Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Critic Reviews for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
For a series built on high-octane thrills and explosive gratification, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's withdrawal to the well-trodden formula echoes the wider industry's continued allergy to risk.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 plays it safe but is otherwise exactly what Call of Duty multiplayer should be: fast, fun, and a little on the ridiculous side. An excellent string of missions that offer variety and flexibility come together to make Black Ops 6 the best Call of Duty campaign in many, many years. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s Zombies mode is absurd and campy fun in all the right ways, with two interesting maps and a welcome return to round-based gameplay. [OpenCritic note: IGN separately reviewed the multiplayer (8), single player (9), and zombies (8) game mode. Their scores have been averaged.]
Call of Duty's strongest multiplayer offering in years is dragged down by a tedious campaign.
With a fun campaign, incredible multiplayer, and the return of round-based Zombies, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is the best Call of Duty game in years.
It’s a shame because everything else Black Ops 6 iterates on is a smashing success, synthesizing the best elements of past games to create something greater. This is the first truly unique CoD experience we’ve received in half a decade. Omni-movement and more old-school gameplay design have gotten me excited about multiplayer again, while its rendition of Zombies might be my favorite in franchise history. Outside of several standout missions, however, I wasn’t impressed with the campaign, but I’ve begrudgingly come to accept that campaigns just don’t matter to the wider community at this point. The real value is in the multiplayer and Zombies; in that regard, Black Ops 6 is a strong return to form.
With the best Call of Duty campaign in years, and a tweaked movement system that comes to life in multiplayer, Black Ops 6 is both a return to form and a great entry point for new or lapsed players. Just don't expect it to do anything interesting with the Gulf War setting.
Fluid Omni-movement feels great in Black Ops 6 multiplayer, but design that facilitates intense close-range fights can feel limiting. Treyarch's latest entry into the Call of Duty series uses creative mission design and its new omni-movement system to tell a fun but sometimes nonsensical story. [OpenCritic note: Phil Hornshaw separately reviewed the campaign (8) and multiplayer (8) on behalf of GameSpot. The scores have been averaged.]
There’s a good reason why Treyarch and Black Ops are so beloved by the Call of Duty community. The sub-franchise usually delivers the stronger campaigns, multiplayer and third modes in the series. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 does all of those things, especially when compared to the more recent Call of Dutys. The campaign, from Raven Software, may drop the ball at the end with its story, but it’s filled with fantastic characters and a wide variety of missions that help elevate it into must-play territory.
Industry Coverage
Black Ops 6 Players Really Hate The “Unicorn Fart” Finishing Move
"Just 100% shameless capitalism and 0% artistic integrity at play here..."
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Black Ops 6 Players Are Desperate For Old-School Lobbies Back
No, not the ones in which you were subjected to abuse.
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Black Ops 6 Dev Comments on Whether Omnimovement Could Be in Future Call of Duty Games
The developer for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 speaks on whether omnimovement will be used in future installments of the long-running series.
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2026's Call Of Duty Game Will Reportedly Bring Back Wall Running
It certainly seems like it's going to be a divisive one.
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