Black Ops 7 launched with 18 Multiplayer maps: 16 Core maps for standard 6v6 play and two large maps built for 20v20 Skirmish.
Thirteen of the Core maps were new, while Express, Hijacked, and Raid returned from Black Ops 2. Nuketown 2025 arrived later during the Preseason on November 20, so it does not count as one of the 18 launch maps.
Black Ops 7 Launch Maps at a Glance
| Map | Format | Size | Main Playstyle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackheart | 6v6 and 2v2 | Small | Fast flanks and close-range fights |
| Colossus | 6v6 | Small | Tight interiors and quick rotations |
| Cortex | 6v6 and 2v2 | Small | Central control and risky flank routes |
| Den | 6v6 | Medium | Courtyard control and vertical movement |
| Exposure | 6v6 | Medium | Open lanes and elevated positions |
| Express | 6v6 | Medium | Mid-range lanes and train-platform control |
| Flagship | 6v6 and 2v2 | Small | Close combat beneath an aircraft carrier |
| Hijacked | 6v6 | Small | Constant pressure across three tight lanes |
| Homestead | 6v6 | Small | Cabin fights and outdoor flanks |
| Imprint | 6v6 | Medium | Interior routes and long icy sightlines |
| Paranoia | 6v6 and 2v2 | Small | Fast fights across two contrasting areas |
| Raid | 6v6 | Medium | Balanced lanes and strong power positions |
| Retrieval | 6v6 | Medium | Snow routes, caves, and crash-site cover |
| Scar | 6v6 | Medium | Street fighting and elevated windows |
| The Forge | 6v6 | Medium | Connected wings and changing central cover |
| Toshin | 6v6 | Medium | Urban verticality and busy mid-map routes |
| Mission: Edge | 20v20 Skirmish | Large | Rooftops, vehicles, and vertical objectives |
| Mission: Tide | 20v20 Skirmish | Large | Coastal assaults and fortified positions |
The official launch map briefing confirms the formats, sizes, locations, and launch status of all 18 maps.
All 16 Core Black Ops 7 Launch Maps
Blackheart
Blackheart is a small drilling-platform map with a central drill, a container-filled barge, and a diving bell route.
Tip: Expect pressure around the drill. Use the diving bell as a flank instead of challenging the same central angle repeatedly.
Colossus
Colossus takes place inside a damaged luxury resort sinking into the Caribbean Sea. Its atrium, bar, maintenance decks, and baggage area create rapid close-range engagements.
Tip: Control one connected interior section rather than chasing enemies across the entire resort.
Cortex
Cortex is a compact Guild laboratory built into a Mediterranean cliffside. The underpass controls the middle, while the narrow skybridge provides a dangerous outside flank.
Tip: Secure the underpass first. Cross the skybridge only after confirming that the enemy is focused elsewhere.
Den
Den turns a Japanese castle into a Guild technology fortress. Its courtyard, dojo, conference room, armory, garage, and damaged rooftops give players several vertical routes.
Tip: Watch the rooftops before entering the courtyard. Players above you can cut off several rotations at once.
Exposure
Exposure is set within an Australian solar facility damaged by a tank assault. The tower, suspended crate, pumps, and storage units provide height and cover across open ground.
Tip: Carry a weapon that can handle medium-range fights, then use the tower or raised crate to watch objective approaches.
Express
The Black Ops 2 train station returns with its tracks, bullet train, terminal walkways, and control-room sightline.
Tip: Check the control room before crossing the open tracks, and pay attention to incoming-train warnings.
Flagship
Flagship places players beneath a decommissioned aircraft carrier. The ship’s underbelly creates tight fights, while an ascender leads to the overhead gantry.
Tip: Close-range weapons work well below the carrier, but always check the gantry before pushing through the open worksite.
Hijacked
Hijacked returns as a small superyacht anchored in Tokyo Bay. Its three lanes meet around the center deck, while the engine room offers a lower route.
Tip: Avoid staying on the exposed center deck after a kill. Drop below deck or switch sides before the enemy pre-aims your position.
Homestead
Homestead brings players to David Mason’s childhood home in Alaska. Fights move between the cabin, outbuildings, icy ground, and freezing water.
Tip: Clear the cabin carefully, then use the outdoor edges or water route to avoid predictable doorway fights.
Imprint
Imprint is a frozen robotics complex with branching indoor corridors and exposed ledges. An inclinator can lift players across the snowy exterior.
Tip: Use the interior when carrying a close-range class. Longer-range weapons perform better along the outer ice routes.
Paranoia
Paranoia splits a hospital between a normal environment and a distorted psychological nightmare.
Tip: Learn which side gives you the cleaner sightline for your weapon. The visual contrast can make careless rotations easy to read.
Raid
Raid returns in a Japanese coastal setting while preserving the mansion, courtyard, circular drive, basketball court, and pool routes players know from Black Ops 2.
Tip: Do not hold one classic power position for too long. Use the mansion, courtyard, and pool as a connected rotation.
Retrieval
Retrieval is built around a crashed Guild aircraft in the Alaskan tundra. Ice caverns, frozen streams, wreckage, underpasses, and cargo areas offer several hidden approaches.
Tip: Check underpasses before crossing the crash site. They allow opponents to move beneath open sightlines.
Scar
Scar takes place in Silverbrook, an Alaskan town containing a general store, clinic, restaurant, motel, and military positions.
