COD Next 2025 brought together a range of esports players and content creators to showcase Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Call of Duty: Mobile, and the upcoming chapter of Call of Duty: Warzone.
Developers of all three titles shared various details on new multiplayer modes, movement mechanics, and weaponry that are expected to feature in casual and competitive play.
With a wealth of information surrounding Black Ops 7, Warzone, and COD Mobile announced, Esports Insider recaps the biggest announcement from Call of Duty’s annual showcase.
Is Overload Joining The Call of Duty League?
During the COD Next broadcast, fans got their first chance to see the new Overload game mode in action. Teams battle for control of an Overload Device, which must be transported into one of two control zones to score points.
The player carrying the device earned a radar pulse, providing more information on nearby opponents. When questioned on the viability of a radar pulse in competitive play, Treyarch Design Director Matt Scronce revealed that developers have disabled the feature in Overload’s Call of Duty League (CDL) variant.
Depending on feedback gathered during the beta and from professional players, Overload could appear in CDL competition when the league begins in early December.
A New Zombies Experience
The Call of Duty Zombies mode has become a staple of the franchise since it debuted in Call of Duty: World at War. For Black Ops 7, Zombies reintroduces characters from previous titles, along with the squad from Black Ops 6, battling new types of undead opposition on the Ashes of the Damned round-based map.
Players can navigate the map using a Wonder Vehicle, which can be upgraded to deal higher amounts of damage to Zombies in close proximity.
Further Warzone Changes
Starting with the Season 1 update, Call of Duty: Warzone is set to undergo a wealth of changes to separate itself from Call of Duty’s multiplayer offering.
Haven’s Hollow is a brand-new Resurgence map launching as part of the first post-launch update and will be playable alongside Rebirth Island and Verdansk, which remain for the Black Ops 7 era.
Verdansk receives two new points of interest in the form of a Signal Station and a remastered Factory, providing players with greater choice when starting a match. Notably, no new large map will arrive when Season 1 launches.
Following criticism of a stale meta, Raven Software has revealed plans to change it more frequently. “The goal at Raven Software is to shake up the meta more often, and tune attachments and gameplay to ensure strong competition within weapon categories,” said the developer.
2026 appears to be a year of change for the battle royale. Next year will see the anticipated launch of the Avalon map along with updates to Verdansk and Rebirth Island. Additionally, next year will see the return of the popular Ranked Play playlist.
In the Spring of 2026, Activision revealed it would launch a “bold new experience” inspired by Call of Duty: Blackout, the franchise’s first attempt at a battle royale. Aside from a release window, the publisher didn’t disclose any further details on the Blackout experience.
COD Mobile Map Remasters
2025 marks six years since the launch of Call of Duty: Mobile. Since 2019, the title has surpassed 650m downloads, making it one of the franchise’s most successful releases.
During COD Next, the team behind COD Mobile revealed it will share plans on the Anniversary Season in the coming weeks, in addition to unveiling night-time versions of Hackney Yard, Summit, and Crash.
Developers also showcased a range of changes and optimisations coming to COD Mobile, including changes to weapon handling, refreshed map colours, and movement animations.
The biggest COD Mobile announcement from COD Next was the introduction of DMZ: Recon, a new extraction game mode inspired by the DMZ mode, which debuted in 2022’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
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