Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is a
first-person shooter. Depending on the
game mode selected, players use a selection of military equipment, such as weapons, "field upgrades", and "scorestreaks", to combat AI opponents, other human players, or
undead creatures. Players can perform a wide variety of movement actions when traversing a
level/map, including walking, crouching, sprinting, jumping, sliding, and diving; while sprinting, players can initiate a "tactical sprint", which further increases the player's movement speed for a limited duration. In a change from previous
Call of Duty titles, players have omnidirectional control over the sprint, dive, and slide mechanics, allowing them to perform these actions in any direction; players can also rotate themselves in a 360-degree view while they are laying in the
prone position. In addition, a series of "Intelligent Movement" settings are also available to players, which automate certain movement actions, including sprinting and mantling.
Black Ops 6 features three main game modes: a
single-player campaign, a
multiplayer component and a
new iteration of the
cooperative round-based
Zombies mode. In the campaign, players assume control of a
silent protagonist, "Case", as he and a team of rogue
CIA operatives work to hunt down Pantheon, a
paramilitary group with covert ties to the agency. The campaign features 11 missions, and is estimated to take at least 8 hours to complete. Players typically have multiple ways to approach a mission's objectives; some missions include
stealth elements. In-between missions, players are able to access a
safe house, where they can select new missions via an
evidence board, interact with
non-player characters (NPCs), and spend cash, which is found throughout missions, on various in-game perks; these are split across three categories, which are related to the player's physical abilities, weapons, and gear. Certain campaign missions reward players with cosmetic items for use in the multiplayer and Zombies modes upon their completion, including weapon "blueprints", player skins,
stickers, and weapon charms. The multiplayer component puts two opposing teams—"Rogue Black Ops" and "Crimson One"—against each other across a wide selection of game modes, such as
Team Deathmatch, Domination, Hardpoint, and Kill Order, most of which allow for six-versus-six combat; an exception to this is the round-based "Gunfight" mode, which puts two teams of two on small-sized maps with randomized loadouts. Like previous
Call of Duty games, player performance is tracked with
experience points (XP), which can be earned by killing enemy players, completing objectives, or finishing challenges; XP can also be earned in the Zombies mode. As players rank up, they gain access to various loadout items, including new weapons, pieces of equipment, and perks, the latter of which are split into three "combat specialties"; selecting three perks of the same specialty grants access to in-game buffs. Once players reach level 55, they can choose to enter the "Prestige" ranking system, which resets their progress back to level 1 but grants a set of cosmetic rewards and a token that can be used to permanently unlock any loadout item. This process can be done up to ten times; once players complete the tenth Prestige, they are granted the ability to rank up to level 1000, and if they do so, they receive additional cosmetic items. In Zombies, one to four players fight endless hordes of the undead, which increase in both number and difficulty with every completed round, across six maps, which directly continue the mode's storyline after the events of
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (2020). Each map includes a main quest that players must solve without any guidance, along with a number of side quests and
easter eggs. Two additional modes—"Directed" and "Grief"—were added to all maps post-launch; the former allows players to complete main quests with in-game assistance, while the latter pits two teams of four players against one another as they attempt to survive the undead, while hindering the enemy team indirectly via debuffs. Zombies features two primary currencies for players to manage: "Essence" and "Salvage"; Essence is used to unlock access to new parts of the maps, acquire weapon upgrades from the "Pack-a-Punch" machine, and to purchase additional player upgrades, including "Perk-a-Cola" cans and
armor vests, while Salvage is used to acquire ammo modifications for the player's weapons, increase a weapon's damage tier, and to craft various pieces of lethal and tactical equipment. Players can also obtain "GobbleGums"—single-use consumables that grant various in-game effects—and unlock "Augments", a set of minor and major upgrades to perks, field upgrades and ammo mods. Each perk, field upgrade, and ammo mod features up to three minor and major Augments, with one of each type being equippable at the same time, allowing players to customize and experiment with different play styles. == Plot ==