Nick Cage Takes Over Call of Duty’s Summer of Action in Season 04 Reloaded

Call of Duty is turning its mid-season update into a full-scale action spectacle. Season 04 Reloaded for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Call of Duty: Warzone launches on June 25, bringing new multiplayer maps, a major Endgame operation, a new Round-Based Zombies experience, fresh Warzone challenges, and a crossover event led by Nick Cage.

The new Summer of Action trailer frames the update like a blockbuster trailer for a reason. Its central message is that every second matters, and one larger-than-life figure is ready to answer the call. Nick Cage is not merely appearing in promotional material: he is becoming part of the season through a dedicated Event Pass with an Operator, an additional Operator Skin, weapons, cosmetics, and premium rewards.

Season 04 Reloaded is therefore not a small balance patch or a narrow content refresh. It is a major mid-season package designed to affect every core Black Ops 7 and Warzone experience at once.

Nick Cage leads a new Event Pass packed with weapons and cosmetics

The biggest headline of the Summer of Action update is the arrival of Nick Cage.

Players will be able to unlock him through the new Nick Cage Event Pass, which includes both free and premium reward tracks. The free track features the new AN-94 Assault Rifle, the Executioner’s Duet melee weapon, Operator Skins for Samuels and Grimm, XP rewards, a weapon charm, an animated emblem, and other cosmetic items.

The premium reward track is where the event’s main crossover content appears. It includes the new Nick Cage Operator, an alternate Unlimited Nick Cage Operator Skin, a Peacekeeper MK1 weapon blueprint, a Jäger 45 pistol blueprint, a Finishing Move, an Emote, a Gunscreen, a HUD Theme, and several other themed cosmetics.

This makes the collaboration more substantial than a simple store bundle. Nick Cage is positioned as the central face of the update, with an event structure that allows players to progress through rewards across multiple modes.

The approach also fits Call of Duty’s long history of pulling larger-than-life entertainment figures into its seasonal content. However, the Summer of Action framing gives this release a particularly direct connection to Cage’s public image as an action and cult-film icon.

Black Ops 7 receives new maps, returning classics, and Operation King Killer

Season 04 Reloaded adds new content across Black Ops 7 Multiplayer and Endgame.

For Multiplayer, the update introduces Zenith, a new medium-sized map built for 6v6 and 2v2 combat, alongside a remastered version of Launch from the original Call of Duty: Black Ops. Launch returns players to the Russian rocket facility, where the rocket is moved into position as the match develops.

The update also makes Black Ops Classic a permanent mode. From June 25, players can access Launch, Fringe, Hacienda, and Gridlock within the mode’s expanded map rotation.

Outside traditional Multiplayer, the new Endgame chapter is Operation King Killer. The operation sends players into higher-level Avalon zones to locate and destroy the Guild’s Central Command Node. It introduces ten escalating challenges, a new Prime Target Glitch encounter, and rewards that include Weapon Camos, XP Tokens, a Weapon Blueprint, Calling Cards, and more.

Season 04 Reloaded also adds the Guardian Skill Track, designed around front-line durability, damage resistance, resource drops, and support-oriented revives. A new Psych Grenade joins it as a Minor Ability, creating a lingering hallucinogenic cloud intended to disrupt enemy groups and choke points.

Kowakujō brings a volcanic Japanese castle to Zombies

Zombies players are getting one of the biggest additions in the entire update: Kowakujō.

The new Round-Based Zombies map is set in a feudal Japanese castle surrounded by lava, volcanic terrain, and Dark Aether corruption. The setting is built around a fractured version of Takeo Masaki’s home, where the crew must continue its search for the final Shadowsmith and recover the World Seed.

Kowakujō introduces new enemy threats, including the supernatural Oni, fire-drenched Hellhounds, and Scorched Zombies. The map also features rivers of lava that can damage and slow players, while also affecting enemies caught in the environment.

The update adds a new Wonder Weapon, though its exact form remains classified in the official reveal. Players can also use the new Hellping Hound GobbleGum, which summons a Hellhound ally to assist against the undead.

A new Main Quest will be available when the map launches, offering the Purified Takeo Operator Skin, Calling Cards, XP, and a special additional Calling Card variant for players who complete the quest before Directed Mode arrives.

For Zombies fans, Kowakujō is not a side activity. It is one of Season 04 Reloaded’s core pillars, combining a new location, lore progression, enemy types, environmental hazards, mastery challenges, and a fresh Wonder Weapon hunt.

Warzone raises the pressure with Champion’s Quest and new ranked events

Warzone is also getting its own major Season 04 Reloaded focus.

The mid-season update brings back Champion’s Quest to Core Battle Royale, giving high-level squads another path to prove they can complete one of Warzone’s most demanding objectives. The mode is positioned as an elite challenge rather than a standard match feature, reinforcing the update’s blockbuster action theme through higher-risk gameplay.

Season 04 Reloaded also introduces a new Warzone Ranked Series Event, built around 50-player leaderboards. Players can earn Emblems, Weapon Camos, a Weapon Charm, and a Large Decal by securing ranked wins and pushing for stronger placements.

The wider Summer of Action event adds a Daily Login reward track across Endgame, Multiplayer, Zombies, and Warzone. Players can claim Tier Skips, Double XP Tokens, Calling Cards, Stickers, Emblems, and the Catharsis X9 Maverick Assault Rifle Weapon Blueprint simply by logging in during the event.

That makes the update useful even for players who are not immediately chasing the Nick Cage Event Pass. There are multiple progression routes spread across the game’s major modes.

What this means for Call of Duty players

For fans of Black Ops 7, Season 04 Reloaded is a major content reset rather than a lightweight midpoint update.

Multiplayer players receive a new map, a remastered classic, additional modes, and a permanent Black Ops Classic expansion. Endgame players gain a new operation, a Guardian-focused progression path, and more rewards tied to high-level Avalon content.

For Zombies players, Kowakujō is the central reason to return. The new Round-Based map combines a distinct Japanese castle setting with volcanic hazards, a fresh quest, supernatural enemy types, and more long-term unlocks.

For Warzone players, the return of Champion’s Quest and the new Ranked Series Event offer more competitive objectives beyond standard Battle Royale progression.

And for collectors, the Nick Cage Event Pass is the main attraction. The free track includes two new weapons, while the premium path offers the crossover Operator and a substantial package of themed rewards.

Summer of Action is Call of Duty at full blockbuster volume

Season 04 Reloaded is leaning hard into spectacle, and that is exactly the point.

Call of Duty has always understood how to sell a mid-season update as an event rather than a maintenance patch. This time, the formula is built around Nick Cage, a new Zombies map inside a volcanic castle, a high-stakes Endgame operation, returning Black Ops locations, and a fresh Warzone challenge.

The result is an update that wants every mode to feel louder, bigger, and more dramatic.

When Summer of Action launches on June 25, players will have plenty of ways to join the chaos. Whether you are unlocking Nick Cage, fighting through Kowakujō, chasing Champion’s Quest, or dropping into Launch for another classic Black Ops battle, Season 04 Reloaded is arriving with one clear objective: make the summer explode.