Black Ops 7 is the Worst-Performing Game in the Series Since 2008

New sales data has confirmed that Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is officially the worst-performing entry in the series since 2008, as the shooter dropped to the number five spot among the best-selling games in the US last year. While taking the number five spot is nothing to be ashamed of, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 has been beaten by the likes of Battlefield 6, NBA 2K26, Borderlands 4, and Monster Hunter: Wilds.

After a year filled with controversy during the life cycle of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, publisher Activision and developer Treyarch promised to make some big changes moving forward as the community continued to voice its frustration with the series’ lack of identity. While the Call of Duty series was once a staple of the first-person shooter genre, many believe that constant collaborations and unrealistic cosmetic items have taken the franchise in an unexpected direction. Activision assured fans that it would right its wrongs beginning with Black Ops 7, as the publisher announced it was ditching the controversial Carry Forward feature and dialing back on the big brand collaborations. However, it may have been too little too late, as new sales data shows that Black Ops 7 has been overtaken by Battlefield 6.

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Black Ops 7 Was the Fifth Best-Selling Game of 2025 in the US

According to new sales data from Circana (via CharlieIntel), Battlefield 6 is officially the best-selling title in the US for last year. While many would likely expect Black Ops 7 to be close behind, NBA 2K26, Borderlands 4, and Monster Hunter: Wilds all appear to have outperformed the most recent entry in the Call of Duty series.

Taking the number five position is still a fantastic achievement, but as Call of Duty often dominates sales charts year after year, this is a big drop for the series. It’s so significant that it is now the worst-performing Call of Duty game since 2008, the same year that World at War was released. As for why fans have decided to turn their back on the franchise after all these years, it could be due to a multitude of reasons. With the likes of ARC Raiders and Battlefield 6 taking the gaming community by storm, many players may simply be spending too much time in other games to check out yet another Black Ops game.

Back-to-back Modern Warfare and Black Ops entries could also be causing fans to fatigue on the series, something Activision seems to be well aware of. Late last year, shortly after the launch of Black Ops 7, Activision announced a major change to its release strategy for future Call of Duty games. The publisher acknowledged that the franchise has not met player expectations fully, but said it intends to overdeliver moving forward. Activision then revealed that it will no longer do back-to-back releases of Modern Warfare or Black Ops games, in order to ensure that it provides an absolutely unique experience each and every year.

With that being said, rumors suggest that the next entry in the series will be a new entry in the Modern Warfare series. According to a trusted leaker and insider, 2026 will see the release of Modern Warfare 4 with Infinity Ward at the helm. If the leak is to be believed, the newest entry will take place in both South and North Korea and will be a direct continuation of 2023’s Modern Warfare 3, the campaign of which received massively negative reviews from both players and critics. Neither Infinity Ward nor Activision has confirmed or denied these rumors, but an official reveal will likely take place later this year.

Released

November 14, 2025

ESRB

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