If you’ve played Call of Duty long enough, you can usually tell within the first two minutes of a match how it’s going to feel. Not whether you’ll win or lose – but whether you’re about to lean forward in your chair and lock in… or relax, mess around with a weird loadout, and just enjoy yourself. For a lot of players, Call of Duty Black Ops 7 brought back a feeling that had quietly gone missing for years. Matches felt looser. Less tense. And the reason most players point to? The dialing back of strict skill-based matchmaking.
This isn’t about dunking on SBMM entirely. It has its place. But Black Ops 7 seems to have found a middle ground – one that reminds people why they fell in love with multiplayer shooters in the first place. If you want to experience this new version of matchmaking yourself, remember, you can buy CoD accounts from PlayHub to get some great deals!
Let’s talk about why that change mattered, how it actually plays out in real matches, and why so many players say the game simply feels better because of it.
The Old Problem: When Every Match Felt Like Work
In recent Call of Duty titles, a familiar rhythm set in. You’d have a decent game – maybe you popped off, went on a streak, and felt sharp. And then the next match? Suddenly you’re sweating. Every corner is pre-aimed. Every gunfight feels razor-thin. You’re punished for doing well.
That’s the version of SBMM players grew tired of.
It wasn’t just about losing. Losing happens. It was the constant pressure. The sense that the game was watching, adjusting, nudging you into harder and harder lobbies until casual play stopped being casual.
People didn’t complain because they wanted easy wins. They complained because variety disappeared.
Older Call of Duty games thrived on unpredictability. One match might be chaos. Another might be tight and competitive. Another might be pure silliness – riot shields, pistols, someone blasting music through their mic. That randomness gave multiplayer its personality.
Strict SBMM flattened all of that.
What Black Ops 7 Does Differently
With Call of Duty Black Ops 7, the matchmaking still exists – but it’s less aggressive. Instead of recalculating your skill level after every good or bad match, the system seems to take a wider view.
What does that mean in practice?
- Lobbies feel more mixed
- Skill levels vary more from player to player
- You don’t instantly “pay” for a strong performance
- Sessions feel smoother, not exhausting
You can feel it almost immediately. The pacing is different. One match might be competitive. The next one might be relaxed. Then maybe you get stomped. Then you bounce back.
That ebb and flow matters more than people realize.
The Return of the “One More Match” Feeling
Here’s something players don’t always articulate clearly, but they feel it: exhaustion.
In hyper-tuned SBMM environments, even short sessions wear you down. You’re locked in the entire time. Your shoulders tense up. You stop experimenting because every mistake costs you.
Black Ops 7 eases that pressure.
You can try a new weapon without feeling like you’re throwing the match. You can chase camo challenges. You can play objective one game and slay the next. And when you have a good match, the game doesn’t immediately slap your hand.
That’s where the “just one more match” mindset comes back. Not because you’re chasing a win – but because the experience itself stays enjoyable.
Mixed Lobbies Bring Back Personality
One underrated side effect of looser matchmaking is how much personality returns to multiplayer.
In Black Ops 7, you’ll see:
- Newer Call of Duty accounts figuring things out
- Veterans messing around with odd builds
- Highly skilled players popping off – but not every single match
- Players who clearly aren’t playing at full sweat mode
That mix creates moments you remember. A ridiculous final killcam. A clutch objective play from someone you didn’t expect. A match where half the lobby is laughing and the other half is trying way too hard.
Those moments were rare in stricter SBMM systems because everyone was roughly at the same skill level, playing the same way, using the same meta setups.
Variety is fun. Black Ops 7 leans into that again.
Competitive Players Still Get Their Space
One of the biggest misconceptions around easing SBMM is that it somehow “ruins” competitive play. In reality, Call of Duty Black Ops 7 separates the experiences better.
If you want serious competition, ranked modes and competitive playlists still exist. That’s where tight skill matching makes sense. That’s where players expect every gunfight to matter.
Public matches, on the other hand, serve a different purpose. They’re the playground. The testing ground. The place where Call of Duty has always shined as a social shooter.
Black Ops 7 doesn’t eliminate competition – it just stops forcing it on everyone all the time.
Better Sessions, Not Just Better Matches
Here’s something subtle but important: matchmaking affects how long people play, not just how each match feels.
With strict SBMM, many players noticed a pattern. They’d hop on, play a few matches, hit a wall, and log off frustrated. Not angry – just done.
Black Ops 7 stretches those sessions out.
You might have a rough match, but the next one doesn’t feel like punishment. You might do well without immediately being escalated into a nightmare lobby. That emotional balance keeps people engaged longer.
It’s not about winning more. It’s about not feeling mentally drained.
Nostalgia, Yes – but Not Blind Nostalgia
Some critics brush off praise for Black Ops 7’s matchmaking as nostalgia bait. “People just miss the old days,” they say.
But this isn’t about recreating 2010 exactly.
Modern players are better. Faster. More informed. The game still accounts for that. What’s changed is the rigidity. The system bends a little now. It breathes.
That flexibility is what older Call of Duty games had naturally – before algorithms tightened everything down.
Black Ops 7 doesn’t go backward. It recalibrates.
Why This Matters for the Future of Call of Duty
Matchmaking is one of those invisible systems players only notice when it goes wrong. When it works, you stop thinking about it altogether.
The positive reaction to Black Ops 7 sends a clear message: players don’t want matchmaking removed. They want it relaxed. Humanized. Less punitive.
If future Call of Duty titles follow this approach – strong ranked modes paired with more organic public matchmaking – it could mark a real shift in how the franchise balances accessibility and fun.
And honestly? That balance is overdue.
FAQs
Is skill-based matchmaking completely removed in Black Ops 7?
No. SBMM still exists, but it’s less aggressive and less reactive than in some previous entries.
Why does looser SBMM feel better to many players?
Because it brings back variety, reduces constant pressure, and allows players to experiment without being punished every match.
Does this make matches unfair for new players?
Not really. New Call of Duty accounts still benefit from matchmaking protections, but they’re less likely to be locked into narrow skill brackets forever.
Is competitive play still available in Black Ops 7?
Yes. Ranked and competitive modes still offer tightly matched games for players who want that experience.
Does looser matchmaking mean easier games overall?
Not really. It means more varied games – some easier, some harder, some unpredictable.
Will future Call of Duty games keep this system?
That depends on player feedback, but the positive response to Black Ops 7 suggests this approach has strong support.
Wrapping Up
The change to matchmaking in Call of Duty Black Ops 7 isn’t flashy. There’s no menu toggle screaming about it. No dramatic announcement every time you load in.
You just feel it.
You feel it when you’re not exhausted after three matches. When you laugh at a chaotic lobby instead of groaning. When it doesn’t feel like every lobby was a mini esports qualifier.
Sometimes the best improvements aren’t about adding more – they’re about easing off just enough to let the game breathe again.
And in Black Ops 7, that breath makes all the difference.
