One of the video games' greatest rivalry heats up again with startup Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. He's hot on the trail Battlefield 6which has firmly established itself as not just one of the best shooters of 2025, but also the best Battlefield game in many, many years. But Call of Duty has proven itself year after year to be one of the biggest first-person shooters in the world. Will Battlefield be able to topple the Activision giant this year?
While there is everything to play for when it comes to player numbers and financial success, the real question is: what kind of first-person shooter are you looking for? Do you want your multiplayer game to be intense and competitive, or deeply cinematic? Do you need something grounded in reality, or are you looking for hordes of the undead to shoot in the face? Call of Duty and Battlefield have been at odds with each other for a long time, but this year's offerings are good proof that these games actually offer very different experiences.
If you're thinking about picking up Black Ops 7 or Battlefield 6 to spice up your end-of-year gaming sessions, but aren't sure which one is right for you, then we're here to help. Let's take a look at what each game offers in its range of modes and determine which one suits your preferences.
Multiplayer
The key difference between Call of Duty and Battlefield is the approach to multiplayer. Typically, Call of Duty focuses on elaborate, smaller-scale maps designed for fast-paced combat, and Black Ops 7 is no exception, offering 16 different maps at launch for 6v6 matches. Battlefield, on the other hand, is designed around large-scale warfare using a combination of infantry and vehicles to capture objectives. Battlefield has 6 fewer maps – only nine at launch – but overall they are much larger than the Call of Duty maps. They also feel less like killing arenas and more like authentic locations, partly because you can destroy many buildings.
While you Maybe To say that the key difference between CoD and BF is small and big is not entirely true. Black Ops 7 will also launch with two 20v20 Skirmish maps for larger battles, while Battlefield 6 has modes like 8v8 Squad Deathmatch that take place in small areas of larger maps. Likewise, it would be unfair to say that Battlefield is objective-based and Call of Duty is not; While TDM is a Call of Duty staple, its multiplayer suite features a range of classic-style objective modes, including Hardpoint and Domination.
However, Call of Duty has always featured smaller, more “traditional” first-person shooters, and Battlefield is better suited to large-scale, “war movie” style multiplayer matches. If you're looking for a fast-paced, more focused and intense game, Black Ops 7 is your choice. If you like something more tactical, with clearly defined class roles, longer matches and the added spectacle of tanks and helicopters, then Battlefield 6 is the game for you.
Campaign
Call of Duty and Battlefield often create story-based campaigns that feel very similar, but this year they both have very different goals. Not only are they set in completely different universes – BLOPS goes completely sci-fi this year, while BF6 keeps it with a modern approach to warfare – but this year's Call of Duty campaign has a multiplayer approach, while Battlefield is strictly single-player.
Black Ops 7 features full support for four-player co-op, turning a typically solitary experience into a social experience. This approach is highlighted by the fact that the game features an infinitely replayable “Endgame” mode, which is unlocked after completing the story. A cooperative PvE mode where you and your team can complete objectives against increasing odds.
If it wasn't already clear that BLOPS 7's campaign is more closely tied to the multiplayer side of Call of Duty than ever, the new unified progression system means you can earn XP during the campaign and endgame just like you would in multiplayer. While this is a big shift, it looks like the “classic” Call of Duty single-player campaign will still be available for those who want it. Missions can still be completed solo and were once again developed by Raven Software, the developers of last year's fantastic game. Black Ops 6 Campaign.
If you prefer a more traditional approach to a campaign, you might want to take a look at Battlefield 6. Its single-player story is very reminiscent of an old-school COD campaign, with linear missions that mostly focus on gunplay and taking out targets. It tells the story of the modern-day conflict between NATO and the private military company Pax Armata, and you'll have to uncover a massive conspiracy while fighting in places like Croatia and New York. Featuring classic elements of sniper missions, beach landings, vehicle chases and explosive set design.
It's worth noting that if you like huge Battlefield maps, the use of vehicles and destruction, and clearly defined class roles, you won't find much here. Our campaign overview was disappointed that it failed to adapt the winning multiplayer formula to the single-player experience.
