You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here Contents hide The Call of Duty franchise is one of the biggest in the gaming industry. Throughout the years, Activisions shooter series has peaked and troughed with player counts varying every year. While the Black Ops 6 cycle began on the front foot with millions mastering Omnimovement and completing the Easter Eggs within Zombies maps, the games launch success appears to be failing to result in long-term engagement. As the first season of Treyarchs 2024 release comes to an end, the number of issues impacting players has continued much to their annoyance. As the start of Season 2 moves into view, Call of Dutys player count has continued to drop to levels that were last seen during the Modern Warfare 3 cycle.The decline of Call of DutyWith the Squid Game collaboration managing to miss the mark with its unnecessary paid event pass, Steams player count has dropped a further 7% over the last 30 days according to Steamcharts. During the month of December, the game dropped its player count by 46% despite the gamers having far more free time during the holidays.Call of Dutys steep decline in players has continued since Black Ops 6 launched in late 2024. Throughout December and the last 30 days, the player count has dropped a total of 50% making it the largest slump since January 2023 where 2022s Modern Warfare 2 had hit rock bottom.The root cause of players deciding against playing Call of Duty is due to the lack of anti-cheat measures. Whether its casual or competitive matches, the chances of encountering a player gaining an unfair advantage are significantly higher than intended.Can Call of Duty recover?Season 2 has already promised the arrival of better anti-cheat to prevent hackers from ruining the action in both multiplayer and Warzone. While this is positive news and a step in the right direction, it could be too late to recover the dwindling numbers.Black Ops 6s player count peaked at 313,313 shortly after launch and has struggled to maintain them. With half of Steams numbers gone, is it possible a fresh season armed with new content and less hackers can recover the situation? Only time will tell.For more Call of Duty, check out the best C9 loadout along with all of the active promos featuring plenty of exclusive content.Subscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share