After a consecutive cavalcade of disappointing entries, 2023’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Its short campaign was derided, its open-world Zombies mode was criticized, its multiplayer mode felt like a cheap play for nostalgia, and that all led it to being crowned as the worst-rated Call of Duty entry in history (according to Metacritic’s critic average). Flash forward a year and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is up to bat, the weight of an entire franchise on its shoulders.
The first Call of Duty released under Xbox ownership, the latest entry in a beloved sub-series, and the follow-up to the franchise’s lowest-rated entry, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 had an incredibly steep mountain to climb. But against all odds, it made it to the top. Black Ops 6‘s campaign was celebrated, its Zombies mode felt like a return to form, and Omnimovement gave the series’ multiplayer formula an exciting new spin. Of course, Black Ops 6 wasn’t perfect, and there was one big issue with the 2024 entry that Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 seems to be side-stepping already.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's Maps Missed The Mark
One of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6‘s biggest issues was its multiplayer map design. Evident from Black Ops 6‘s first Beta, the game’s maps were simply too small. While the tight interiors of Rewind’s stores and the cramped rooms of Skyline’s penthouse kept players on their toes and ensured they were always right in the thick of the action, the chaos that spawned from these small map layouts quickly turned irritating.
While Call of Duty‘s faster pace has often led to spawn point complaints, it became a severe and undeniable issue for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, with the smaller size of its maps often forcing players to spawn right next to at least one member of the opposing team. Additionally, the tighter layouts of Black Ops 6‘s maps also frequently led to unwinnable firefights where one player would be pitted against several fast-moving foes.
The lack of traditional three-lane maps in Black Ops 6 certainly didn’t help the chaos. Classic Call of Duty maps like Favela, Hijacked, and Highrise used their three-lane layouts to ensure that entire teams weren’t clashing all at once, giving players a bit more breathing room between firefights, and allowing them to be a bit more tactical in their teamwork and movements, especially during objective-based modes.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7's Maps Are Already a Step-Up
There are 13 original maps confirmed for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7‘s full launch, six of which are currently playable in the Black Ops 7 Open Beta:
- The Forge
- Imprint
- Blackheart
- Exposure
- Cortex
- Toshin
All six of these Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Open Beta maps go a long way in remedying BO6‘s biggest mistake.
Along with 13 new, original maps, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 will feature three remastered BO2 maps (Hijacked, Express, Raid), and two Skirmish maps.
Three Lane Maps Are Back With a Vengeance
What immediately sets Call of Duty: Black Ops 7‘s maps apart from BO6‘s is their use of a more traditional three-lane structure. All six of the BO7 Open Beta maps feature a three-lane layout that evokes that classic CoD multiplayer feeling and flow. Firefights usually involve just 2–3 people, the overall layout of the map makes logical sense, and even the smallest maps are large enough to avoid Black Ops 6‘s spawn point woes.
The maps available in the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Beta are also elevated by the contents of the lanes themselves. Each map features three lanes that are distinct from one another in both subtle and overt ways, both of which help to spice up gameplay and cement the map’s layout in players’ memory. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7‘s Imprint is a good example of this.
The right lane of Imprint presents players with a small platform that itself is split into two sections; one side offers two crates to duck behind, the other offers a wall-jump that connects to the middle lane. That middle lane revolves around an enclosed central space, with a precariously positioned window above, and a moving platform at its heart. This moving platform then plays into the action of the left lane, which is the perfect spot for snipers thanks to its opposing elevated structures.
This layout is far from revolutionary, but the individuality of each lane and the unique gameplay gimmick of a moving platform does a lot to keep the map memorable and to help it stand out from the Beta’s other offerings.
Black Ops 7's Maps Aren't Quite Perfect
But while fun gameplay gimmicks, distinct environmental challenges, and generally larger sizes mean Call of Duty: Black Ops 7‘s maps are already a cut above Black Ops 6‘s, they’re certainly not perfect. One big takeaway from playing the Black Ops 7 Beta is that each map’s visual design leaves something to be desired.
Most of the maps currently playable in BO7 all lean into the futuristic aesthetic seen in Black Ops 2, and even seem to take some inspiration from Black Ops 3‘s environmental design. Cortex is home to big red test tubes, high-tech screens line the walls of Exposure, and most of the buildings and structures across all maps have the same sort of sleek, prefab-like appearance.
On one hand, this establishes a strong and consistent visual identity for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. But on the other, this repetition of architecture and scenery objects across maps can lead to some of them blurring together in the mind. Weather conditions – like Imprint’s snowy setting – definitely help to quell this issue, but there’s a strong chance it could stop Black Ops 7‘s maps from reaching the heights of more visually stunning maps like Terminal and Nuketown.