If you're looking for a traditional campaign, you can find it in both Black Ops 7 and Battlefield 6. If you're looking to play that kind of story in co-op, BLOPS 7 is your best (and only) choice, but it's important to note that it's set in a near-future sci-fi setting that hasn't always appealed to COD fans. For those interested in more “realistic” modern warfare, Battlefield 6 is a better choice.
Additional modes
As is tradition for Treyarch's Call of Duty games, Black Ops is once again including a Zombies mode this year. Call of Duty Zombies, once a simple PvE bonus game, has grown significantly in size and scope over the years, and Black Ops 7 represents perhaps the most powerful offering in the series. Round-Based Zombies is a basic game where you and a group of friends have to survive hordes of zombies round after round, with the danger increasing each time.
Zombies is known for its cryptic design, and you'll often have to solve dumb puzzles to progress. The “Directed” version, returning from Black Ops 6, will help you achieve these goals, while the “Cursed” version remixes the game with ideas from previous Zombies iterations for a more challenging challenge. Survival challenges you to stay alive for as long as possible on a smaller version of the new Zombies map, while Dead Ops Arcade 4 brings back the top-down, dual-stick shooting mode last seen in Black Ops Cold War.
You won't find any undead monsters in Battlefield 6, but there is a Portal, a powerful tool that allows you to create almost any Battlefield experience you can imagine. Best seen as Battlefield's answer to Fortnite creators' islands, the Portal tool allows for the creation of entirely new maps and game modes, a feature that allowed fans to recreate favorite maps from previous games, as well as entirely new types of multiplayer matches.
While at first glance it may seem that when it comes to additional modes, BLOPS 7 is best for those who want to play and Battlefield 6 is better for creators, it is worth remembering that non-creative users can still play Portal creations created by the community, and that they are easily accessible from the main menu of Battlefield 6. Thus, BLOPS 7 is a better choice for those looking for an arcade-style PvE horror game, and Battlefield 6 is more Suitable for people who enjoy creating or playing user experiences.
Battle Royale
Technically speaking, neither Black Ops 7 nor Battlefield 6 have battle royale modes. That's because Call of Duty and Battlefield have free-to-play Battle Royale games that you can download and play without having to buy BLOPS 7 or BF6. However, these modes are closely related to their “parent” games, so they are also worth considering.
Call of Duty: Warzone It is one of the largest Battle Royale games in the world and is frequently updated with content related to the current “main” Call of Duty game. For now it's Black Ops 6, but we expect a lot of BLOPS 7-themed content to arrive in the coming months, such as skins and limited-time modes.
In terms of experience, Warzone's flagship mode is a classic large-scale game of fighting down to the last man or squad. More accessible than PUBG and less heroic than Apex Legends, it's nonetheless an exciting and tense take on a now mainstream premise. Alternate modes like Rebirth (which allows you to respawn) and Plunder (where squads fight to get as much money as possible) make Warzone a fairly diverse set of free-to-play game types. It's important to note that Warzone is part of Call of Duty's unified progression, so any XP earned contributes to your overall pool collected in each BLOPS 7 mode.
REDSEC Battlefield is new on the block and plays a game similar to Warzone. It's also a large-scale shrinking battle royale, but this time it features classic Battlefield elements: vehicular combat and destructible terrain. Our review found that these ideas may not have created an entirely new niche for REDSEC's approach to battle royale, but was far more enthusiastic about Gauntlet, an all-new knockout-style mode in which squads compete against the clock to achieve objectives. REDSEC is also supported by a portal system, and is another place where community creations can potentially flourish.
Since both of these games are free, you have nothing to lose by downloading and playing both. If you're already locked into the Call of Duty ecosystem, Warzone's unified progression system will certainly help boost your experience bar. And if the destruction and class-based design of Battlefield is more your thing, then REDSEC might be more to your liking. There are also modes to consider: we think Warzone is better suited to the classic battle royale mode, while REDSEC is better suited to the Gauntlet alt mode.
It's also worth considering Warzone and REDSEC as tasters for their parent games. While these battle royales offer vastly different experiences from Black Ops 7 and Battlefield 6, they are built on the same foundation. If you prefer one movement and shooting system over another, then you'll probably find that this is a good test for which of the paid games is best for you.
Matt Purslow is IGN's executive features editor.
