Black Ops 7 Players Are Already Going Back to Standard Matchmaking

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 developer Treyarch Studios has revealed new information about the game’s recent matchmaking changes, claiming that more players are returning to the skill-based matchmaking playlists, despite the community demanding its removal for over half a decade. After years of requests, Treyarch finally gave in and returned to a more traditional matchmaking system for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, but the change appears to have been more divisive than initially expected, as the studio makes yet another change with the game’s big Season 1 update on December 4.

For those who might be unaware, every online multiplayer game, such as Call of Duty, will have a matchmaking system. While the intricacies of how each system works will vary depending on the title, skill-based matchmaking has become one of the most popular choices for AAA shooters in recent years. Unfortunately, in the case of Call of Duty, it has often drawn heavy criticism from the community. While it was once an open-matchmaking system up until 2019’s Modern Warfare, forming multiplayer lobbies based on connection as opposed to skill, the series made a big change six years ago when it introduced skill-based matchmaking, a system that values skill over connection. The idea is to keep every lobby on an even playing field, but it didn’t exactly work out how Activision wanted it to.

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After years of protests and complaints, publisher Activision and developer Treyarch agreed to return to an open matchmaking system for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. The change was tested in the game’s beta shortly before its release and received a positive reception from players. As such, the game launched on November 14 with two different playlist types: Open and Standard, the former of which matches players based on connection, with skill minimally considered, and the latter matches mainly on skill. However, fans have been insisting that the system doesn’t feel the same as it did in the open beta, and now Treyarch has made a big claim about what the community is playing.

Treyarch Says Black Ops 7 Players Are Moving Back to SBMM Playlists

As part of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7‘s big Season 1 update today, Treyarch Studios has made further changes to the game’s playlists, and it says it’s due to users moving back to skill-based matchmaking. In the official patch notes for the December 4 update, Treyarch said that it has continued to see increased engagement with Standard Moshpit (the playlist option where skill is an important consideration), which is why it has made the decision to move the playlist to the Featured tab in-game. While open matchmaking is still very much available, Treyarch is attempting to make skill-based playlists more visible, as it says more and more players are moving back to the controversial system.

This change comes less than one week after Treyarch responded to claims that skill-based matchmaking was still present in all of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7‘s playlists. While it is no secret that skill is still minimally considered, even in the open playlists, players have been adamant that their lobbies are still “sweaty.” YouTuber XclusiveAce then did some testing, which suggested there are certain cases where the game is prioritizing skill over connection. Treyarch responded to the report and said they will be investigating the matches, but noted that player demographics and playlist selections are very different when compared to the open beta, which is likely why players are experiencing such a difference in the skill level of their lobbies.

With Season 1 set to go live today, December 4, Black Ops 7‘s new open matchmaking system will also be coming to Call of Duty: Warzone. This means players dropping into Verdansk, Rebirth Island, or the new Resurgence map, Haven’s Hollow, will have a mixed lobby as the system will prioritize a player’s connection over skill. While this does mean players may encounter lobbies with easier opponents, they may also run into highly skilled players that they would usually never be matched with.

Released

November 14, 2025

ESRB

Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs