Black Ops 2 Players Urge Others to Diversify Map Votes: “It’s Frustrating and Nearly Unplayable”

Earlier this month, PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 versions of 2010’s Call of Duty: Black Ops and its 2012 sequel, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, hit the market. Despite being premium ports with additional paid content, both titles have gained immense popularity among players. From my own experience and observations online, it seems that around 90 percent of matches in Black Ops 2 on PS4 and PS5 are played on just a handful of maps.

Nuketown, first introduced in the original Black Ops, has solidified its status as one of the most iconic maps in Call of Duty history, appearing in every Black Ops sequel. This compact map, designed as a mock cul-de-sac for nuclear testing, is known for its fast-paced and chaotic gameplay. While I’ve enjoyed it over the years, it’s clear there are other maps available. Yet, many players diving into Black Ops 2 on PS4 and PS5 seem either unaware or indifferent, consistently voting for Nuketown or other favorites like Raid and Hijacked. This repetitive choice is starting to frustrate a lot of gamers.

“I’m sick of playing Nuketown every game,” one player expressed on a community forum.

So you enter a COD lobby, see a variety of fun maps and modes, and still opt for Team Deathmatch on Nuketown?

“I’ve been loving that they brought BO1 and BO2 to current-gen PlayStation, but man… I’ve just hit first prestige, and there’s one thing that’s seriously killing the experience. If the map vote isn’t Nuketown, Hijacked, or Raid, everyone just votes Random, and the second a less popular map gets picked, half the lobby backs out,” another player shared. “It’s getting really frustrating. Since Black Ops 2 on PS5 launched, I think I’ve only played maps like Studio or Uplink once or twice because nobody sticks around.”

These frustrations are echoed by many players who are tired of the same limited selection of maps being played repeatedly. A quick look online reveals numerous gamers voicing their annoyance. I’ve also seen players leave lobbies when a map other than Hijacked, Raid, or Nuketown is selected. The port doesn’t effectively fill in those gaps when players exit, which only adds to the irritation, often forcing others to vote for these popular maps or choose “random” in hopes of landing on one of the favorites to keep the lobby intact.

A lot of frustrated players are urging fans of Nuketown and Hijacked to try the NukeJacked playlist in Black Ops 2, which is dedicated solely to those two maps. However, those who enjoy Nuketown and Hijacked often shy away from that playlist because it includes hardcore modes and various other game types, all in a 9v9 format. What most players repeatedly voting for these maps want is straightforward deathmatch action.

One point I want to clarify is that this isn’t a new issue. Back in 2012, I spent countless hours playing Black Ops 2, and my friends and I would often vote for Nuketown time and again. We were definitely part of the problem, but we loved that map. This tendency has always existed in any Call of Duty game featuring Nuketown or Hijacked. A significant portion of the player base craves those brief moments of chaotic gunplay, and when given the chance to vote for one of these smaller, popular maps, they jump at it. This pattern holds true in 2026 just as it did in 2012, and I suspect it will continue for years to come.