Things I’d like to see in 2025’s Call of Duty game

It’s rumor season. From what we’ve heard so far, it seems like Treyarch will be leading a direct sequel to the storyline of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, one with a futuristic Japanese setting. Further still, this may invoke the Modern Warfare III formula, bringing back remastered maps with a fresh campaign and new Zombies. If these are true, who knows, but it has sparked my enthusiasm for what’s in store. Now, it’s time to dream up what I’d want in the next Call of Duty game.

Go wild in the campaign

After what Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 did in the Emergence mission, sign me up for the craziest ideas they can come up with in Call of Duty 2025. I know a direct sequel to Black Ops 2 will probably be more serious, but inject concepts that make our jaws drop. Horrify us with the realities of war, show us dark experiments, heck, make time travel a thing. Let this COD be your opportunity to throw everything into play. Oh, and make it co-op so my buddies and I can experience it together.

Don’t go too futuristic

Listen, I love the idea of the Japanese setting. Bring me all the cherry blossoms, bring in ninja assassins, all of it. That said, I don’t want Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 or Infinite Warfare levels of futurism in the gameplay mechanics, especially in multiplayer. Many like jetpacks; I do not. Rumors state that wallrunning is back, and that’s fine. I just don’t want to lose the flow of the old maps.

Maintain old map flow

The previous thought leads into this one. Half of the launch maps are rumored to be remakes from Black Ops 2. BO2’s maps are iconic, and not just because of the aesthetic, but because of design. I’ve discussed my issues with Black Ops 6’s map flow in both the review and subsequent seasonal impressions. Raid is one of my favorite BO2 maps, and the paths and routes through it are incredible. I don’t want to see wallrunning or odd sprint timings muddy up the flow, and I definitely don’t want to see the maps overrun with changes to accommodate those features.

Match that map flow in new maps

Supposedly, only half of the maps coming in multiplayer will be remakes. The other half will be fresh new ideas. If I could ask for one thing, it’s that the team would take a close look at the remakes and follow that map flow in their designs for the new maps. When I play on Hacienda on Black Ops 6, the feel is completely different than Scud or Derelict. That’s because of a different set of designers for sure, but in remaking these maps side by side with the new set, you can use that opportunity to ensure they have a similar flow.

Readjust with seasonal content and AMPs

I think Treyarch has done a lot of good in how they’ve treated the seasonal content for Black Ops 6. That said, the level Sledgehammer reached in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III was award-worthy (and we actually gave it Best Live Service in our 2024 Trendsetter awards). I understand matching that cadence is a feat, but I’d love to see Call of Duty 2025 get a tad closer. 

More events would be great, but varied events would be even better, like for instance the Faction Challenge from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2019 in the image above. New limited time modes, along with challenges based on them for events, need to be on the table (like Snow Fight and Get High from MWIII). Give me a reason to log in every week with weekly camo challenges or Aftermarket Parts alongside those other features. Speaking of Aftermarket Parts, those also need a boost, as the best one we’ve seen in Black Ops 6 is the Grau Conversion Kit. They don’t need to be overpowered meta changers, but making them more useful would be appreciated.

Bring back Resurgence Ranked Warzone

I’m probably in the minority, but I love small map Ranked Resurgence in Call of Duty: Warzone. Rebirth is admittedly the perfect Resurgence map, so Ranked was going to play well there. My assumption is that Avalon – the rumored next big map – will be taking the place of Verdansk in Ranked once it launches. I’d make another adjustment: give us two Ranked modes, one for Resurgence, and one for regular Warzone.

Give Ashika Island a makeover

It wasn’t my favorite map, but maybe do a futuristic update to Ashika Island to match the Japanese aesthetic of the new campaign? That’d make for a perfect refresh, but also another option for my mention of a Resurgence Ranked map. While I think it’d still need a little extra love in altering some of the POIs for flow, Ashika Island makes too much sense given its complementary aesthetic with the rumored COD 2025 setting. It’ll also cut down on the extra development time needed for a brand new Resurgence map.

Don’t bring Black Ops 6 weapons or systems back a la Carry Over

I love the Black Ops 6 arsenal. But as much as the balance it offers is fantastic, I do not want to see it again in the next game outside of maybe Warzone. While people may have liked Modern Warfare II’s Carry Over in Modern Warfare III, the actual MWIII weapons were easily the best in that game. MWII’s weaponry was largely useless. If the team in COD 2025 wants to bring in operators, that’s fine. Just leave anything that isn’t cosmetic – perks, equipment, tacticals, lethals – out please. Start new, even if plenty of these items won’t be that different from their Black Ops 6 iterations.

Omnimovement should stay

Wallrunning is the big update if it comes through, but Omnimovement as a whole should stick. This is the evolution of the Black Ops style of movement, and while I enjoy slide cancelling, not killing my fingers to do so is nice. I do think we need some tweaking to the formula to make it a bit snappier (it feels almost too smooth), but this is a good addition to Call of Duty that needs to stay.

Keep testing new modes

Fresh modes aren’t the easiest thing to create in a long-running franchise. I appreciate Treyarch trying out something different with Kill Order, even if it wasn’t my favorite addition. In this new setting, especially with the futuristic take, this is a chance to look at other multiplayer shooters and see what you can come up with.

Personally, I’d love to see an Oddball-type mode in Call of Duty; it’s awesome to watch in pro Halo. Maybe a radio the team picks up and has to defend as a player is “tuning it to the right frequency AKA ticks on a score”? Uplink is probably also returning if wallrunning is a thing. Whatever the teams do, I hope they look to do something different for the franchise instead of just reinserting the same modes.

We’re almost to the time of year where all of the Call of Duty news starts making its round, whether through leaks or official announcements. Whatever may come of the upcoming game, you know I’ll be there with bells on. Stay tuned to GamingTrend for all things Call of Duty 2025.