Black Ops 7 Revives Three‑Lane Maps — The Return Fans Have Been Begging For
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is bringing back the series’ older map approach: Treyarch says the game’s maps follow a *classic three-lane design style*. The beta is live, and Treyarch has shared details about map clarity, movement changes, and a mix of new and returning maps.
What Treyarch said
During the Call of Duty NEXT presentation, Brittany Pirello, senior producer on Black Ops 7, described the maps as having the “classic three-lane design style.” You can watch her comment in the Call of Duty NEXT 2025 livestream clip.
Call of Duty NEXT 2025 livestream
What a three-lane map means
In simple terms, a three-lane map gives each team three primary paths from their spawn toward the enemy. These lanes usually include connecting alleys, ladders, windows, and ledges, so they’re not just straight roads. The design breaks a map into readable sections, which helps players learn layout and flow faster.
Historically, many fan-favorite Call of Duty maps used this layout. Examples include Crash, Highrise, Terminal, Firing Range, Summit, Raid, Hijacked, and Standoff. These maps offered multiple play options: tight flanks for run-and-gun players, mid-range sightlines for rifles, and longer routes for snipers.
Why the return matters
For years, Call of Duty map design moved away from three-lane structure as player movement and verticality increased. Consequently, maps began to favor specific playstyles depending on how cramped or vertical they were. Therefore, a return to three-lane design aims to make maps more balanced across weapon types and play approaches.
Importantly, three-lane maps can serve a wide range of players. For instance, a map with clear lanes typically supports SMG players, assault rifle users, and snipers all at once — rather than leaning heavily toward just one class.
Movement, wall-jumping and map design
Black Ops 7 does not use jetpacks, but it does include movement changes that affect map design. The game features a refined omnimovement system introduced in Black Ops 6, wall jumps that can be chained up to three times, and an increased base movement speed. Also, tactical sprint is being removed.
Because of these systems, Treyarch says maps are crafted with wall jump opportunities in mind. As Pirello put it: “We’ve got our classic three-lane design style for Treyarch, clear definition, good path clarity, and really controlling those lines of sight. You can also see that all of the space is crafted for the wall jump; you can traverse places faster without mantling, get into some really cool power positions, and there’s a few must-jumps (gaps you can only clear by wall jumping) we use sparingly. We really wanted to make it feel like anything that looks like you can jump on it, you can.”
Miles Leslie, associate creative director on Black Ops 7, added that the maps have that “classic feel” and that there’s “a lot to love for old-timers.”
Beta details and launch map roster
The Black Ops 7 beta started this week and includes six maps for players to try. At launch, Treyarch plans to ship 16 maps in total. Notably, three Black Ops 2 maps are confirmed to return at launch: Raid, Hijacked, and Express.
For more details on Treyarch’s map goals and design breakdowns, see the studio’s recap on the Call of Duty site.
