According to Circana analysts, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 achieved the top spot as the best-selling game in the United States last year, marking the Call of Duty franchise's sixteenth consecutive year leading the U.S. market. In contrast, the most popular sports game was EA Sports College Football 25, released on consoles in July. While overall U.S. gamer spending in 2024 dipped slightly (1.1% year-over-year), Circana attributes this decline to reduced hardware demand, noting that spending on add-ons and services actually increased by 2% and 6%, respectively.
Black Ops 6 and Warzone 2 will launch their second season on January 28th, featuring a ninja-themed update and a crossover with the "Terminator" universe. The game's diverse missions have garnered praise from both players and critics, avoiding repetitive gameplay and consistently surprising players throughout the campaign. The shooting mechanics and redesigned movement system—allowing characters to run in any direction and shoot while falling or lying down—received particularly high accolades.
The campaign's approximate eight-hour duration also struck a chord with reviewers, considered neither too short nor overly long. Many gamers echoed these positive sentiments, especially praising the zombies mode and the overall campaign experience. However, Black Ops 6 wasn't universally lauded; some players expressed disappointment, with a significant portion of Steam complaints centering on technical issues. Reviews frequently cite game crashes and unstable server connections as major obstacles, preventing progress through the story mode.
