A Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 advert that screened on YouTube and on streaming services for ITV and Channel 5 has been banned by the UK’s advertising regulator, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
The ad shows a ‘replacement’ airport security guard frisking a man and asking him to remove “everything but the shoes”, before a female guard snaps on a rubber glove and gleefully adds, “Here comes the puppet show.”
The Advertising Standards Authority received nine complaints from people who believed the ad trivialised sexual violence.
The ASA acknowledged that there was no explicit imagery in the advert, but the humour was “generated by the humiliation and implied threat of painful, non-consensual penetration of the man”.
They concluded the advert “trivialised sexual violence and was therefore irresponsible and offensive.”
Activision has clarified that the advert was not shown around children’s programming. Black Ops 7 has a PEGI 18 rating for “graphic violence, decapitations, dismemberment, strong language,” so it should not be sold to children.
We scored Call of Duty : Black Ops 7 a 6/10 in our review. “Black Ops 7 really demonstrates the difficulties of Call of Duty’s yearly release schedule and going back-to-back with its sub-series,” said Stefan.
“It’s not as rushed-feeling as Modern Warfare III was, that’s for sure, but it’s also not a consistent experience. The multiplayer and Zombies are solid continuations from last year, but there’s not too much excitement in that, especially after the energy-sapping co-op campaign and Endgame.”
For the first time in history, one of the parts of the Battlefield series surpassed Call of Duty in annual sales in the US. This is according to data from the analytics company Circana.
Circana executive director Mat Piscatella has shared his first monthly sales report of 2026 for video game sales in the US, and it's Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 taking the top spot on the premium sales charts for January 2026. Overall spending in the video game industry in the US was up 3% compared to last year, with subscription services and hardware sales driving that growth. It's Call of Duty: Black Ops 7's second month in a row sitting atop the US premium game sales charts, though finishing 2025 as the best-selling game of December was not enough to […]
A Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 advert that screened on YouTube and on streaming services for ITV and Channel 5 has been banned by the UK’s advertising regulator, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
The ad shows a ‘replacement’ airport security guard frisking a man and asking him to remove “everything but the shoes”, before a female guard snaps on a rubber glove and gleefully adds, “Here comes the puppet show.”
The Advertising Standards Authority received nine complaints from people who believed the ad trivialised sexual violence.
The ASA acknowledged that there was no explicit imagery in the advert, but the humour was “generated by the humiliation and implied threat of painful, non-consensual penetration of the man”.
They concluded the advert “trivialised sexual violence and was therefore irresponsible and offensive.”
Activision has clarified that the advert was not shown around children’s programming. Black Ops 7 has a PEGI 18 rating for “graphic violence, decapitations, dismemberment, strong language,” so it should not be sold to children.
We scored Call of Duty : Black Ops 7 a 6/10 in our review. “Black Ops 7 really demonstrates the difficulties of Call of Duty’s yearly release schedule and going back-to-back with its sub-series,” said Stefan.
“It’s not as rushed-feeling as Modern Warfare III was, that’s for sure, but it’s also not a consistent experience. The multiplayer and Zombies are solid continuations from last year, but there’s not too much excitement in that, especially after the energy-sapping co-op campaign and Endgame.”
An advert released to promote Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 has been banned after the UK's Advertising Standards Authority upheld complaints that it "trivialised sexual violence" following an investigation.
Circan’s November 2025 video game sales report has easily been one of the most anticipated. For one, November is always one of the most lucrative for the games industry, but this year in particular has seen several major hits - including new entries in two rival series.
Call of Duty's player count on Steam has reached a record low of 56,443 concurrent players post-Black Ops 7 launch, indicating poor performance amid competition from Battlefield 6.
https://www.playstation.com/games/call-of-duty-black-ops-7/Vault doors open. Loadouts ready. Lock in for free Fallout inspired content coming to Black Ops 7 ...
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7's first event pass is set to hit this afternoon to coincide with the Season One Reloaded update, and its Fallout TV show theme has players quite excited and impressed with what it offers.
Yes, the premium track of the pass costs 1,100 CoD Points (about $10), but even the free rewards are pretty awesome. Players can unlock a total of 10 items simply by playing the game without putting in any investment.
Image via Activision
The free track of the event pass includes two Vault Dweller operator skins, a Vault Boy weapon charm, Vault-Tec weapon camo, and the new Sturmwolf 45 SMG. So, if you're even remotely interested in BO7 at this point, it'll definitely be worth playing to unlock everything.
But the premium track is also quite nice, especially for the price compared to other store bundles that clock in at around $20 or more. It has operators and skins for both The Ghoul and Maximus, three weapon blueprints and other cosmetics. And CoD fans are genuinely digging what they see so far.
"That one is ACTUALLY worth spending the money on the premium track... nice!" said one player on X/Twitter, while another remarked that it's "100 times better than any of the garbage BO6 event passes we had." A lot of the same sentiment can be seen across multiple social media channels.
CoD Points are given as part of the battle pass each season on top of being able to purchase them with real money, so if you play BO7, this seems like about as good a value as you'll find. While many others and I rightfully scoff at the pricing of some bundles (the Lucy MacLean Fallout bundle is not included in any of the freebies or event pass), this event seems like it's worthwhile if you're a CoD player in 2026.
