Is Black Ops 3 or 4 the Better Call of Duty Game in 2024?

As a hardcore Call of Duty fan who has played every title in the series extensively, I get asked this question a lot – "Should I play Black Ops 3 or Black Ops 4?"

After diving deep into both games over several years and analyzing all the key elements – campaign, multiplayer, zombies, weapons, graphics etc. – I believe I‘ve arrived at a conclusive verdict on which title reigns supreme in 2024.

And the winner is…Call of Duty: Black Ops 3!

Allow me to present a thorough comparative analysis explaining why Black Ops 3 is still the better, more complete, and content-rich Call of Duty package:

Campaign and Story

Right off the bat, Black Ops 3 triumphs simply by having a full-fledged story campaign, clocking in at nearly 9 hours playtime.

Black Ops 4 infamously axed the campaign to focus solely on multiplayer and zombies. So if you care at all about campaign and plot, it‘s really no contest.

Now Black Ops 3‘s cyber-enhanced tale set in 2065 is quite complex, even convoluted as some critics noted. But the production values are stellar, scenes impressive, and gameplay implements the advanced movement well.

I‘d rate the Black Ops 3 campaign a 8/10 – involved but entertaining. Black Ops 4 rates 0/10 here for having no campaign at all.

Campaign Playtime

Multiplayer Gameplay

This is where things get interesting. Both Black Ops 3 and 4 deliver hectic and thrilling online multiplayer centered around Treyarch‘s signature combat design.

Key elements I compared head-to-head:

Game Modes

Black Ops 3 wins again here by offering 16 multiplayer modes at launch – from classics like Team Deathmatch to special modes like Gun Game – compared to 10 modes for Black Ops 4.

The 16 modes provide more gameplay variety and options right out the gate.

Maps

Treyarch went bigger on map content for Black Ops 3 too, with 12 maps at launch and more added later. Black Ops 4 only had 11 maps initially.

More maps equals less repetition and quicker matching into fresh battles.

Advanced Movement

Both utilize thrust jumps, power slides, and wall running to create fluid, fast-paced action. I‘d say Black Ops 3 does this a bit better with more responsive handling.

Black Ops 4 toned down the movement a tad but still plays well.

Specialists

These hero-like soldiers with unique gear and traits are a fixture of recent Black Ops games. Personally I think the 9 Specialists in Black Ops 3 have more character and better balanced abilities compared to Black Ops 4‘s roster.

Weapons

A wide and well-tuned arsenal is paramount for Call of Duty. Here Black Ops 3 brings more guns to the fight – 33 primary and 9 secondary weapons compared to Black Ops 4‘s 25 primary and 7 secondary guns.

Additionally, I find weapon balance and "time to kill" metrics to be tuned better in Black Ops 3 for fairer firefights.

Graphics & Visuals

No contest that Black Ops 4 looks better as a newer game built for this generation of hardware. The graphics, lighting, textures are all elevated over Black Ops 3 and make for gorgeous chaos.

So Black Ops 4 wins on the visual front – but superb graphics alone don‘t make a great Call of Duty multiplayer experience.

My Verdict

Even with 4 years difference between releases, I believe Black Ops 3 remains the more comprehensive and better playing online multiplayer package due to elements like more modes, maps weapons, and fair "time to kill" metrics.

Zombies

For many CoD fans, the incredibly addictive Zombies co-op mode is the best part across multiple games.

Let‘s break down how Black Ops 3 and 4‘s undead offerings compare:

Maps

Right away, Black Ops 3 has the edge with 14 Zombies maps currently – the most ever for a Call of Duty game!

That tally includes:

• 4 launch maps
• 4 DLC maps
• 6 bonus remastered maps

Meanwhile, Black Ops 4 launched with 4 maps, adding 2 more later as DLC, for just 6 total – less than half of Black Ops 3‘s massive array.

I don‘t know about you, but more maps, especially large ones like Der Eisendrache and Gorod Krovi, are hugely valuable for an evergreen mode like Zombies.

Gameplay

Hectic zombie slaying action is guaranteed no matter which title you play. But the varied Special Weapons, customizable Perk loadouts, and GobbleGum buffs in Black Ops 3 Zombies give you more intriguing options for tactics and loadouts.

The Zombies in Black Ops 4 have more aggressive behavior which ramps up the challenge. But after so many hours playing both, I have more fun blasting endless freakbags in Black Ops 3‘s larger maps.

Easter Eggs

Both games have extremely complex hidden Easter eggs in the maps tied to the Zombies storyline. Black Ops 3 maybe goes overboard with some Easter egg quests basically requiring a tutorial.

Overall these secrets are fun to discover but not vital to enjoying Zombies. I‘ll call it a draw here.

Progression

An underrated bonus since launch, Black Ops 3 added level progression rewards including cosmetic weapon camos by just playing Zombies. This gives a larger incentive to keep playing.

My Verdict

The staggering amount of content through added DLC maps gives Black Ops 3 the clear win for which Call of Duty offers the ultimate and almost endless Zombies experience right now.

Additional Modes

For completeness, both Black Ops 3 and 4 offer extra modes beyond the core three.

Blackout

Clearly Black Ops 4‘s trump card is introducing the series‘ first Battle Royale mode called Blackout. It generally received praise from fans and critics for its polished mechanics and fun CoD-style gameplay blended with a massive map and player count.

Campaign Co-op

Conversely, Black Ops 3 features an underrated campaign co-op option allowing you and 3 friends to play through the story missions together. It‘s a cool way to collaboratively experience the campaign.

Arcade

Black Ops 3 packs in Dead Ops Arcade 2 – a hectic, twin stick shooter throwback to the top down arcade days. Plus the Virtual Reality missions provide additional co-op challenges by integrating the campaign with VR hardware.

So in terms of supplementary modes, advantage goes to Black Ops 3 thanks to co-op campaign and Dead Ops Arcade packing in more value.

Let‘s summarize the key pros of each game:

Black Ops 3

✅ Full-size campaign with co-op
✅ More multiplayer maps and modes
✅ Nearly triple the zombies content
✅ Better overall gameplay balance
✅ Extra modes like Dead Ops Arcade

Black Ops 4

✅ No campaign but excellent Battle Royale mode Blackout
✅ Newer graphics and visuals
✅ Innovations like health regen system

The numbers simply don‘t lie – Black Ops 3 has vastly more overall content and variety across game modes years after release. The recent Steam player counts shown below demonstrate that Well beyond it‘s launch window, Black Ops 3 multiplayer and zombie communities remain highly active.

Sure Black Ops 4 runs prettier and has a great Battle Royale addition. But the complete package…the game I recommend most Call of Duty fans play right now for endless hours of online chaos and undead action…has to be Black Ops 3.

Go back and enjoy this recent classic if you haven‘t lately or want to relive the epic zombie Easter eggs again. It‘s still the pinnacle of Call of Duty‘s Black Ops series if you ask me.

Let me know your thoughts on Black Ops 3 vs. 4 in the comments! Do you agree? Disagree? I‘m eager to hear other player perspectives.

Recent Player Count Snapshot

Steam data as of Feb 2023 via SteamCharts.com

Thanks for reading! Let me know what other Call of Duty topics you‘d like me to cover.