Tip: The motel balcony and upper windows create useful angles, but street-level players can flank through the nearby buildings.
The Forge
The Forge is a Guild research harbor with two main wings, covered walkways, and a central testing range with rotating walls.
Tip: Watch the wall position before entering the center. Cover that protected you seconds ago may open a new enemy sightline.
Toshin
Toshin surrounds a derailed monorail in a neon-lit Japanese shopping district. The market, park, thoroughfare, and upper walkways keep the middle busy.
Tip: Use the upper paths to gather information, then reposition before enemies start checking the same elevated angle.
The Two 20v20 Skirmish Maps
Mission: Edge
Mission: Edge covers the downtown area of Avalon with hotels, cafés, courtyards, streets, rooftops, ascenders, and vehicle routes.
Tip: Stay with a squad and move between objectives. Holding one rooftop while the battle shifts across the city produces little value.
Mission: Tide
Mission: Tide takes place around a fortified coastal installation. Players fight across beaches, rocks, compound walls, towers, catwalks, an armory, barracks, and a mess hall.
Tip: Clear elevated towers before crossing open coastal ground. Vehicles help with distance, but infantry still need cover when entering the compound.
Which Maps Returned From Black Ops 2?
Three Black Ops 2 maps returned at launch:
- Express
- Hijacked
- Raid
Treyarch kept their recognizable routes while updating the environments for BO7’s 2035 setting and movement system.
Nuketown 2025 followed on November 20 during the Preseason. For maps added after launch, use the current BO7 Multiplayer map roster rather than mixing seasonal maps into the original launch list.
What Happened to the Rumored Launch Maps?
Havana Redux, Arctic Base, Metro Siege, Coastal Run, Blacksite Zulu, Fallout Zone, Descent, Breaker Point, Rift City, and Arena were not part of the confirmed BO7 launch roster.
The original article was published during the launch window and included unverified names and features. Those entries have now been removed rather than carried forward as rumors after the official roster became available.
How to Learn Maps Faster
Play custom lobbies to explore spawns and choke points.
Then focus on a few practical habits:
- Track rotations during Hardpoint and other moving objectives.
- Learn one safe route and one flank from each spawn.
- Check elevated positions before crossing open ground.
- Use UAV information to understand where spawns may shift.
- Change your loadout according to the map’s main engagement range.
- Note where you die repeatedly instead of rushing back through the same lane.
You can also compare your performance across BO7 maps to identify weak win rates, weapon choices, or objective results.
Map-Specific Scorestreak Tips
Indoor and small maps reward streaks that gather information or pressure tight areas. Larger outdoor maps provide more space for aerial streaks, but buildings and covered routes can reduce their value.
Use this general approach:
- Small maps: Scout Pulse, UAV, RC-XD, and other quick streaks
- Medium maps: UAV, Counter-UAV, sentry-style control, and precision streaks
- Skirmish maps: Reconnaissance and streaks that cover wide objectives
Do not select a streak only because the map is large. Consider how much indoor cover exists and whether the current mode keeps players grouped around one objective.
Loadouts and Progression
Map knowledge matters more than starting with every attachment unlocked. Test recoil, movement, and range in the Firing Range before changing your class for each map.
Players comparing specifically listed progression or unlocks can review the existing pre-levelled BO7 account options.
Players following Multiplayer camo challenges can also review BO7’s Multiplayer mastery-camo path before planning weapon use across small and medium maps.
The existing BO7 camo progression options remain available as a separate next step rather than part of the map-learning process.
Check out some of our most popular Boosting services:
Design Changes You’ll Notice in BO7 Maps
BO7’s launch roster combines new three-lane arenas with three familiar Black Ops 2 layouts.
Select walls support wall jumps, while several maps use rooftops, ascenders, upper walkways, water routes, and environmental cover to create vertical choices. This is different from full wall-running.
The four smaller maps Blackheart, Cortex, Flagship, and Paranoia also support 2v2 play, while Mission: Edge and Mission: Tide were designed specifically around larger 20v20 Skirmish battles.
Final Thoughts on Black Ops 7 Launch Maps
Black Ops 7 launched with a varied 18-map Multiplayer lineup: 16 Core maps, two Skirmish battlegrounds, and three returning Black Ops 2 classics.
Small maps such as Hijacked and Blackheart reward fast decisions. Raid, Den, Exposure, and the other medium maps give players more room to control routes, while Mission: Edge and Mission: Tide require squad movement across larger objectives.
Learn the lanes, master the movement, and adjust your loadout to the map instead of forcing the same class into every match.
Black Ops 7 Launch Maps FAQs
How many maps did Black Ops 7 have at launch?
Black Ops 7 launched with 18 Multiplayer maps: 16 Core 6v6 maps and two large 20v20 Skirmish maps.
Which BO2 maps returned in Black Ops 7?
Express, Hijacked, and Raid returned as launch maps. Nuketown 2025 arrived shortly afterward during the Preseason.
Was Nuketown available when BO7 launched?
No. Nuketown 2025 arrived on November 20, 2025, six days after the main game launched.
What are the BO7 Skirmish launch maps?
Mission: Edge and Mission: Tide were the two launch maps built for 20v20 Skirmish.
Which BO7 launch maps support 2v2?
Blackheart, Cortex, Flagship, and Paranoia support both 6v6 and 2v2 play.
Are Havana Redux and Arctic Base real BO7 maps?
No. Neither appeared in the confirmed Black Ops 7 launch roster.