The Fallout collab is also introducing multiple limited-time modes and even a reskin of Nuketown called Vault Town, where the iconic location is decked out in Vault-Tec scenery. But personally, I'm most looking forward to the Zombies mode, where you can fight the Bethesda franchise's terrifying Deathclaws.
Image via Activision
I have some CoD Points accrued in my account that I'll probably be using for this event pass, but even if I end up deciding against that, the free rewards will have me in the game for the first time in weeks. Oh, and Fallout season two is currently airing on Prime Video and is quite good, too, so the vibes around everything in this update (at least so far) are positive.
Welcome back from the CODMAS holiday. Did you get your rest? Good, because it's time to sweat again.
Black Ops 7's newest update, Season One Reloaded, is ready to re-load the game with content across all modes, including multiplayer, Zombies, Endgame, and even Warzone, as Treyarch's live-service season kicks back into gear after the holiday break.
Here's what CoD players can look forward to in January 2026 as part of BO7's Season One Reloaded update's patch notes.
Two new weapons, the Hawker HX sniper rifle (BO2 Ballista) and Sturmwolf 45 SMG (reminiscent of the UMP 45) will be added as event rewards for all players to unlock for free.
The Hawker HX is unlocked in the Quantum Exchange limited time event, while the Sturmwolf 45 is available as part of the Call of Duty x Fallout event pass as a free reward.
Image via Activision
New multiplayer content
Image via Activision
New weapons need new locations to play in, including some remasters of classic maps.
Maps
Meltdown (BO2 remake)
Fringe (BO3 remake)
Yakei (new)
Vault Town (Fallout-themed Nuketown variant)
Modes
Takeover
"Take what’s yours in this highly playable, dynamic objective mode. Two teams of six fight over three neutral territories, earning a point for each zone they control. Highest score at the end wins the game. When all three of the zones are captured, there’s a slight cooldown before all three territories move to a new set of locations within the map."
New Zombies content
Image via Activision
Along with the guns, there's new content to play with in Zombies mode.
Directed Mode: Astra Malorum
Survival map: Zarya Cosmodrome
New LTM: Project RADS
"Feral Ghouls and Deathclaws invade Ashes of the Damned and Astra Malorum in this Fallout-themed LTM exposing the crew to increased levels of radiation with each passing round. In this mode, the usual means of healing and earning Essence are replaced with a system of drops given by fallen enemies that assist the crew in staying fit, keeping rad levels at bay, and gaining vital resources."
New Endgame content
Image via Activision
Additions to the PvE Endgame mode include new world events and a new skill track based on melee attacks.
World event: Wraith Wing
"This advanced Guild aircraft appears to have cloning capabilities with very lethal consequences as this squadron seems hellbent on eliminating as many JSOC Operators as it can. Disable it, fire at the exposed aircraft, and down that bird."
World event: Deathclaw Hunt
"In this Limited Time World Event, a bomb blast reduces a portion of Avalon into a Fallout-inspired wasteland. Head inside the blast zone, if you dare, to brave the toxic air and take on ferocious Deathclaws defended by hordes of Feral Ghouls."
Skill Track: Phantom
Ambush: Critical hits from behind on unaware enemies deal more damage.
Fast Melee: Faster Melee speed.
Trap Avoidance: Traps and Mines take longer to detect you. Undetectable when fully upgraded.
Silent Movement: Quiets movement and reduces enemy detection distance.
Elusive Target: Reduces accuracy of enemies shooting at you.
Decoy: Taking significant damage deploys an Echo Unit that distracts enemies.
Returning BO6 equipment
A bunch of loadout equipment from Black Ops 6 is making its way into BO7 via this update, including:
Shock Charge (tactical)
Impact Grenade (lethal)
Thermo Grenade (lethal)
War Machine (scorestreak)
Archangel Launcher (scorestreak)
Grim Reaper (scorestreak)
Death Machine (scorestreak)
Combat Bow (scorestreak)
Dreadnought (scorestreak)
Strategic Bomber (scorestreak)
Morphine Injector (Field Upgrade)
Tactical Insertion (Field Upgrade)
Fallout (TV series) collab
Image via Activision and Bethesda
The collaboration with the Fallout TV show on Prime Video will include operator skins, an event pass, store bundles, a Nuketown map variant, and more. Operator skins include Lucy MacLean, Maximus, and The Ghoul, but there are also limited time modes in Warzone, Zombies, and multiplayer, too.
New challenges and events
Additional weekly challenges will come every Thursday throughout the end of season one, along with limited-time events where players can unlock much of the free content, like weapons and more.
Warzone updates
Image via Activision
Additional updates are coming for Warzone, including weapon balancing and more. But there are also two limited time modes:
LTM: High Octane
"All players deploy into the map with their chosen custom Loadout, so you’re ready to engage the enemy will a full kit of gear right from the start. Scavenge juiced up loot across Verdansk including Gas Masks, Grappling Hooks, and Legendary Weapons. Cash payouts have been greatly increased as well, pairing perfectly with the ability to call up and purchase from the Buy Station interface at any time in the match. Don’t spend it all in one place, as you’ll need some money on hand to activate the automatic self-buyback should you go down."
