The latest Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 update has arrived just in time for the holidays, bringing festive events, experience boosts, and new weekly challenges. However, the highly anticipated trailer or teaser for Season 1 Reloaded has not been released yet. Around this time last year, the official Squid Game event trailer was revealed on December 25, even while the developers were on break. This year, no such update has appeared. Normally, when a video is scheduled for release, it shows up as a private upload in Call of Duty’s YouTube playlists, but there are currently no private videos listed. This suggests that no new content reveals are planned during the holidays, and players can likely expect announcements after the team returns in early January, possibly around the 2nd or 3rd CoD BO7 Boosting service.
One fun addition to this update is the return of the so-called “Christmas noobs,” a long-standing community term for new players who join during the holiday season. The developers even released an in-game message welcoming newcomers and encouraging them to practice at the firing range to improve quickly. This message brings back nostalgia from older titles like Black Ops 2, when skill-based matchmaking was less strict and veteran players often encountered true beginners. With the current system being somewhat looser, there’s once again a real chance to run into new players in public matches.
Another major part of this update is an extended triple XP event that will last for more than a week. It began at 10 a.m. on December 26 and will continue until January 2, 2026. During this period, players will earn double player XP, double weapon XP, and double GobbleGum earn rates. The only missing bonus this time is double Battle Pass XP. Extending this event over eight days makes perfect sense, as many players are on holiday break and have more time to grind for ranks, weapons, and unlocks before the new year begins.
In terms of gameplay modes, the playlist remains unchanged from the regular Season 1 rotation. Core and party modes such as Sleighjacked 24/7, Nuketown 24/7, Face Off Moshpit, and various Hardcore options are still available. The developers have not made any official announcements about playlist adjustments, which suggests that the rotation will stay the same until the Season 1 Reloaded update arrives.
The fourth week of seasonal challenges is now live, offering fresh objectives and the opportunity to work toward unlocking the new “Feeding Time” camo, which will become available after completing both week four and week five challenges. Players can complete six challenges across any combination of modes, including multiplayer, Zombies, or co-op. Most of these objectives are simple and can be completed naturally while playing, though a few zombie-specific tasks—like getting Mangler Cannon kills or launcher eliminations—may take some extra effort.
This week’s exclusive reward is the Redwell Shade-X Suppressor, a new attachment for assault rifles that was advertised as improving recoil control. However, community tests suggest that the difference is minimal. Statistically, the attachment reduces recoil by about 11% but comes with a 15% range penalty and a 13% loss in bullet velocity—drawbacks that make it less useful for Warzone, where range and velocity are key. Experts from the CODMunity and Warzone Meta recommend avoiding it in competitive modes, suggesting instead the Recoil Springs attachment, which reduces recoil by 10% with no downsides. Players who prefer multiplayer or Zombies might still try the new suppressor, as its penalties are less impactful in those modes.
This holiday update offers players a mix of nostalgic touches, steady progression opportunities, and minor rewards to enjoy through the end of the year. Even without a new trailer or event reveal, the extended XP boosts and new challenges keep the game active and engaging. Fans can look forward to more major announcements and new content as the developers return from their break in early January 2026.
