Call of Duty is changing how matchmaking works in Black Ops 7. The update arrives with Season 5, which launches on July 23. Activision confirmed the change through a social media post this week.
The new system brings back a matchmaking style inspired by older Call of Duty titles. It will apply to specific playlists, not the entire game.
Black Ops 7 Matchmaking Changes
Activision said it has learned a lot about multiplayer matchmaking over the past year. The publisher pointed to player data and community feedback as the main drivers behind the update.
The company also noted strong interest in the recent Black Ops and Black Ops 2 ports for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. That renewed interest appears to have shaped this decision.
Starting with Season 5, three playlists will use the new matchmaking system:
- Black Ops Classic
- Quick Play
- Party Games
Activision says this system takes inspiration from the matchmaking used in the original Black Ops games. Those older systems relied less on skill-based matchmaking, or SBMM.
Open Playlists Are Not Going Away
Players who prefer the current setup do not need to worry. Black Ops 7 will keep its existing Open playlists. Activision confirmed these will continue to run alongside the new Classic-style option.
Open playlists were introduced as a low-SBMM option. Activision previously described them as using only minimal skill consideration. This made Open the closest thing Black Ops 7 had to older Call of Duty matchmaking, before now.
Activision has not explained the exact difference between Open and this new Classic-inspired system. Both are expected to lean away from heavy SBMM, but the technical details remain unclear.
Why This Matters for Modern Warfare 4
Matchmaking has been a long-running debate inside the Call of Duty community. Skill-based matchmaking became a bigger focus in recent years, and Black Ops 7 originally shifted toward less SBMM. That changed after launch, when the system moved back toward more skill-based matching due to higher engagement.
Activision has also confirmed that Modern Warfare 4 will include Open playlist options during its beta test. If the new Black Ops 7 system performs well, it could influence how matchmaking works in Modern Warfare 4 after release.
Modern Warfare 4 is set to launch on October 23 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2, and PC.
Season 5 brings more than matchmaking changes. The update includes a new battle pass with two new guns and a returning operator from previous Black Ops titles. A new multiplayer map is also part of the season, themed around a pinball machine and inspired by Nuketown.
