Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 – Latest Updates, Game Modes, Warzone News, and More (Season 3, 2025)

New Multiplayer Maps (Season 3)

• Barrage (6v6)
• Nomad (6v6, 2v2)
• Firing Range (6v6)
• Haven (6v6, 2v2) – In-Season
• Signal (6v6, 2v2) – In Season
• Blazetown (6v6) – In Season

Barrage is a really solid mid-ranged map, but there’s not a ton to say about it. Visually, it looks similar to a lot of other maps in the game, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but not an amazing one either. It does feel well-balanced, though, so I’m glad it’s in the game. Nomad is similar to Barrage visually, but it’s clearly designed more for 2v2 as well as 6v6. It has more clearly defined lanes and doesn’t have as much going on as Barrage does. But I do like its simplicity. The only thing that really stands out about it to me, though, are the random dead horses on one of the spawn sides. That’s an interesting choice, for sure.

The third new map, Firing Range, is also pretty solid. There isn’t a ton to say about it either, but it’s not at all a bad map. That’s kind of the problem with this season’s maps, though. None of them seem bad, but they’re far less interesting than the new maps we got in Season 2. Compared to a ship, a skate park, and a multi-story building, these all just feel like maps that should have been included in the base game. Plus, Firing Range just feels like a worse version of Shoot House from the Modern Warfare games, to be honest.

New Multiplayer Game Modes (Season 3)

• Sharpshooter
• Demolition

Sharpshooter is a new party game mode where you get a preset loadout every 45 seconds. All players get the same loadout, and there are also bonuses for going on kill streaks. After each elimination up to 5, you get a gameplay boost. In this order, you’ll gain increased movement speed, reload speed, sprint recovery speed, ADS speed, and double score. Double score is the final upgrade, and after that you’ll just be going for more and more points to reach the top of the leaderboard. This mode is similar to Overcharge from last season, but with the addition of the random loadouts.

Demolition is a classic COD game mode, so it’s nice to see it back for Season 3. It’s very similar to Search & Destroy, but without the one-life aspect. Personally I think this makes for a much better casual experience, while still having a more strategic focus than TDM or other objective modes. It’s one of the series’ best modes, so it’s definitely a highlight of this season.

Multiplayer Weapon Balancing

Assault Rifles

• XM4 (burst fire buffed)
• GPR 91 (reduced visual recoil)
• Goblin Mk2 (damage nerfed, range increased)
• AS VAL (range and mobility buffed)
• Tanto .22 (binary trigger buffed)
• Jackal PDW (recoil and range nerfed, mobility and headshot damage buffed)
• Kompakt 92 (burst mode range buffed)

Shotguns

• Marine SP (range increased)
• ASG-89 (RPM increased in normal fire mode, range adjustments in dragon’s breath and slug mode)
• Maelstrom (reduced view kick strength in normal mode, range and damage adjustments in dragon’s breath and slug mode)

Marksman Rifles

• DM-10 (RPM and flinch reduction increased, CHF Barrel damage buffed but recoil nerfed)
• Tsarkov 7.62 (RPM increased)
• AEK-973 (new full auto mod, reduced view kick strength)
• TR2 (RPM, flinch reduction, and range buffed)

Warzone Season 3 News

• Verdansk Map Returns
• New Casual Battle Royale Mode
• Player Count Increase

The biggest news this season for Warzone is the return of the Verdansk map. This is definitely a welcome addition to the game, as the early era of Warzone on this map was arguably the best state the game was ever in. It definitely feels like a return to form for the game. Verdansk is a well-balanced map that’s large enough for just about anything you might want to do. It’s the quintessential battle royale game experience in 2025.

There’s also a new game mode for people looking for a more casual experience. The casual BR mode is great for new players who want a bit of practice before jumping straight in, or people who just want to play some BR without trying too hard. The map for this mode is Verdansk, and it features 28 real players and 120 bots.

Then there is also a change to the amount of players in standard games. The new amount is 150, up from 120 last season. I’m not sure how I feel about this change, honestly. It’s already hard enough to get wins, and now it’ll be noticeably more difficult. That being said, it does make for a more chaotic experience that will probably be more fun depending on your playstyle.

Shattered Veil – New Zombies Map

Shattered Veil is set in the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia. The map centers around an abandoned mansion, where things have obviously gone horribly downhill. Personally I really love the look of this map, even if it isn’t the most atmospheric one we’ve gotten in BO6 so far. I still love the aesthetic of Terminus and Liberty Falls (the two launch maps) the most, but each BO6 map has had something that makes it stand out. Shattered Veil includes more interactions with S.A.M. as she guides you through the levels, which is an interesting change of pace. I won’t spoil anything, but the final boss of the map’s main quest is really cool and resembles something out of a zombified Monster Hunter game, which is amazing. New Zombies maps are always great to have, and I’m glad that BO6 has had one for every season so far at no extra cost. While multiplayer and Warzone are so heavily monetized that they can be overwhelming, Zombies is a nice breath of fresh air in that regard.