With the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 beta in full swing for anyone who has pre-ordered Black Ops 7 or has Game Pass Ultimate, I have been putting in some time blasting away zombies and finding that I’m still terrible at Call of Duty. It’s about having fun. Right?
Omni-movement evolved. Omni-movement 2.0?
The big draw card when Black Ops 6 was announced was Omni-movement, allowing players to dive and sprint in any direction. Twirl on the floor prone and get away with all sorts of nonsense. Enter wall jumping.
The movement in Black Ops 7 feels extremely quick. The slide cool-down is almost nonexistent. The players who have already mastered it are slipping and sliding around, and with the addition of a vertical wall jump, you now have another angle to watch out for. Above.
The wall jump can be used to get yourself up onto higher ledges or even to surprise enemies with an attack from the skies. It’s going to be interesting to see how it gets used.
What’s in the Beta
Let’s get this out of the way first and foremost. Activision knows how to make a first-person shooter. The movement feels fast and snappy, the guns sound great and have got stopping power. The TTK feels great. The soundtrack is banging away with some dark electro. Black Ops 7 feels like a Call of Duty should.
Like all Call of Duty games, the beta has a level progression system to unlock weapons, equipment, and score streaks. I did play around with most of the weapons, but I decided to stick to the very first assault rifle you start with, the M15 MOD 0. I managed to get it to max rank and unlock some fun attachments, mainly the smoke grenade and drill charge launcher.
There are some exclusive beta rewards, including some operator skins and a weapon blueprint that is unlocked at level 30.
On a side note, there were not as many players using sniper rifles as in previous Call of Duty’s. The SMGs were out in force.
The addition of the Psych Grenade feels right on point for Black Ops 7. This tactical grenade explodes on impact, leaving a lingering cloud of hallucinogenic gas. Anyone (including you) who is hit by the gas starts to see clones of themselves and other players, emptying magazines into nothing. I never left home without them.
Another new thing that has been added is the ability to overclock equipment, including score streaks. Getting XP and leveling up equipment will allow you to add an extra perk to it. Like the ability to cook a Semtex grenade or adding another mini grenade to the cluster bomb.
Possibly the biggest change for me is having a random operator selector. No longer will I have to spend hours deciding who I want to be. Just mash random and let Black Ops take the wheel.
Zombies!
What would Call of Duty be without Zombies? This is my main reason for jumping every year. I’ll play through the campaign once or twice, with a sprinkling of multiplayer, but most of my time will be spent on Zombies.
The Black Ops 7 beta allows us to take a sneak peek at how zombies play solo or with a squad. We are loaded into the front yard of a farm with all the zombie goodies. The mystery box, pack a punch, and all the perks you can choke down. The gobblegum machine has made a return, too, allowing you to instantly summon pick-ups or make explosions while you reload.
The current Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 beta has been extended by another 24 hours and will finish at 9 am PT on Thursday, October 9, 2025.
So, make sure you jump in to get that amazing Beta Leader Falkner skin.
Black Ops 7 has set its official release date for November 14 and will be available on PlayStation, PC, and Xbox.
Will you be there on day one?
The Gamer Social Club runs a Monthly “Book Club” for gamers. Where we play games from our backlog or the latest Indie gem everyone is talking about. So join The Gamer Social Club Discord to become involved in this month’s Game of the Month.
We also have several weekly shows on The Gamer Social Club Network YouTube channel to keep up to date with news, reviews, interviews, and all sorts of fun.
