In a stunning reversal, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is losing the pre-order battle to Battlefield 6 by a massive margin. According to Alinea Analytics data, Black Ops 7 sold only 200,000 Steam pre-order copies 18 days before launch, while Battlefield 6 hit nearly 1 million during the same period—a staggering five-to-one advantage for EA’s resurgent shooter.

Pre-Order Battle: The Numbers

Metric	Battlefield 6	Black Ops 7
Steam Pre-Orders (18 days out)	~1 million	~200,000
Steam Wishlists	2.4 million	173rd place ranking
Steam Peak Concurrent	656,000+	491,000 (Black Ops 6, 2022)
First Week Sales Estimate	5 million projected	TBD
Launch Date	October 10, 2025	November 14, 2025
Xbox Game Pass	Not available	Day One (Ultimate tier)

Why Battlefield is Dominating

Battlefield 6 sold close to a million pre-order copies on Steam within 18 days before launch, while Black Ops 7 managed only 200,000. The disparity intensifies when considering Black Ops 7 ranks 173rd on Steam wishlists, trailing even niche titles.

The Battlefield 6 open beta proved transformative, attracting 22-25 million players and converting enthusiasm into sales. The game earned an 84 Metacritic score, maintained over 300,000 concurrent Steam players post-launch, and sold 10 million copies in its first weeks—a remarkable comeback after Battlefield 2042’s disastrous 2021 launch.

Meanwhile, Black Ops 7 faces “a perception problem” according to analysts, with fans criticizing repetitive gameplay and Fortnite-esque cosmetics. The reveal trailer accumulated 120,000 dislikes, signaling significant community backlash.

The Xbox Game Pass Factor

Black Ops 7 will be available on Xbox Game Pass for Ultimate tier subscribers, potentially suppressing direct sales. Microsoft’s recent price increases for Game Pass may reduce the subscriber base, but millions still won’t pre-order because day-one access is guaranteed.

Bloomberg reported Black Ops 6 being a Game Pass title cost $300 million in potential PC and Xbox sales—a pattern likely repeating with Black Ops 7.

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Will Call of Duty Still Win?

Despite pre-order struggles, Call of Duty has an entrenched global audience that purchases the game each year out of habit and brand loyalty, with its casual player base dwarfing Battlefield’s. Analysts believe the sheer reach of Call of Duty’s ecosystem through cross-promotion and platform partnerships guarantees massive sales volume once the game launches.

Black Ops 7 also releases on PS4 and Xbox One—platforms Battlefield 6 skipped—giving access to millions who haven’t upgraded to current-gen consoles. Whether Battlefield’s momentum translates to long-term dominance remains November’s ultimate test.