Call of Duty Black Ops 7 PC requirements — are they surprisingly low... or a graphics card killer?

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is set to launch on November 14 on console and PC, so ahead of that, it's prudent to ensure your rig can cope.

The good news is that, as in previous years, the 2025 release of Call of Duty is fairly light on its hardware needs.

It's also the first Call of Duty to launch in a world where Microsoft has a direct hand in the handheld gaming PC space, so what about going mobile? Here's everything you need to know.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 full system requirements

For the most part, if you can run Black Ops 6, you'll be able to run Black Ops 7. There are some slight differences, though, mostly if you're using Intel or NVIDIA graphics.

For AMD GPU users, the requirements are the same, likewise the CPU and RAM. The minimum required VRAM has stepped up a little for Black Ops 7, though.

Good news, however, for your storage. For Black Ops 7 it seems Activision has finally learned how not to make the game ridiculously large and bloated, needing around half as much space as Black Ops 6 with everything installed.

Here's a full breakdown of Black Ops 7's PC requirements and how it compares to Black Ops 6.

One important point you need to remember is that for Black Ops 7 you'll be required to have TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot enabled on your PC. This isn't optional, as it's a requirement of the improved Ricochet anticheat system.

In the beta, Activision claimed a 99% success rate with the upgraded version of Ricochet, which, needless to say, is music to Call of Duty players' ears.

If you need to get ahead of this, we have a full guide on enabling TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot so you're ready to roll.

What about handheld gaming PCs such as the Xbox Ally and Steam Deck?

The good news is that Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 should be playable on most handheld gaming PCs. The bad news is that the Steam Deck is not one of them.

Because of the Ricochet anticheat system, which is not compatible with Linux, the Steam Deck will not be able to play Black Ops 7. In this case, your only solution is to use the cloud, either with NVIDIA GeForce Now or Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Windows 11-powered handheld gaming PCs should be OK, though. We'll have to wait and see on lower-performance options such as the base model Xbox Ally, but anything using an AMD Z1 Extreme or the newer Z2 Extreme, such as the Legion Go 2 or Xbox Ally X, should be fine.

I played many, many hours of Black Ops 6 on the original ASUS ROG Ally, and it was easily able to hit 60 FPS by turning down the graphics settings. You will have access to frame gen, which isn't always ideal in multiplayer scenarios, but it's also not absolutely horrible. The best bet is to play around with it and see how it feels to you.

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There's still an opportunity to grab some Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription time at its older price of $19.99 per month, so if you need it, the time is very much now.

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