Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 - Release Date, Campaign, Multiplayer, & Zombies

Call of Duty

By Ben Brosofsky

Published Jun 12, 2024

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Call of Duty

Custom Image by: Katarina Cimbaljevic

Summary

Black Ops 6 introduces Omnimovement for versatile mobility in all directions.
The campaign delves into a 1990s story with familiar characters like Frank Woods.
Black Ops 6 multiplayer offers 16 new maps, revamped mechanics, and classic Prestige system.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is the newest entry in the eternally popular FPS franchise, picking up the Black Ops subseries that's been sitting by since the 2020 release of Black Ops Cold War. The Black Ops games are moving to the 1990s for the first time with this installment, picking up after the end of the Cold War in a period of global instability. As always, the game will focus on the more shadowy side of the conflicts, telling its own fictional story interconnected with real-world events.

Black Ops 6 should be sticking to a lot of tried-and-true elements of Call of Duty gameplay, but it's also adding some tweaks and iterations of its own. The biggest is probably a new system called Omnimovement, where sprints, slides, and dives can go in any direction for more robust mobility possibilities. Omnimovement is backed up by something Call of Duty refers to as Intelligent Movement, which can offer optional movement assists to simplify controls for sprinting, mantling, and crouching.

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Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 Release Date

When Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 Is Launching

Black Ops 6 Operator in camo gear holding a rifle.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is set to release on October 25, 2024, sticking to the tried-and-true fall launch that Call of Duty has met year after year. The game will be available on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC, honoring an agreement to keep Call of Duty as a multi-platform franchise for the near future despite Microsoft's acquisition of the brand. The Microsoft ownership does grant Xbox Game Pass users a first-ever bonus in the form of day-one access to the game through the service, making Black Ops 6 free with a subscription.

Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 Campaign

A 1990s Story Brings Back Some Familiar Figures

The Black Ops 6 campaign is focusing on a threat from within, making its protagonists go rogue to deal with a mysterious force that's infiltrated the US government. Picking up not long after the 1980s flashback parts of Black Ops 2, the events of that story serve as a catalyst for some of the troubles of this one. Global events like the Gulf War come into play alongside the story of intrigue, and the game appears set to explore the darker sides of the massive influence that the United States exerted in the era.

The Black Ops 6 campaign will require a persistent internet connection, with some textures dependent on streaming rather than local files to help minimize the seemingly enormous file size .

Characters in the Black Ops 6 campaign are a mix of new introductions and familiar faces, with Black Ops series veteran Frank Woods appearing as a central figure. Once Woods and a new character called Troy Marshall go rogue, they assemble a team of agents, including the tech-savvy Felix Neumann and assassin Sevati Dumas. CIA Agent Russell Adler of Black Ops Cold War is another returning character with mysterious motivations that put him in a seemingly antagonistic position.

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Black Ops 6's campaign levels vary from large-scale Gulf War conflicts to more targeted missions that reward careful, silent infiltration. Between missions, the team returns to its base of operations, a manor that served as a KGB Black Site during the height of the Cold War. Frank Woods can be found here, along with target practice, a bit of extra exploration throughout the manor, and the returning Evidence Board that offers a look at campaign information and evidence gathered throughout missions.

Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 Multiplayer

16 New Maps And Revamped Mechanics

An operator aiming an assault rifle outside of a strip mall in Black Ops 6 Multiplayer.

Black Ops 6 is promising 16 new day-one multiplayer maps, twelve of which will be Core 6v6 maps. The other four are smaller Strike maps, which can work for 2v2 engagements or the streamlined Face Off version of 6v6 combat. Leveling progress is returning to a more classic Call of Duty Prestige system, and all Prestige levels for repeated grinds will be available at launch rather than tied to seasonal time gates.

The new movement systems for Black Ops 6 are also a big part of the multiplayer promise, potentially shaking up the ways in which great players can rise above the competition with more complex options for both aggression and defensive techniques. Another major change lies in expanding Hit Zones from 4 to 9, creating a greater sense of reactivity when gunning down opponents. Hit Zones determine both animations and damage when a character is shot depending on when the bullets land, so more than doubling the number should be appreciable.

Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 Zombies

Round-Based Zombies Returns With New Maps

Black Ops 6 Zombies characters with guns at the ready on the Terminus map.

Another big return in Black Ops 6 is the inclusion of Round-Based Zombies, with two new maps called Terminus and Liberty Falls and a continuing narrative from Black Ops Cold War. Zombies focuses on the cooperative aspect of multiplayer, pitting teams against hordes of zombies that can quickly overwhelm anyone who doesn't play carefully. Zombies is also famous for its variety of power-ups and its hidden surprises known as Easter Eggs, helping to prevent the basic setup from becoming stale too quickly.

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Zombies will also be featuring a set array of dedicated characters again, turning back from the modern switch to integrating the more general Operators system. This time, there will be three returning figures from prior Black Ops games alongside the new character Maya Aguinaldo.

Grigori Weaver
Elizabeth Grey
Mac Carver
Maya Aguinaldo

Other Operators can still be used in the Black Ops 6 Zombies mode, but they won't feature the same uniquely curated dialogue options and cinematics.

The Call of Duty franchise has had plenty of ups and downs, but Black Ops 6 definitely has the potential to be a memorable entry. An intriguing setting, returning fan-favorite features, and robust new movement options all make for an exciting mix, even if a potentially massive file size could double down on Modern Warfare 3's demands and make actually installing the game something of a hassle. At any rate, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 should feature more of the intense action and engaging gunplay that the series is known for, along with the signature Black Ops dash of covert flair.