New to Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and not sure where to start? This guide explains how the game fits together: three modes plus free-to-play Warzone, one shared progression from level 1 to 55, Prestige, the free and paid Battle Pass, when Ranked Play unlocks and how to set up voice chat. It applies to PC, PlayStation and Xbox and was verified on 19 October 2026, during Season 06.
What’s in Black Ops 7
Black Ops 7 has three main parts: the Co-Op Campaign, followed by Endgame, multiplayer, and round-based Zombies. All three come with the paid game. Only Call of Duty: Warzone is free, and it shares seasons, the Battle Pass and COD Points with Black Ops 7. What Warzone offers without paying is covered in Is Warzone free.
A few rules apply to the whole game. You need an Activision account (sometimes with a verified mobile number) and a constant internet connection, even for the campaign. On PS5, online play also requires PS Plus. Progression is tied to your Activision account, so if you switch from console to PC with the same account, you pick up where you left off. The game also supports crossplay.
One shared progression
The most important thing to know early on: XP from the campaign, multiplayer, Zombies and Warzone all feeds into one level. According to Activision Support, there are 55 levels, from Private I to Commander, and they unlock weapons, equipment, scorestreaks and Operators. You don’t have to jump straight into multiplayer. If you prefer Zombies or the campaign with friends, you level up just the same.
Daily and weekly challenges run across all modes. Weekly Challenges unlock attachments, weapons and scorestreaks during seasons, so they’re worth checking at least once a week.
All GobbleGums for Zombies are unlocked from the start. The ones you get as level rewards are just bonus single-use extras.
Prestige and Permanent Unlocks
After level 55 you can enter Prestige. There are ten Prestige levels, then Prestige Master continues all the way to level 1,000. When you prestige, the loadout items you unlocked are locked again and your loadouts are reset. You keep Operators, emotes, GobbleGums and permanently unlocked items. You also keep weapon progress, camos, builds, challenges and content from the store and the Battle Pass.
Each Prestige gives you one Permanent Unlock, which keeps one item unlocked for good, so you don’t have to unlock it again after the next reset. Pick the thing you use the most.
Free and paid Battle Pass
The Battle Pass has a free version with a few rewards. The paid Base Battle Pass costs 1,100 COD Points and the Battle Pass Bundle 2,400 CP with 20 extra Battle Pass Tokens. At the top sits BlackCell, which includes the Battle Pass, 20 tokens, 1,100 CP and exclusive content. All rewards are cosmetic and give no gameplay advantage. Past seasons’ Battle Passes can’t be bought anymore.
The Battle Pass also progresses from the campaign and Endgame, not just multiplayer. What the current season brings is covered in our Season 06 guide.
Multiplayer: perks and Overclock
In multiplayer you pick three perks for your loadout. Perks come in three colours: red (Enforcer), blue (Recon) and green (Strategist), and the colour combination affects the bonus you get. The full list with effects is in our guide to perks and scorestreaks.
New in Black Ops 7 is the Overclock system. For the first time you can upgrade scorestreaks, Field Upgrades and equipment as well: the more you use them, the more upgrades you unlock. Other launch additions were the Overload and Skirmish modes and Omnimovement. Where you’ll be playing is listed in our overview of all maps.
Campaign and Endgame
The campaign has 11 missions, and you play it solo or with friends in co-op. It’s followed by Endgame, a PvE mode set in Avalon. Since 21 November 2025, though, Endgame has been open to all players right away, without finishing the campaign. How long the campaign takes and how co-op works is covered in our campaign guide.
If you’d rather fight hordes with friends, have a look at our guide to Zombies maps.
Ranked Play after 50 wins
You can’t jump into Ranked Play straight away. It unlocks after 50 wins in regular matchmade multiplayer. Party Games and LTMs (limited-time modes) don’t count. Then you need to win three placement matches to get your starting rank (Ranked Play rules). Settings, maps, modes and weapon restrictions follow Call of Duty League rules.
Ranked gives you a bit of protection at first. Your first loss of the day doesn’t cost SR (skill rating), and neither do your first three losses of the season after placement or after a promotion. If the whole team votes to Forfeit, you concede the match without an SR penalty.
On PC, TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot are required. Without them you can’t play Ranked Play; more in our guide to PC requirements.
Voice and text chat
Voice chat lives under Settings › Audio › Voice Chat. There you’ll find Proximity Chat and Game Chat Voice with options such as All Lobby, Party Only or Friends Only. To mute a specific player, open the scoreboard: the View button on Xbox, the touchpad on PlayStation, TAB on PC. Text chat is set up under Account & Network.
Activision also publishes official guides for newcomers on callofduty.com, including the “COD 101” series. If you’ll play Warzone too, continue with our Warzone beginner tips.
Join our Discord to find teammates for the campaign, Zombies and multiplayer: GamersTogether Discord.
Wondering whether the game is worth it? Our Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 review covers what critics praise, what bothers players and the score we gave it.
FAQ
No. XP from every mode goes into one level, and Endgame has been available right away since 21 November 2025, without finishing the campaign.
After 50 wins in regular matchmade multiplayer. Party Games and LTMs don’t count. On PC you also need TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot.
Unlocked loadout items are locked again and loadouts reset. You keep weapon progress, camos, builds, challenges, store and Battle Pass content, Operators and emotes.
No. Battle Pass rewards are cosmetic. The free version has a few rewards, the paid one costs 1,100 COD Points.
Information verified on 19 October 2026. More Black Ops 7 help is in our guides section.