What’s new in Black Ops Cold War Season 1: maps, weapons, modes

Andrew Amos
Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War Season 1 gameplay

Black Ops Cold War Season 1 is finally here, and Call of Duty players are bracing themselves. All of the new content was shown off at the Game Awards, and it’s an early Christmas present for all on December 16.

Black Ops Cold War Season 1 is pushing a bunch of huge changes to the base game, Warzone, and more. Dropping on December 16, it’s going to be one hell of a Christmas present for Call of Duty players.

If you thought a lot was coming, be prepared to have your expectations blown away. Eight new maps, five new weapons, six new game modes, and that’s only considering the base game. Here’s a rundown of everything that’s landed this week.

Black Ops Cold War Season 1 roadmap

Eight new maps

There’s a whole bunch of new battlegrounds to test your mettle on coming in Black Ops Cold War Season 1. Even ignoring Warzone’s Rebirth Island, there’s eight new maps across a variety of game modes.

With the release of Gunfight in Season 1, four fresh maps are making an entry purely for the gamemode: Game Show, ICBM, KGB, and U-Bahn.

Raid in Black Ops Cold WarBlack Ops Cold War Season 1 is filled with old favorites as well as entirely new content.

There’s three 6v6 maps too, including some old favorites. Raid, a staple of the Black Ops titles, has made its way back. The Pines and Nuketown ‘84 Holiday have also been added, with the latter putting a festive spin ⁠— albeit a deadly one ⁠— on the popular map.

Keen to jump into Fireteam? There’s a new map titled Sanatorium. Based in the Ural Plans, it centers around a “hotel” which players have to fight around, and for.

Groza gameplay in Black Ops Cold War
The Groza is an all-new AR added this season.

Five new weapons

No matter if you prefer SMGs, ARs, or shotguns, there’s a new weapon for you in Black Ops Cold War Season 1.

The MAC 10 SMG features “moderate damage…and improved handling speeds,” and can be unlocked through the Season 1 battle pass. The same goes for the Groza assault rifle “with excellent handling speeds and solid damage.”

The Streetsweeper boasts the fastest fire rate of any shotgun, and is “designed to clear out rooms of multiple foes.” There’s also two new melees in the chunky Sledgehammer and the more discreet Wakizashi.

You can earn these weapons by completing a related challenge, or by purchasing a bundle with a blueprint from the weapon family when it drops in-game.

Stitch in Black Ops Cold War
Stitch is the biggest new Operator in Season One.

Three new Operators

There are three new Operators from two different factions that have arrived in the new update too. Stitch, the Russian Warsaw Pact member, is the headline act: fitting considering he’s just been installed back at Rebirth Island.

Bulldozer and Zeyna are two NATO Operators that are coming later in Season 1 too.

New game modes

Six new game modes ⁠— both fun and serious ⁠— are coming in Black Ops Cold War. Top of the list for most would be the fan-favorite Prop Hunt game mode. A staple of previous titles, the party mode will be a hit over the holiday season.

Gunfight is also making its entry into Black Ops Cold War. There are four new 2v2 maps for the gamemode, and it runs the same as the Modern Warfare version.

Prop Hunt in Black Ops Cold War
Prop Hunt is returning in Black Ops Cold War Season 1.

Combined Arms: Hardpoint is going to double the amount of players in a match to 12v12, while Dropkick is going to be a fast, frantic game of suitcase football.

Plus, if you’re more into Zombies, there two modes for you: Cranked and Jingle Hells. The latter is obviously Christmas-themed, while Cranked requires balance between mowing down enemies, and waiting too long for the next horde.

Black Ops Cold War Season 1 drops on December 16.

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About The Author

Hailing from Perth, Andrew was formerly Dexerto's Australian Managing Editor. They love telling stories across all games and esports, but they have a soft spot for League of Legends and Rainbow Six. Oh, and they're also fascinated by the rise of VTubers.