Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Multiplayer Modes Detailed

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War releases Nov. 13 and fans are excited to jump into all of the multiplayer modes the game has to offer.

In the newest addition of this series, there are playlists for every type of player to choose from and enjoy. You want high kill games? Head over to Domination and get after it. More of a team player? There are plenty of places to get your fix in Black Ops Cold War.

Below will be a run down of all the multiplayer playlists and their objectives.

Team Deathmatch

Eliminate opponents and reach the designated number of kills. / Photo By Activision

The instant classic. Players team up and compete against each other on a wide variety of maps. The goal is fairly simple. Slay out. There are two ways to leave the game mode with a win: achieve the designated number of kills, or be ahead when the 10-minute time limit expires.

Kill Confirmed

Building right off Team Deathmatch is Kill Confirmed. The goal of eliminating opponents remains the same with an extra twist. Once an opponent is eliminated, Dog Tags will appear over the body.

Collecting these Tags is the objective. Kills will not be counted unless you and your teammates collect every Red Tag that appears on the map. If a teammate falls next to you, collecting their Blue Tag will prevent the enemy team from grabbing more points.

Domination

Secure the flags and let the points pile. / Photo By Activision

One of the longest-standing modes in the Call of Duty series. Kills are always fun and satisfying in any mode, but they will not help you leave victorious. This mode is all about securing flags and holding various points throughout the map.

Three flags are placed throughout every map. One will be right off your team's spawn, another by your opponent's spawn, and then the third will be somewhere in the middle. Teams will make progress towards capturing these flags by standing right over them. The more teammates standing around the flag, the faster it will be captured.

Points will be tallied every few seconds your team has a flag. This process can go faster if you were to control more flags.

Hardpoint

Hardpoint is all about rotation, get to the next hill before your opponent. / Photo By Activision

A slight variation of Domination. Teams will be expected to control only a single capture point. A Hardpoint - also known as a "hill" - will rotate around the map every 60 seconds through a set number of areas.

Teams can start racking up points by staying inside of the hill without enemies nearby. For every second that goes by while controlling a hill, your team will be rewarded with a point. This process will stop if you leave the hill or an opponent contests the location.

Free-for-All

This action-packed mode is simple. There are no objectives and no teammates. The same rules as Deathmatch apply, just now it is solo.

Search and Destroy

One of the OG multiplayer modes, Search and Destroy is back! / Photo By Activision

This is another OG game mode in Call of Duty. Search and Destroy is a round-based game mode where teams will alternate attacking and defending two bomb sites throughout the map.

Attackers have to plant a bomb while defenders aim to keep the two sites uncontested. If the explosive goes down, defenders have a short time period to defuse it before it explodes.

The caveat is that you only receive one life in each round. If you are eliminated, you have to watch your teammates compete before being able to hop back in at the conclusion of the round.

Control

Up against a 90 second time limit, complete the objective and secure a win. / Photo By Activision

One of the newest additions, Control has only appeared in one Call of Duty game prior to Black Ops Cold War. First introduced in Black Ops 4, the round-based mode is back in its same form this time around.

Similar to Search and Destroy, there are 90 seconds on the clock as teams look to attack and defend to capture points on the map. If you're on the attacking side, your job is to push into the capture side, eliminate opponents, and hold the target area.

Securing one of the locations will add time to your clock so that you can focus on the last remaining target. If both sides are secured, your team will win that round before swapping sides.

If you are on the defensive, eliminate your opponents and keep them away from the two objectives. This will likely mean splitting your team in two so that defenders can cover both areas of the map.

VIP Escort

Protect your VIP at all costs and get them to one of the two exfil sites. / Photo By Activision

Making its debut in Black Ops Cold War, VIP Escort makes one player on your team a high-value target. In this round-based mode, one team will load into the map with a randomly assigned VIP. This player must be protected at all costs.

VIPs have to safely get to one of two exfiltration points on the map. If they make it there without harm, your team will win the round. Teams can also secure a round win by eliminating all opponents as all players only get one life per round.

If you are on the side without a VIP, your goal is to stop the enemy VIP at all costs. Eliminating the other opponents will help you out, but you can still lose if the VIP makes it to the exfil site. The first team to claim three rounds will be the winner.

Combined Arms: Assault

Vehicles are making their way into multiplayer modes. / Photo By Activision

If you are a team-player, this mode will be right in your wheelhouse. Instead of the traditional Ground War, bigger team-based modes have been split into the Combined Arms variety.

Assault drops you into 12-v-12 action with a single neutral capture point in the middle of the map. If you rush to claim it first, it will then spawn a new capture point further towards the opposing team's base. The overall objective is to capture every point on the way to claiming the enemy base.

Combined Arms: Domination

First team to capture flags and score 400 points will win. / Photo By Activision

Another 12-v-12 setup, Combined Arms: Domination raises the stakes from the standard version of the mode. Instead of playing on typical multiplayer maps, this mode drops players into bigger maps with vehicles.

Because of the size of the map, more flags will be placed and the time in the mode will be extended. The first team to claim 400 points wins.

Fireteam: Dirty Bomb

Dirty Bomb is the biggest multiplayer available. / Photo By Activision

The largest scale multiplayer mode available in the game, Fireteam: Dirty Bomb is a brand new experience for 40 players. Ten teams of four will be dispersed throughout the biggest maps in the game with multiple unique objectives to focus on.

Uranium is everything in Dirty Bomb. Opening chests and eliminating opponents will drop Uranium for players to collect. Once maxed out, players will need to deposit it all into the closest bomb site. With enough loaded in, the Dirty Bomb will cause a wave of radiation to spread across the map, wiping out any players caught in the radius.

As players collect Uranium, eliminate opponents, and detonate bomb sites, your team will rack up points. The first team to hit the designated point total will walk away as the overall winner.

Gunfight

Two kills is all it takes to win a round. / Photo By Activision

Last, but definitely not least, Gunfight will soon be back in Black Ops Cold War for some 2-v-2 action. This mode features duos competing against one another on some of the smallest maps in the game.

Two kills are all it takes to claim the round and move on to the next. However, guns swap every two rounds, so mastery will be a necessity.