Black Ops 3 Zombies: Every Map, Ranked

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 has been one of the most beloved renditions of Call of Duty Zombies, and is constantly brought up in conversations regarding Treyarch’s ultimate peak for the mode. It’s easy to understand why, as with the Season Pass and Zombies Chronicles, Black Ops 3 truly excels at some of the best maps in COD Zombies history.

Black Ops 3 has 14 maps in total, and each of them offers its own unique draw. With returning classics revamped with the eye-popping art style of Black Ops 3, and some innovative maps coming from the Season Pass, it’s time to rank every Zombies map in Black Ops 3 to determine the best of the bunch.

14 Nacht Der Untoten

The Original Zombies Map With Condensed Rooms and No Pack-a-Punch

• You drove them deep into the heart of the Reich. You thought they were dead. You were wrong.
• Available in Zombies Chronicles (DLC)

Nacht Der Untoten is where the Zombies crave began, and it’s poetic to see it return for Black Ops 3. While Nacht is a more complete experience this time thanks to Der Wunderfizz allowing players to purchase Perk-a-Colas, the original horror vibes from the end credits of Call of Duty: World at War presenting Nazi Zombies is something that cannot be replicated.

The challenge of Nacht Der Untoten was to see how far players could survive, but adding crutches and GobbleGums makes it a tad easier, and considering there is just three rooms to roam, there isn’t much to do in terms of the more expansive maps beyond this origin point.

13 Verruckt

An Extremely Creepy Undead Asylum Not For the Claustrophobic

• Electroshock therapy. Chemically engineered beverages. Hordes of undead Nazis. Find the power to unite and send them back to their graves!
• Available in Zombies Chronicles (DLC)

Verruckt is as creepy as it gets by locking players within an abandoned asylum overrun with zombies. Not only do players start separated in co-op games, but they will need to navigate claustrophobic halls against frantic moving undead if they want a chance at turning on the power to receive great prizes that might keep them alive a touch longer.

Verruckt excels at atmosphere and deserves credit for bringing forth further ideas like the power switch and the Perk-a-Cola Machines, but compared to other maps that feature in Black Ops 3, it can still be regarded as a tad basic with not much to do past higher rounds.

12 Shi No Numa

A Division 9 Swamp With Slowing Waters and Randomized Perks

• Maggot ridden corpses. Bug infested swamp. Hundreds of undead Imperial Army. Choose your tactic and defend for your lives!
• Available in Zombies Chronicles (DLC)

Shi No Numa builds on Verruckt’s innovation and expands its map size by providing players with plenty of areas to split up and train in without crowding each other. There’s something scary about Shi No Numa’s atmosphere, and being lost in a swamp with no escape, and seeing the 115 meteor that started it all is a haunting treat.

Inside the map itself, players can enjoy a moving Mystery Box, the dangling corpse of Peter McCaine (which used to insta-kill players in World at War if they knocked him down), and of course, Hellhound Rounds. Shi No Numa is fun and the ability to walk faster in the swampy areas makes for a better flow, but it doesn’t replicate the original feel.

11 Shangri-La

Tight and Deadly Spaces with Special Zombie Variants and Thieving Monkeys

• A legendary shrine lost in an exotic jungle, where the undead lurk within a treacherous labyrinth of underground caverns, deadly traps and dark secrets.
• Available in Zombies Chronicles (DLC)

Whether it’s on Mars or on Earth, this fictional jungle paradise is far from what it seems, and the relentless hordes of zombies are going to make a tropical vacation rather difficult. Shangri-La has a lovely design, and the traps that are woven into the map certainly aid in its immersion but also falter its difficulty.

With the addition of banshee zombies and napalm zombies, Shangri-La can be a tad frustrating, especially in co-op games where everyone needs to step on specific plates to activate Pack-a-Punch each and every time. The remake of Shangri-La also makes some easter egg steps harder, but the plentiful and tropical areas are nice to explore, even if they are a tad tight to train in, but it’s always worth it for the baby gun.

