Activision, Treyarch, and Raven Software pushed a Black Ops 7 update on December 16, 2025 that touches multiplayer, Zombies, Dead Ops Arcade 4, and the Endgame mode. The largest gameplay change narrows the Akita’s pellet travel distance and reintroduces a damage penalty for the Akita ScorchLink Akimbo in multiplayer, while the Akimbo range penalty in Endgame has been reduced back toward its pre-nerf values. The patch also makes several mode and map tweaks, corrects Double XP in Dead Ops Arcade 4, and rolls out seasonal and party modes.
For context on the game’s initial weapon slate, see the weapons and equipment breakdown. The full official notes are available on Activision’s site at Call of Duty patch notes.
Patch Notes – Black Ops 7 December 16 Patch
GLOBAL
Events
- Naughty & Nice Event live at 10AM PT.
MULTIPLAYER
Maps
- Scar
- Addressed a location where players could leave the intended playspace on Scar.
Modes
- Holiday Havoc
- Added Holiday Havoc to Featured (10AM PT).
- Snowfight
- Added Snowfight to Party Games (10AM PT).
- Private Match
- Sticks and Stones
- Added Sticks and Stones to Private Match.
- Search and Destroy
- Addressed an issue where the round would only end when the time limit is reached if a player switched teams at the start of the round.
- Sticks and Stones
Weapons
We have another adjustment to the Akita ScorchLink Akimbo that partially adds back its original damage penalty. While we prefer not to take such an aggressive approach to tuning content, especially so frequently and so quickly after it becomes available, the release timing and general nature of the dual Akitas presented an unusual case, so we decided an accelerated set of changes was the best course of action heading into the holidays.
Akita
General Adjustments
- Addressed an issue causing pellets to travel about half a meter farther than intended.
Akita ScorchLink Akimbo
- Now has a 10% damage penalty. (Multiplayer only)
Equipment
- Stim Shot
- Reduced healing rate of Stim Shot from 160 HP/sec to 80 HP/sec.
Stability
- Added various stability fixes.
ZOMBIES
Weapons
- Jäger 45
- Addressed an issue causing the Jäger 45 to fire slower than intended when Pack-a-Punched.
Challenges
- Astra Malorum
- Addressed an issue that prevented the Rocket Trap on Astra Malorum from counting toward the “Get Kills with Traps” Daily Challenge.
- Addressed an issue that prevented Astra Malorum Calling Card Challenges from appearing in the Reward Feed.
- Survival
- Addressed an issue that prevented Survival Challenges from progressing when playing on Solo.
- Prestige
- Addressed an issue that could prevent the Prestige 8 Calling Card Challenge “Voidweaver” from progressing.
- Addressed an issue that prevented the Prestige 10 Calling Card Challenge “Double Bubble” from progressing properly.
Dead Ops Arcade 4
- Addressed an issue where activating a Field Upgrade with a controller would also activate the Speed Boost and Bomb if the player had one.
- Addressed an issue where Ravagers would sometimes not deal damage to the player.
- Double Level XP now correctly applies when active in Dead Ops Arcade 4.
CO-OP CAMPAIGN / ENDGAME
WEAPONS
- Akita
- Akita ScorchLink Akimbo
- The Damage Range penalty has been reduced from 60% to 40%, back to pre-nerf levels.
- Akita ScorchLink Akimbo
Players can discuss this patch and future fixes in the community and track ongoing changes on the official patch notes page and related coverage.
Follow for updates on Black Ops 7 on X, Bluesky, YouTube, and Instagram for quick notes and patch reactions.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
Developed by Treyarch, Raven Software
Embrace the madness.
In Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Treyarch and Raven Software are bringing players the most mind-bending Black Ops ever. The year is 2035 and the world is on the brink of chaos, ravaged by violent conflict and psychological warfare following the events of the fan-favorite titles Black Ops 2 and Black Ops 6. Wielding cutting-edge technology, the Black Ops team led by David Mason must fight back against a manipulative enemy who weaponizes fear above all else.
- Genre: Shooter
- Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Xbox One
- Modes: Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative
- Release: 2025-11-14
- Publisher: Activision
-
Age Rating:
ACB MA 15+ / ESRB M
- IGDB Rating: 31.0/100
