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Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 players want you to please stop voting for Nuketown, Hijacked and Raid every match
The recent release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and 2 on PlayStation has brought a surge of new players, and with it a long-standing frustration among the community: the same handful of maps, particularly Nuketown, Hijacked and Raid, being voted for almost every match. A popular Reddit thread highlighted how players repeatedly ignore other maps in favour of these favourites, often voting Random or leaving the lobby entirely if a less popular map is chosen, which many say is harming the overall experience.
Commenters noted that maps such as Takeoff and Uplink are routinely skipped, and even a dedicated "Nukejacked" playlist rotating only Nuketown and Hijacked hasn't solved the problem, since it mixes in unpopular game modes that still prompt players to quit. Nuketown itself has remained the series' most enduringly popular map since its debut in the original Black Ops, valued for its small size and constant action while still accommodating weapons like sniper rifles. The article also notes that, despite their popularity, the new ports have drawn criticism for offering little improvement over the original PS3 versions and for reviving issues such as hacking, though Activision has taken some steps to address the worst cases.
In short
- Black Ops 2 players tire of Nuketown, Hijacked and Raid dominating map votes
- Reddit thread says lobbies empty when unpopular maps get picked instead
- New PS ports are popular but criticised for hacking and few upgrades
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The same few maps dominating every match means players who prefer other maps cannot enjoy the variety they purchased, whilst the voting system becomes self-reinforcing—familiarity breeds preference, and unpopular maps have no chance. A healthy game community benefits when players occasionally vote for less popular options, preserving the map pool's viability and preventing the experience from collapsing into a narrow, eventually stale rotation.
The case against
If certain maps are voted consistently, it is because more players genuinely enjoy them, and the voting system should reflect that authentic preference. Pressuring players to vote for maps they do not want would undermine their agency and choice; respecting what the community democratically prefers is fairer than imposing artificial variety, and players seeking specific maps retain the option of leaving lobbies or finding private matches.
Explained simply
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 has recently been released on PlayStation, bringing both new and returning players to the game. In online multiplayer matches where players vote on which map to play next, the same handful of maps, particularly Nuketown, Hijacked and Raid, are voted for almost constantly, whilst other available maps are routinely overlooked.
When less popular maps come up in voting, many players either select Random or leave the lobby entirely rather than play them. This behaviour means maps like Takeoff and Uplink rarely get selected, which many argue reduces gameplay variety and diminishes the overall experience. Even a dedicated playlist created to rotate only the most popular maps has failed to change this pattern.
Nuketown has been the most popular map in the series since its debut in the original Black Ops game, valued for its small size and constant action, whilst also accommodating a variety of weapons including sniper rifles. With the recent re-release bringing new players alongside veterans, the community's preference for voting for the same handful of maps has become more noticeable to all players.
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