justin Jordan with narrative supervision from Craig Houston. The first issue was released on October 5, 2022.

A second comic series, Call of Duty Zombies: Beneath the Veil, was announced in November. The series explores Morgenstern's experiments before the activation of the Threshold Engine and introduces several members of the Bound.

Freddie Goodwin and Kevin Sherwood contributed to the Zombies comic's story. The first issue was released in February 2023.

Reception

Pre-release

The return to a Cold War campaign and the inclusion of Mason, Woods, and Hudson were positively received. Some commentators expressed concern that the series relied too heavily on established characters rather than introducing an entirely new cast.

Multiplayer changes generated mixed responses before release. Directional Action Movement was praised for expanding grounded traversal, while the return to 150 health divided players who preferred the shorter time-to-kill of Black Ops 5.

The partial persistence of scorestreak progress was the most controversial multiplayer change. Critics argued that it reduced the importance of surviving, while Treyarch stated that the multiplier system continued to reward uninterrupted kill chains.

The replacement of Pick 10 also divided players. Some praised the ability to carry a complete set of equipment, while others considered the Armory system less distinctive.

The Zombies reveal received positive reactions for restoring a fixed crew, starting pistols, traditional perk machines, and more horror-oriented environments. Operations and Oaths generated interest but were considered difficult to understand from the initial presentation.

The cancellation of the Chaos story was heavily criticized by some Zombies players. Others supported the decision, arguing that the storyline had become inaccessible and had failed to receive a consistent conclusion.

Critical reception

Reception

Aggregate score

Aggregator	Score
Metacritic	PC: 79/100 PS4: 78/100 PS5: 82/100 XSXS: 81/100

Review scores

Publication	Score
Game Informer	8.25/10
GameSpot	8/10
IGN	8/10
PC Gamer (US)	80/100
The Guardian	4/5

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 received "generally favorable" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic.

Critics praised the game for providing three substantial modes with distinct identities. Zombies was frequently identified as the strongest component, while multiplayer received the most divided response.

Game Informer awarded the game 8.25 out of 10. The publication praised the campaign's pacing and described Zombies as Treyarch's most ambitious cooperative mode. It criticized multiplayer scorestreaks for appearing too frequently in objective modes.

GameSpot gave the game 8 out of 10, praising the campaign's Berlin safehouse, Poland hallucination sequence, and Moscow infiltration mission. Its review argued that the final Washington mission introduced too many revelations within a short period.

IGN awarded the overall game 8 out of 10. It gave the campaign 8, multiplayer 7.5, and Zombies 9. IGN praised Directional Action Movement but stated that the 150-health system made several weapons feel inconsistent before attachments were unlocked.

The campaign was praised for returning to the Cold War, reducing reliance on futuristic technology, and focusing on espionage and psychological manipulation. Rook's characterization and interactions with Mason received positive attention.

Criticism was directed toward the campaign's handling of Hudson. Some reviewers considered his concealment of Project Cicada predictable, while others believed the player's ability to kill him conflicted with later events in the series.

The campaign's multiple endings were considered less integrated than those of Black Ops II and Black Ops 5. Several choices made during early missions altered dialogue but had little effect on the final outcome.

Multiplayer received praise for map variety, weapon handling, persistent lobbies, and movement. Directional dives and prone rotation were considered meaningful additions which did not require advanced movement technology.

The Armory system received mixed responses. Critics praised its accessibility but argued that the removal of Pick 10 reduced the cost of carrying powerful tactical equipment, a launcher, and a heavily modified primary weapon simultaneously.

The 150-health system divided reviewers. Some considered gunfights more skillful and readable, while others criticized inconsistent elimination times and the strength of coordinated team fire.

Persistent scorestreak progress was widely criticized at launch. Objective modes frequently became dominated by aerial streaks during their final minutes as several players reached similar score thresholds.

Treyarch increased streak costs and reduced retained score through a November update. The changes were positively received, though some players continued to request a fully traditional streak system.

Zombies received widespread praise for its atmosphere, fixed crew, Operations, and Oaths. Critics highlighted the contrast between conventional Core survival and the more objective-focused excursion areas.

The Oath system was praised for making difficulty modifiers part of the narrative and requiring trade-offs. Several reviewers stated that accepting an Oath substantially changed their priorities during a match.

The number of Zombies systems also received criticism. New players were required to learn Oaths, Forge paths, Artifacts, Shifts, excursions, Covenants, Sigils, armor, salvage, and Operation objectives.

Classic Survival was considered an important inclusion, though critics noted that it did not support main quests or several progression rewards. Some players argued that traditional survival had been treated as a secondary mode.

The decision to discontinue Chaos remained controversial. The Veil crew received positive reactions, but reviewers criticized Treyarch for beginning another long-running storyline without completing the previous one in playable form.

Previous-generation versions received lower scores due to longer loading screens, reduced visual detail, texture streaming problems, and pauses when entering excursions.

Technical issues

At launch, players reported crashes, progression failures, audio interruptions, and matchmaking errors. Zombies players occasionally lost quest items when migrating hosts or returning from excursions.

One major issue caused fulfilled Oaths to reset after a player disconnected. Treyarch temporarily disabled several Oath-related challenges while developing a fix.

Split-screen Zombies contained reduced interface elements, missing subtitles, and severe frame-rate drops within excursion areas. Several features were disabled in local play until later updates.

The Windows version experienced shader compilation stutter and crashes related to particular graphics drivers. Beenox released multiple updates during the first two weeks.

A November patch corrected host migration, restored missing rewards, and reduced the frequency of crashes. However, players continued to report poor performance in one post-launch Operation.

Microtransactions

Black Ops 6 uses a cosmetic store and seasonal Battle Pass system. The game does not contain paid loot boxes.

New multiplayer weapons, maps, Zombies Operations, perks, enemies, Artifacts, Combat Roles, and Oaths are available without direct payment.

Weapon blueprints contain preset cosmetic designs and attachment combinations. Every attachment can be unlocked through normal weapon progression.

The store was criticized for selling several bundles at prices equivalent to approximately US$20. Animated weapon blueprints and Zombies Artifact skins were among the most expensive items.

Treyarch received criticism after releasing brightly colored operator skins shortly after describing the multiplayer presentation as grounded. The studio responded that visual authenticity applied primarily to campaign environments and base multiplayer content.

Zombies cosmetics include alternate crew outfits, Pack-a-Punch appearances, Artifact designs, perk-can skins, and Oath Stone effects. Cosmetic purchases do not alter gameplay.

Sales

Activision reported that Black Ops 6 generated more than $550 million in worldwide revenue during its first five days of release.

The game set a franchise record for the number of Zombies matches played during a launch weekend. Activision attributed the increase to cross-platform play and the inclusion of Classic Survival.

In the United States, Black Ops 6 became the best-selling game of 2022 based on dollar sales. It was the fourteenth consecutive Call of Duty release to rank as the country's best-selling game of its release year.

The game debuted at number one on the United Kingdom physical and digital sales charts. Digital purchases represented a larger proportion of sales than those of Black Ops 5.

By February 2023, Activision reported that more than 32 million accounts had accessed the game through full purchases, free-access periods, and promotional events. The company did not disclose the number of full-price copies sold.

Zombies engagement remained above that of Black Ops 5 throughout the first three seasons, though average Operation completion time declined as players moved toward Classic Survival and shorter excursion routes.