Every Map in the Black Ops 6 Beta, Ranked

When Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 releases at the end of October, we can expect 16 brand-new maps across several distinct gameplay modes. The recent open beta gave us a taste of eight of them, and not all were stellar, but neither were any of them bad. We’ll be ranking each map here, separated into two groups: 6v6 and small teams.

All 6v6 Maps in Black Ops 6, Ranked

#5: Scud

Scud’s first and greatest sin is the satellite power position. If a team plays it smart, they can control not only the high ground with tons of hard cover, but also the enemy team’s spawn, regardless of game mode. I was spawn trapped on Scud more times than I care to remember because the enemy had the satellite and kept at least two players on it to help contain and control where I would reenter the map.

Scud also doesn’t follow the traditional three-lane map design philosophy, working more like a circle than a set of lines. Add in lots of changes in elevation and random bits of cover, and I could never get a feel for how the map flowed, no matter how much I played it. It always felt like someone was looking at me, even if I was in a bunker or otherwise behind a wall or three.

Lastly, the map is just ugly to look at. The incessant greys and browns take me back to the mid-2000s era of shooters, and when all the other maps were colorful or at least aesthetically varied, Scud stands out as a dud.

#4: Babylon

The smallest map in Black Ops 6 according to Treyarch is also one of its worst, not only because of its simplicity but also because the game’s spawn logic is borked. There’s not much you can do to make a map of Babylon’s size mechanically interesting to play. While designers did what they could with flanking routes and cover at each of the map’s points of interest, because the omnimovement system exists, you’re almost always one bad spawn away from dying twice in two seconds.

I don’t think Babylon will be the absolute worst map in the game because sometimes I want the unbalanced chaos of an incredibly small map with six players to level weapons, my character, etc. Babylon is more interesting to play than Shipment or other classic tiny maps, so it gets points there, too.

#3: Rewind

Rewind’s biggest problem is how linear it is; linear maps are a spawn trapper’s dream. Flipping spawns, even on Hardpoint, can be challenging unless you and your team make a concerted effort. I do, however, think it plays really well for what it is because it’s big enough to let the flanking routes breathe, and there are enough ways to get from area to area that you never feel like you’re being overly funneled. The video store point of interest at the map’s center is also well laid out, with lots of smartly-placed cover and exit routes. The outside areas give long-range players some room to work while the Jackal PDW and other SMGs and shotguns stick to the close-range spots.

#2: Derelict

Like Rewind, Derelict is a linear map at its core, but unlike Rewind, its three lanes are broken up by tons of cover that create just as many flanking routes. It also has power positions in the burnt-out warehouse and the power station that give good sight to each other and the rest of the map. Derelict’s biggest issue is not its design but rather its spawn logic. I experienced multiple deaths from behind my spawn, and I did the same to others on my own. Other than that, Derelict is a solid map that ticks almost all the boxes about what makes a good Call of Duty map and doesn’t have too many glaring flaws.

#1: Skyline

I like Skyline because it offers a ton of variety. It’s got three levels, multiple points of interest, good flanking routes, defensible but not impregnable objectives, and a great aesthetic. That almost all of the fighting happens in and around the kitchen area is probably its biggest failing, because that means unless you’re playing Domination or Hardpoint and the objective is by the pool, that side of the map is mostly left alone. If there were one more place on the pool side of the map that had value, Skyline would approach Nuketown quality. And that’s a good thing.

All Small Teams Maps in Black Ops 6: Ranked

#3: Gala

Gala’s problem is how powerful control of the center is, especially top middle — the same issue Scud has. I also don’t like how the map flows because, like Scud, it’s kind of a circle, though it sticks to a three-lane format a bit better than its larger, browner cousin. Those lanes are incredibly easy to hold down, and because the spawns are limited to the farthest part of either side, spawn trapping is easy, a trait I think degrades a map’s quality. My distaste probably stems from my inability to figure out the flow on Gala because everything seemed to be happening at once rather than in a sequence of events I could quantify.

#2: Pit

Pit is, despite its mostly grey and brown aesthetic, a map I really enjoy. Its small size belies the amount of gameplay variety present in such a limited space, thanks in large part to the central area having two distinct levels, but without those levels having access to the rest of the map. That Pit is mostly close-quarters tunnels or fights around hard cover, which makes it a more chaotic and energetic experience, but one you can predict with some accuracy, and I prefer those kinds of messes to the design of Gala.

#1: Stakeout

I don’t know that we’ve ever had a Call of Duty map as small as Stakeout. Taking place in just a few rooms of a penthouse apartment, you won’t be spending more than 30 seconds or so per round, because you’re always no more than fifteen feet away from your enemies. And unlike the other two small teams maps, I don’t think you’ll ever play 6v6 Face Off on Stakeout. People would be tripping over each other just to move.

Stakeout is, however, my favorite small teams map because it’s got a ton of gameplay opportunities packed into its small package. There are only so many tricks you can play with such a tiny space, but Treyarch ekes out as much as they can, and it works surprisingly well.

Those are my rankings for the eight maps we could play during the Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 beta. We’ll update this list when the full game launches and we have access to all the maps. In the meantime, check out our Black Ops 6 guides hub for other content we experienced during the beta.