Call of Duty vs. Battlefield has long been a battle of the giants. But at least according to Steam, the winner now seems to be clear: the beta figures for the latest installments are worlds apart on the platform.
Initial figures for the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 beta are currently causing concern among fans. Looking at the test phases of both games side by side, Activision’s flagship shooter lags miles behind its competitor Battlefield 6.
Even though the difference cannot be denied, one should not jump to conclusions – because the comparison is a little flawed.
CoD Black Ops 7 vs. BF6: What the numbers say
Content creator Synth Potato directly compares the beta numbers on X. The peak number of concurrent players is particularly interesting here. While Battlefield 6 reached an impressive 454,000 during the beta, the beta for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 reached a mere 74,000 in comparison.
Call of Duty Black Ops 7’s beta has peaked at 74,000 players on Steam
In comparison, Battlefield 6 Beta reached over 400K before it even became an open beta.
I truly think this isn’t an Infinite Warfare vs BF1 situation again, Black Ops 7 interest is at an all-time low. pic.twitter.com/ah6JLxOaBD
— Synth Potato🥔 (@SynthPotato) October 4, 2025
What initially seems dramatic may not mean much, however. At that point, CoD Black Ops 7 was still in closed beta. This was only accessible to pre-order customers, Game Pass owners, or selected livestream viewers. The open beta for everyone only launched yesterday, October 5, which is likely to attract a few more players.
At least for now, however, the big effect has yet to materialize. Even after the launch of the open beta, the peak has only climbed to just under 100,000 players, according to Steam.
Not entirely fair, but concern is still warranted
Battlefield 6 is still clearly ahead, even if you strictly compare the numbers from the closed beta. EA’s multiplayer shooter also started with a closed beta from August 7 to 8, 2025, and already recorded far higher player numbers at that time – there were over 300,000 participants during the closed test alone.
Although the current comparison does not seem entirely fair, CoD Black Ops 7 also loses out when comparing only the closed test phases. It remains to be seen whether the gap will close somewhat during the open beta. Added to this is Activision’s Battle.net as another potential platform.
Even without a direct comparison, the figures so far seem somewhat meager, but there has been no official statement from Activision as yet. Initial reactions to the reveal were rather muted, and even the developers expressed concerns that fans might be getting tired of Call of Duty due to the annual release cycle, because the differences and innovations are too minor from year to year.
Black Ops 7 is set in 2035 and picks up directly where Black Ops 6 left off: The special forces unit led by David Mason must maintain order in a world marked by brutal conflicts and psychological warfare.
In addition to the (co-op) campaign, the new installment naturally also features multiplayer and zombie modes. The release is scheduled for November 14, 2025, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series.