LTM: Power Armor Royale
"Ready to dominate your foes with the help of some Power Armor? Hold on there, Vault Dweller, you’re gonna have to charge up that Fusion Core first. Every Operator deploys with a Fusion Core, but it’ll take some work to power it up enough to step into the suit. Operators can fill their Fusion Core by looting Fusion Core canisters, earned by completing Contracts, eliminating enemies, opening Supply Boxes, and dealing damage to enemy Power Armor users."
Meanwhile, there's been a slew of weapon balancing changes, including a big buff for the Mid-Range Barrel for BO7 assault rifles. The full list of changes for Warzone in the update can be found here.
For all of the BO7-specific bug fixes and changes in multiplayer, Zombies, and Endgame, see here.
OK, I'll admit it: I actually quite like the newly revealed Fallout crossover in Black Ops 7. I'm not proud of it, given my past criticisms of Call of Duty's bizarre, totally unrelated collabs. Sure, seeing Ella Purnell call in a UAV or The Ghoul wall-bouncing with a rocket launcher is jarring, but as a fan of Fallout (the games and the Amazon series) they're pretty cool skins. However, I'm not sure liking it is the same as supporting it. I think some elements work well here, but on the whole, seeing Pip-Boys and blue jumpsuits in Black Ops 7 before Season 1 has even wrapped does absolutely nothing to support CoD's mission to be more "authentic."
Why is that a problem? The Call of Duty App doesn’t just include Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, which launched last year to underwhelming reviews due to its campaign. It also tracks Black Ops 6, Warzone, the Modern Warfare series, and much more. Keep in mind that these player counts follow Holiday discounts and even a free week. The sad part is that this isn’t even the lowest in the past week, as it reached 39,015 peak concurrent players on January 8th.
Of course, none of this changes the fact that Call of Duty: Black Ops 7topped last November’s US sales charts (even if Battlefield 6 emerged as the top-selling premium game of 2026). Engagement with the app on consoles in the region was also as strong as ever, only lagging behind Fortnite and eking out ahead of Grand Theft Auto 5.
Nevertheless, Activision has pivoted significantly by announcing that it would no longer release back-to-back Modern Warfare and Black Ops titles. “We will drive innovation that is meaningful, not incremental. While we aren’t sharing those plans today, we look forward to doing so when the time is right.” Its developers have apparently been building the “next era of Call of Duty,” and judging by the current release cycle, it may be Modern Warfare 4.
In the meantime, check out our review for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7here. We gave it a five out of ten for the multiplayer (despite netcode and hit registration issues), and Zombies (despite the overtly safe gameplay loop). The campaign is an utter disaster, but at least Treyarch released an update to let you skip it and go straight to Endgame.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7's multiplayer is better than its awful, terrible, abominable, ghastly, hideous, not very good campaign. But 'better' in this case does not necessarily mean 'good'. This year's anxious flurry of maps, modes and zombies achieves the base requirement for a satisfactory shooting experience, and there are a couple of ideas that are interesting if inconsistently successful. But the overall quality is wildly incoherent, while the whole package is overshadowed by the spectre of generative AI.
The biggest change to this year's multiplayer is also the least interesting to discuss, its approach to skill-based matchmaking. Call of Duty's habit of matching you with players allegedly on your ability level has come under fire in recent years for flattening the experience. So this year, Treyarch offers you a choice, letting you play with 'standard' SBMM, or in a pool where SBMM is 'minimally considered'.
We’ve entered Mariah’s month, and while we’re helpless against her catchy tunes, we still have some video games to suggest for this coming holiday season. Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O World Stage Platforms: PC, PlayStation & Xbox | Price: $20 The Untitled Virtua Fighter game, likely to be called “Virtua Fighter 6,” won’t be shipping out […]
There's been a lot of chatter surrounding Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 since its launch. The latest release in a juggernaut franchise, some are seeing cracks in the armour due to a mixed reception to various parts of the game, as well as the little data we have pointing to surprising sales figures.
November was filled with action-packed experiences, puzzling goodness, dazzling exploration, and more. Did Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Lumines Arise, or Where Winds Meet, or something else top your most-played lists for the month?
How does it work? At the end of every month, PlayStation Blog will open a poll where you can vote for the best new game released that month. After the polls close we will tally your votes, and announce the winner on our social channels and PlayStation Blog.
What is the voting criteria? That’s up to you! If you were only able to recommend one new release to a friend that month, which would it be? Note: re-released games don’t qualify, but remakes do. We define remakes as ambitious, larger-scale rebuilds such as Resident Evil 4 (2023) and Final Fantasy VII Remake.
How are nominees decided? The PlayStation Blog editorial team will gather a list of that month’s most noteworthy releases and use it to seed the poll.
For the first time in history, one of the parts of the Battlefield series surpassed Call of Duty in annual sales in the US. This is according to data from the analytics company Circana.
