Call of Duty: Black Ops cover
FranchiseCall of DutySeriesCall of DutyCall of Duty: Black Ops

Call of Duty: Black Ops

Critic score13 critics
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First release
Nov 09, 2010
Developer
Treyarch
Engine
IW Engine
Genres
Shooter · Warfare, Action, Horror, Survival, Historical, Stealth
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 3, Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, PlayStation 5

Call of Duty: Black Ops is the seventh main Call of Duty game and the sequel to Call of Duty: World at War. The game differs from most previous installments, which would involve a usual three-country campaign, while Call of Duty: Black Ops features two playable countries (Russia and the USA) but only has an American campaign. Several new features are also introduced, such as dive-to-prone and the available use of a flashlight on certain weapons. Furthermore, the campaign's playable characters now speak while being controlled by the player. Extra game included within: + Zork (Apple II)

Also known as Call of Duty: Black Ops, Call of Duty 7, Call of Duty Vietnam, CODBO
… See more, COD Black Ops, BLOPS, Call of Duty: Black Ops - Mac Edition, BlackOps.exe

Attributes

No Attributes added.

Details

Storyline, release dates, time to beat, age ratings, modes, links, keywords

Storyline
Black Ops takes place between 1961 and 1968 during the Cold War, 16 years after the events of World at War. It portrays a secret history of CIA clandestine black operations carried out behind enemy lines. Much of the campaign is told through the eyes of SOG and CIA operative Alex Mason, primarily through flashbacks. Mason awakens strapped to a chair in a room filled with monitors, bombarded with questions by two unknown interrogators about a numbers broadcast. Mason then recalls several events from the past in an attempt to answer their questions, setting up the missions of the game.Read more

Black Ops takes place between 1961 and 1968 during the Cold War, 16 years after the events of World at War. It portrays a secret history of CIA clandestine black operations carried out behind enemy lines. Much of the campaign is told through the eyes of SOG and CIA operative Alex Mason, primarily through flashbacks. Mason awakens strapped to a chair in a room filled with monitors, bombarded with questions by two unknown interrogators about a numbers broadcast. Mason then recalls several events from the past in an attempt to answer their questions, setting up the missions of the game.

Release dates
PC (Microsoft Windows)
Nov 09, 2010
PlayStation 3
Nov 09, 2010
Xbox 360
Nov 09, 2010
All 9 release dates
PC (Microsoft Windows)
Nov 18, 2010
PlayStation 3
Dec 16, 2010
Xbox 360
Sep 01, 2011
Mac
Sep 27, 2012
PlayStation 4
Jul 09, 2026
PlayStation 5
Jul 09, 2026
Time to beatIGDB · recorded
Main Story
10h
Main + Extras
14h
Completionist
48h
Game modes
Split screen, Co-operative, Multiplayer, Single player
Perspective
First person
Keywords
modern warfare, zombies, cold war, helicopter, vehicular combat
… All 154, bloody, fast paced, death, soldier, military, upgradable weapons, vietnam war, run and gun, gambling, chicken, action-adventure, war, steam, multiple protagonists, espionage, achievements, special forces, online, illuminati, building, artificial intelligence, capture the flag, torture, slow-motion, high score, instant replay, playstation network, clan, steam achievements, digital distribution, xbox controller support for pc, steam cloud, monkey, throwing weapons, split-screen multiplayer, playstation trophies, pig, modern military, 60 fps on consoles, leveling up, voice acting, ranking system, human, polygonal 3d, color customization, collectibles, original soundtrack release, wasd movement, profanity, retail games with steam activation, sniping, checkpoints, stereoscopic 3d, downloadable content, auto-aim, xbox live, melee, auto-saving, kill feed, real-time combat, useable vehicles, instant kill, vision obstruction, difficulty level, historical figures in fictional settings, wilhelm scream, pack-in game, political thriller, rpg elements, twin stick control, mercenary, communism, central intelligence agency, scientist, presidential protagonist, leaderboard, split screen event, multiplayer scoreboard, evolving title screen, xbox one backwards compatibility, difficulty achievement, games on demand, realism, valve anti-cheat, motion capture animation, high definition graphics, particle system, dolby digital, weapons swap, in-game announcer, plot twist, team deathmatch, color blind assist, horde mode, voice chat, kill streak, linear gameplay, local and online players together, weapon modification, animal cruelty, regenerating health, camping, flashback, matchmaking, companion app, vietnam, post-match awards, scripted events, theater mode, dual wielding, air strike, guided by radio, pinball machine, nazis, bots, historical inaccuracy, nazi occultism, nazi zombies, fascism, united states army, interrogation, infinite spawn, secret achievements, text dialogue, optional censorship, predator, conquest mode, shooting range, heroic sacrifice, rail shooting segment, blamed for real life murders, machinima, armageddon, chemical warfare, metagame, novint falcon support, kill streak reward, russian roulette, gunship, bomb defusal mode, online multiplayer achievements, dolphin diving, killcam, website integration, spike video game awards 2010, tokyo game show 2010, rc vehicle, male protagonist, e-sports

At a Glance

Critic Score
81
Main Story (IGDB)
10h
Main + Extras (IGDB)
14h
Completionist (IGDB)
48h
OverviewHow it playsMediaCommunityBehind the gameRelated

Overview

Steam review summary

Steam users rate this Very Positive, 22,345 reviews in all languages, recorded 16 October 2026

Valve's summary of Steam user reviews. Valve counts only reviews from purchases on Steam, not key activations, and leaves out review periods it has marked as off-topic. It isn't part of the CritScore score.

Review summary: SteamSteam data provided via the Steam Web API (opens in a new tab)Not affiliated with Valve →

Multiplayer

  • Online multiplayerIGDB · 30 Oct
  • Online co-opIGDB · 30 Oct
  • Local co-opIGDB · 30 Oct
  • Shared or split screenIGDB · 30 Oct
  • LAN co-opIGDB · 30 Oct
  • Drop-in, drop-out co-opIGDB · 30 Oct

Feature data: IGDB

About storefront and compatibility information

Compatibility, feature and availability information shown on this page is recorded from the storefronts and services named against each fact, on the dates shown. Steam and the Steam logo are trademarks of Valve Corporation; Steam data is provided via the Steam Web API. Other product and service names are trademarks of their respective owners. CritScore is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by or certified by Valve Corporation or any other storefront or platform holder, and does not itself test or certify any game.