10 The Giant

A Primis Remake of a Beloved Original Which is Perhaps Faithful to a Fault

• Re-awaken The Giant. Return to the secret facility where it all began, and strike at the heart of the zombie scourge.
• Available for Season Pass holders

The Giant’s reveal trailer was truly something special and sent ripples across the Zombies community and the original Ultimis timeline. Stories aside, the map felt refreshing in the gorgeous engine of Black Ops 3, but it also felt somewhat lacking due to how dark the color contrast is and how when paired against Black Ops 3‘s maps, players were spoiled into wanting something more expansive.

The Giant was a remake of Der Riese, and while it’s an absolute classic map, there wasn’t a lot added to make this as replayable as some others, especially when it’s reasonably sized for Call of Duty: World at War, but perhaps not Black Ops 3.

9 Ascension

Extremely Accessible for Easy Zombie Training

• The risen dead have overtaken a Soviet cosmodrome and all Hell has broken loose. The countdown to the zombie apocalypse has begun.
• Available in Zombies Chronicles (DLC)

Ascension is another great classic featuring in Zombies Chronicles, bringing back the immaculate vibes and easy training areas with the updated videos and contrast it deserves. Ascension is one of the easier maps of the series and has plenty of great training spots for new players to familiarize themselves with the winning meta, and it also features the first main quest of the series.

New Perks also make their way to Ascension, but the map receives a deduction in points for having a remake without the beloved PhD Flopper. The replacement of Dog Rounds with Monkey Rounds is frustrating, as players need to constantly run back and forth to Perk Machines to stop Monkeys from stealing them, but outside of that, it’s an easy round to get to high numbers on.

8 Kino der Toten

A Nostalgic Theater of the Undead with Nova Six Crawlers

• Battle the undead in this theatrical installment of “Zombies”. New twists and clues could uncover the final plan. It’s show time!
• Available in Zombies Chronicles (DLC)

Kino Der Toten was many players’ first foray into Call of Duty Zombies due to its release alongside Call of Duty: Black Ops. It’s a fan-favorite map that has plenty of avenues to explore and features the brilliant wonder weapon, the Thunder Gun that makes training hordes so much easier. In terms of map design, Kino Der Toten is an utter classic that shows that simplicity is sometimes the way forward.

Where Kino struggles is in its Nova Six Crawlers, which will often annoy with their low-to-the-ground walks and their slowing gas when killed. Like maps before it, Kino is a tad small when compared to the Black Ops 3 originals, but that doesn’t mean it’s not an epic map.

7 Zetsubou No Shima

Overwhelming Mechanics and Tormenting Thrashers Complicate a Creepy Map

• On a remote Island in the Pacific, a mysterious facility hides the secrets behind Division 9’s sinister experiments…
• Available in Map Pack 2 – Eclipse or separate purchase

Zetsubou No Shima is a return to the dreary swampy atmospheres that was last seen with Shi No Numa, and it certainly doesn’t disappoint. Zetsubou has perhaps a little too much going on with its seed mechanic, multitude of irradiated waters, challenges, and those dreaded Thrashers that really throw a spanner in the works when it comes to training.

For new players, Zetsubou feels like a chore list of things that need to be done in order to set up, but once players actually are set up, they have an easier time ahead. The atmosphere is great, as is the horror themes of Division 9, but it’s a tad forgettable due to being squished between the release of Der Eisendrache and Gorod Krovi.

6 Moon

Frustrating Challenges of Oxygen and Excavators Aid the Sci-Fi Charm

• I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth. (JFK, 1961)
• Available in Zombies Chronicles (DLC)

Starting out next to Pack-a-Punch in Groom Lake seems like a great idea, but as the overwhelming hordes of undead and hellhounds continue to spawn in, it’s time to escape to the teleporter and end up on Griffin Station on the Moon. Moon is anything but simple and extremely brilliant in its design and its incredible main quest for Richtofen’s Grand Scheme that sees a change of zombie leadership, all Perks, and the destruction of Earth.

Outside of the main quest, Moon is a lot of fun, especially with the unpredictable and hard-moving low-gravity mechanics and the chasing of the zombie astronaut. Moon’s expansive areas are intimidating but fun, yet the constant need to watch out for the Hacker Device to stop the excavators from destroying certain areas can really slow down the pace of the game and ruin high round runs.

