At launch on October 25, 2024, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 multiplayer had 10 standard modes, four Face Off variants, a Hardcore playlist variant, 16 maps, and 21 Operators split between two factions. This is the launch lineup—not a list of modes or content added in later seasons.
The official lineup was published October 16, 2024, and Activision confirmed the game went live worldwide on October 25. The publisher said additional modes would arrive during Preseason and Season 01, so the roster below is specific to launch. Call of Duty’s launch lineup guide and its global launch announcement are the primary sources for these details.
Every standard multiplayer mode at launch
The official launch guide listed 10 standard modes. Player counts below are the formats specified by the publisher.
| Mode | Players | Objective |
|---|---|---|
| Team Deathmatch | 6v6 | Eliminate opponents to score. |
| Domination | 6v6 | Capture and defend objectives. |
| Search & Destroy | 6v6 | Teams alternate attacking and defusing a bomb; players do not respawn. |
| Kill Confirmed | 6v6 | Collect dog tags to score and deny points to the opposing team. |
| Free-For-All | 8 players | Eliminate enemies; the first player to reach the score limit wins. |
| Hardpoint | 6v6 | Capture and hold the active zone. |
| Gunfight | 2v2 | Use predetermined classes to eliminate the opposing players; there are no respawns. |
| Headquarters | 6v6 | Capture and defend the HQ. The team holding it has respawns disabled. |
| Kill Order | 6v6 | Protect your team’s high-value target (HVT) while eliminating the opposing HVT; HVT kills award bonus score. |
| Control | 6v6 | Teams take turns attacking and defending zones. |
These are the standard modes in the October 16 launch guide, not a claim about which playlists remain available now. The mode descriptions and roster are publisher-reported. Source: Call of Duty Staff, October 16, 2024.
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- In a best-in-class Multiplayer experience, players will test their skills across 16 new maps at launch, including 12 core 6v6 maps and 4 Strike maps that can be played 2v2 or 6v6.
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Face Off and Hardcore: launch playlist variants
Face Off
Face Off was an alternate mode with Scorestreaks disabled. Its four launch variants were Domination, Team Deathmatch, Kill Order, and Kill Confirmed. Face Off could be played on the compact Strike maps in 6v6; Strike maps were also used for 2v2 matches.
Hardcore
Hardcore was a playlist variant with a limited HUD, friendly fire enabled, and reduced health. The launch guide named these options for Hardcore Quick Play: Team Deathmatch, Kill Order, Domination, Hardpoint, Search & Destroy, Kill Confirmed, Free-For-All, and Face Off Moshpit.
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All 16 launch maps
The publisher grouped the 16 maps into 12 Core maps for 6v6 and four compact Strike maps for 2v2 or Face Off 6v6. Call of Duty described the launch maps as small-to-medium, traditional three-lane designs balancing close-quarters encounters with longer-range routes. That is the publisher’s orientation, not an independent assessment of map quality or performance.
| Map | Category and players | Publisher’s described layout or approach |
|---|---|---|
| Babylon | Core, 6v6 | Ruins and a central altar; vertical routes feature in the layout. |
| Derelict | Core, 6v6 | Core-map description not stated in the launch guide. |
| Lowtown | Core, 6v6 | Core-map description not stated in the launch guide. |
| Payback | Core, 6v6 | Core-map description not stated in the launch guide. |
| Protocol | Core, 6v6 | Also the setting for the Training Course, where players can learn Omnimovement. |
| Red Card | Core, 6v6 | Core-map description not stated in the launch guide. |
| Rewind | Core, 6v6 | Two outer lanes connect through shops. |
| Scud | Core, 6v6 | Core-map description not stated in the launch guide. |
| Skyline | Core, 6v6 | Core-map description not stated in the launch guide. |
| Subsonic | Core, 6v6 | Core-map description not stated in the launch guide. |
| Vault | Core, 6v6 | Core-map description not stated in the launch guide. |
| Vorkuta | Core, 6v6 | Core-map description not stated in the launch guide. |
| Gala | Strike, 2v2 or Face Off 6v6 | Compact Strike map; a more specific layout description is not stated in the launch guide. |
| Pit | Strike, 2v2 or Face Off 6v6 | Compact Strike map; a more specific layout description is not stated in the launch guide. |
| Stakeout | Strike, 2v2 or Face Off 6v6 | A small apartment layout. |
| Warhead | Strike, 2v2 or Face Off 6v6 | A Nuketown-inspired neighborhood. |
For the launch counts, modes, and map descriptions, see the official multiplayer lineup guide.
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All 21 Operators and their launch factions
At launch, the publisher listed 21 Operators: 11 with Rogue Black Ops and 10 with Crimson One. The faction lists show the launch roster, not a guarantee that every Operator or skin was immediately available to every player.
| Rogue Black Ops (11) | Crimson One (10) |
|---|---|
| Adler | Brutus |
| Park | Klaus |
| Woods | Rossi |
| Nazir | Caine |
| Westpoint | Niran |
| Bayan | Toro |
| Alvarez | Bailey |
| Payne | Stone |
| Marshall | Carver |
| Weaver | Grey |
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Operator availability varied. The launch guide gave Alvarez at Player Level 7, Toro at Level 10, and Rossi at Level 16 as examples of level unlocks. Woods skins were tied to preorder or pre-purchase conditions, while some named skins were associated with Vault Edition purchase; those conditions do not mean every version of an Operator was universally available at launch.
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Other multiplayer features listed for launch
These features were described alongside the lineup but are not additional modes in the standard-mode count:
- Training Course: a place on Protocol to learn Omnimovement.
- Firing Range: practice dummies and weapon feedback for testing loadouts.
- Theater Mode: replay viewing, unavailable on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Replay files expired after seven days or after a game update.
- Private Matches: private multiplayer games.
These platform and replay details come from the publisher’s October 16, 2024 launch guide; they describe the launch implementation, not necessarily present-day behavior.
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