Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Reportedly Trails Far Behind Battlefield 6 in Pre-Orders Ahead of Launch

A recent analysis by GamesIndustry.Biz, citing data from Alinea Analytics, reveals that Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is significantly lagging behind Battlefield 6 in Steam pre-order sales just weeks before its release.

According to the report, measured 18 days before launch, Battlefield 6 had sold nearly one million pre-order copies, while Black Ops 7 managed only around 200,000 in the same timeframe. These numbers suggest a considerable gap in early interest and momentum between the two titans of the FPS genre.

The news follows another concerning indicator from Eurogamer, which placed Black Ops 7 at 173rd on Steam’s most wishlisted games list. This position suggests limited anticipation among PC players, a stark contrast to the typically dominant pre-launch presence of Activision’s annual blockbuster series.

Still, analysts caution against drawing firm conclusions too early. Call of Duty’s PC pre-order data does not account for players purchasing through Battle.net, nor for its console audience, where the franchise traditionally performs strongest. Additionally, Black Ops 7 will be included in the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate tier at launch. Although the recent Game Pass price hike may have reduced subscriber numbers, many players will skip pre-ordering since they can play it directly on release.

Meanwhile, Battlefield 6 continues its surge in popularity. According to SteamDB, the game has maintained over 300,000 concurrent players, sold 7 million copies in just three days, and has now surpassed 10 million total sales. In several European markets, Battlefield 6 even outperformed Black Ops 6 during its launch window, as reported by Alinea Analytics.

However, as analysts note, the comparison is complex. Last year’s Black Ops 6 marked the first time the Call of Duty franchise was available via Game Pass, likely impacting traditional retail and pre-order figures.

“Call of Duty has an entrenched global audience across consoles and PC, including more casual gamers who purchase the game each year out of habit and brand loyalty,” explained Rhys Elliot, Head of Market Analysis at Alinea Analytics. “Its casual player base dwarfs Battlefield’s, and its integration with Warzone ensures millions of players remain constantly exposed to marketing, in-game promotions, and social tie-ins that convert attention into purchases.”

Elliot added, “Even if Black Ops 7 feels less exciting to the enthusiast media, the sheer reach of Call of Duty’s ecosystem through cross-promotion, platform partnerships, and content cycles guarantees massive sales volume once the game launches.”

The final verdict will come later this year when November 2025 sales and engagement data from firms like Newzoo, Circana, GSD, and Alinea Analytics provide a clearer picture.

At present, Battlefield 6 is capitalizing on its strong debut with the rollout of Season 1, which introduces new weapons, vehicles, a Conquest map, a battle pass, and most notably, Battlefield REDSEC, a new 100-player battle royale mode designed to rival Call of Duty: Warzone. The launch of REDSEC drove Battlefield 6 to over 500,000 concurrent players on Steam within 48 hours.

In response, Activision temporarily made Black Ops 6 multiplayer and zombies modes free to play until November 3, offering players a chance to re-engage with the series ahead of Black Ops 7’s release.

While Battlefield 6 may currently hold the edge in pre-orders and player enthusiasm, the long-established Call of Duty empire has proven time and again that its dominance is not easily challenged. Whether Battlefield can maintain this momentum or if Call of Duty reclaims the crown will be one of 2025’s most intriguing gaming rivalries.

What are your thoughts? Could Battlefield finally dethrone Call of Duty, or is this just a temporary lead before Activision’s juggernaut strikes back?