5 Origins

An Expansive No Man’s Land and Powerful Elemental Staffs Show Great Innovation

• Witness the origins of Group 935, as an ancient evil is unleashed upon the battlefields of World War 1.
• Available in Zombies Chronicles (DLC)

The core four return from a new dimension, and Primis births a new standard for Call of Duty Zombies. Origins experiments with the formula in the best ways by providing incredible round-based experiences within a growing map that overwhelms No Man’s Land, the stomping giant robots that can easily kill and lock off areas for specific times, and its wondrous Elemental Staffs.

The Elemental Staffs return to Black Ops 3 in all of their former glory, but the Panzersoldats this time around feel somewhat unstoppable. Outside of the issues with special zombies, Origins is the gold standard for Black Ops 3 maps, with plenty to do, great main quest steps, and weaponry that players have to work for, but feel greatly rewarding to use.

4 Gorod Krovi

A Stalingrad That’s Warped by Dragon Fire and Elite Zombies

• As their journey nears its end, our heroes must battle ancient beasts in the war torn ruins of Stalingrad…
• Available in Map Pack 3 – Descent or separate purchase

Gorod Krovi takes perhaps the biggest leap so far when it comes to the possibilities of a Zombies map by featuring living and breathing dragons that can engulf areas of the map in flame. Aesthetically, Gorod Krovi excels at bringing Stalingrad to life with a twist that only Zombies can accomplish.

There are some issues with Gorod Krovi, like tightly woven areas and an army of special enemy types that confuse and annoy rather than intimidate, but the map also houses some incredible areas, ideas, weapons, and has one of the best boss fights with Nikolai taking charge.

3 Revelations

A True Endgame for Call of Duty Zombies Thrust Into One Celebratory Map

• The time has come to join Doctor Monty in The House, where an ancient evil threatens the survival of our heroes’ immortal souls…
• Available in Map Pack 4 – Salvation or separate purchase

Revelations is the finale to Black Ops 3 Zombies and brings to an end a beloved storyline destined to repeat. With Revelations, the sci-fi inspirations take to a whole new level as the Primis crew takes to space, battling against ancient alien evils and zombies across a variety of familiar locations that truly celebrate the entire identity and past of Zombies as a whole.

Whether it’s navigating through the cells of Alcatraz from Mob of the Dead or training zombies through the theater of Kino Der Toten, Revelations has so many familiar areas and hot spots from previous maps that it’s hard to not enjoy it. However, Revelations does overwhelm with its abundance of unlockables, like unique hats that have greater advantages, its lengthy easter egg steps, and the underlying fact that the map really is just “the best hits” all stitched together.

2 Shadows of Evil

The Jazzy Morg City is Overrun with Apothicons, Zombies, and Firepower

• Take to the streets of Morg City to combat the undead. Embrace the curse to uncover its mysteries.
• Available in Base Game

Shadows of Evil was the release map for Black Ops 3, and it didn’t disappoint. The cast was always shaping up to be stellar thanks to the talent of Jeff Goldblum, Ron Perlman, Heather Graham, and Neal McDonough who featured as the four playable characters. Yet, even outside of these four, Shadows of Evil had a greatly designed map that was spacious and tightly woven to feel like a true city that never left the jazzy pulp of the fictional 40s.

From the jazz jingles of Perk Machines and round changes to the dreaded threat of a spawning Margwa, Shadows of Evil was high-octane fun with plenty of tasks to accomplish for those who wanted to see everything the map had to offer.

1 Der Eisendrache

Group 935’s Castles Excels in Training Areas, Elemental Bows, and Secrets

• Bound together by a fragile alliance, our heroes pursue the scattered remnants of Group 935 to their mountain top fortress in the Austrian Alps…
• Available in Map Pack 1 – Awakening, or separate purchase

Der Eisendrache was instantly immortalized upon its release due to how everything simply worked perfectly for the map. The aesthetic, map layout, easter egg, and wonder weapons proved that Der Eisendrache was a map to remember and replay. Its popularity comes from its blend of Mob of the Dead mechanics with feeding the dragon heads, mixed with the upgrading of the bows like something from Origins.

Der Eisendrache was a celebration of what works about Call of Duty Zombies while furthering the innovation to make it even greater. For those who want casual zombie-slaying fun, Der Eisendrache has that in full force, but it also has side objectives for those who want to acquire the best arsenal they can.