Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Reviews
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'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.
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.]
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.
More COD, but it's the good kind of COD if you're an existing fan or a lapsed fan hankering for some past charm.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is another solid entry in the long-running shooter series. Its excellent multiplayer suite is the biggest draw, while its single-player campaign and round-based Zombies mode serve mostly as disposable distractions.
A single player campaign that offers the usual explosive set pieces, alongside undercover missions with countless tricks lifted from better games.
Overall, I would say that multiplayer is still a good reason to play the game, and that’s what most people do for the longest time with any annual Call of Duty title. If you’re a fan of the franchise, you’ll like this game. And I feel like there are more loyal Black Ops fans out there like me who need the occasional break from Modern Warfare for something with some historical focus. And so yes, I still appreciate my annual installments of Call of Duty and I’m glad Black Ops 6 is here to play for many more hours to come.
In all the ways that matter, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is simply the best franchise entry we've had in a few years.
Black Ops 6 surprises and much for its campaign, but ends up hooking thanks to a multiplayer mode and zombies mode that offer just what they promise. It may not be perfect, but it's probably the best Call of Duty in years.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Black Ops 6 is to Call of Duty what Battlefield 3 was to its series, something new that finally offered an alternative to a repetitive formula. Now, it is up for Activision and Treyarch to build on it. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is not the best Call of Duty release. Depending on who you ask, it may not even be the best Black Ops game. That said, in a world where the series has become synonymous with overpriced, cheap multiplayer combat and vapid campaigns, Black Ops 6 is a breath of fresh air. This game will go down in history one way or another. It is either the last good Call of Duty made, or the first of a new era with good titles again. Treyarch has a long way to go if a sequel is to be called great, but for the first time in a decade, Call of Duty may have a future again.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 proposes many good contents for everyone and goes on the safe side, but it does so damn well and with such self-confidence that it mesmerizes.
Review in Italian | Read full review
I’ve avoided the Call of Duty franchise for years. Long before the gameplay outgrew me, I outgrew the gameplay. I came into BO6 with low expectations but was pleasantly surprised. Despite some faults, the campaign has more good than bad. Zombies is a fun mode, even if there’s nothing there for me personally. Multiplayer, however, is where the magic happens. The fact that I’m enjoying playing against people half my age who can kill me before I can squint to see them is testament to that. Okay, so I’m clearly exaggerating, but even when I’m getting rocked, there are always tools at my disposal that ensure I’m having a blast. Grenade away!
One of the best Call Of Duty games in years, with one of the greatest campaigns in the franchise's history, along with solid, if somewhat less ambitious, multiplayer and co-op modes.
Modern Warfare had a great run, but Black Ops is now back on top in their ongoing sibling rivalry. Fluid character movement, high-tempo multiplayer, evolved Zombies co-op, and an incredible campaign come together in 2024's most irresistible first person shooter.
Call of Duty Black Ops 6 is not a step forward in the saga, but it manages to make it catch its breath to some extent. A campaign that is the result of an accumulation of too many ideas that constantly succeeds and fails, a multiplayer not suitable for the faint of heart and tremendously addictive zombies make for a solid, but not memorable, delivery.
Review in Spanish | Read full review