Best Zombies Modes In Call Of Duty Games

Key Takeaways

• Call of Duty Zombies has evolved over the years, with each title offering unique gameplay experiences, characters, and maps.
• Some games, like Vanguard, have been disappointing to Zombies fans due to lackluster storytelling and unengaging gameplay mechanics.
• Black Ops 3 is often regarded as the best Zombies experience, thanks to its exciting maps, varied weapons, and action-packed gameplay.

Call of Duty’s staple game mode, Zombies, was initially a fun game mode, with no future in sight. It came as a complete surprise to gamers once the credits rolled in Call of Duty: World at War, and fans were introduced to the zombie horde. The game mode offered endless rounds of fear, fun, and limbs.

After all these years, players continue to love the challenge of endless rounds and undead zombie hordes. The Treyarch-designed mode has been implemented in many but not all Call of Duty titles, and it has been paired with great characters, weapons, maps, and enemies.

Updated December 9, 2024, by Jason Wojnar: There might be people who have consumed almost every ounce of Call of Duty Zombies content without ever touching the multiplayer or single-player campaigns. It speaks to how complete even just one game mode in the annual Call of Duty package feels. Zombies’ replay value is as big as how fun it is to play, so the list below is likely to help players determine which entry they will get the most value from. This update adds the 2024 entry, Black Ops 6, to the list, and anyone who played it can already guess where it ranks among the rest of the games.

12 Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Open-World Zombies

• Large open-maps with various objectives
• Similar to DMZ mode
• Weapons earned in Zombies can be used in competitive multiplayer

As a whole package, Modern Warfare 3 from 2023 was considered a big disappointment. It had a lot of content, but nothing was considered a standout feature, and even its multiplayer recycled all of its maps from 2009’s Modern Warfare 2. The Zombies mode took a different approach this time, taking place on an open map and letting players complete various objectives at their leisure.

While a novel idea, the open areas took away from the intensity of being trapped in a confined area while the monsters were attacking players. There are moments reminiscent of the older Zombies mode from time to time, but they are few and far between, a far cry from the immediate action the other games provide.

11 Call Of Duty: Vanguard

Influenced By Rogeulikes

• Maps are open from the start
• Progression is simplified
• More classic maps were added in later updates

With 2021’s title, Call of Duty: Vanguard, the Zombies game mode returned in a significantly smaller manner. Up until June 2022, Zombies did not even have the classic and beloved round-based gameplay, and it only recently received a new map with a remake for Shi No Numa. Not only is Vanguard lacking in Zombies content, but the gameplay itself is somewhat mediocre.

Most Zombies fans can agree that Vanguard is a disappointment to the franchise’s Zombies. The story is also lackluster, considering the lore is often a compelling mystery. The gameplay itself is too similar, with weapons, perks, and other systems remaining unengaging.

10 Call Of Duty: Black Ops 4

Four-Player Splitscreen Mayhem

• Custom mutations allow for a more personal experience
• Two different storylines for those interested in the lore
• The Dead of the Night map features Kiefer Sutherland, Helena Bonham Carter, Charles Dance, and Brian Blessed

After the climax of Black Ops 3’s Zombies, fans were ecstatic to see the game mode return for the multiplayer-only Black Ops 4. Not only were fan-favorite characters returning, but there was a new Zombie crew in an alternate timeline. Both stories – separate, but equally convoluted – lacked total intrigue, and otherwise, featured stale gameplay.

Black Ops 4 tried to change up the Zombies formula but was somewhat unsuccessful. Most of the maps were pale remakes of previous locations and sacrificed intricate designs for large areas. Many regard Black Ops 4 Zombies as one of the weaker entries.

One big advantage of
Black Ops 4
is the ability to play the game with four players on one TV screen.

Gauntlet

There are many controversies in the COD Zombies community regarding Black Ops 4. Many believe that the game underdelivered in terms of the Zombies experiences. One of these experiences was called Gauntlet, which saw the typical round-based games players expected but with a challenge mode thrown into the mix.

If players fail to complete a challenge for each round, they will earn a strike. If the players gets three strikes, it is game over. Some of the challenges can be easy, and some can be hard. It is worth testing this mode for Zombies veterans to truly get a more challenging experience.

9 Call Of Duty: World War 2

A Return To Spine-Tingling Terror

• A new storyline set in an alternate history World War 2
• Players pick a class at the beginning of a round
• Players are given hints on how to progress through the story, and additional secrets off the main path further expand the lore

Finally returning to its roots and going back to the past, Call of Duty: World War 2 sought to bring back the horror elements seen in the first iteration of COD Zombies. The team succeeded, and the zombie designs were grotesque and horrifying. The crew featured a star-studded cast of actors to battle with, such as David Tennant and Ving Rhames.

However, despite the great Call of Duty cast and the detail of the world and zombies, the maps lacked quality. The gameplay was different enough from previous Zombies to remain interesting, but there were too many advantages that made the game easier than others.

8 Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare

Turning The Camp To The Max

• Aesthetically different from the main Infinite Warfare campaign
• Stars Seth Green, Ike Barinholtz, Jay Pharoah, and Sasheer Zamata
• Other celebrities like David Hasselhoff, Pam Grier, Cassandra Peterson, and Kevin Smith make cameos

With Infinity Ward setting the scene for their version of Zombies, things entered the realm of fun and campy. Infinite Warfare ditched the horror aspects of Zombies and brought about a new groove for the franchise. The first map is a fun theme park with classic 80s tunes and even David Hasselhoff. The Easter egg itself involved aliens and the devil.

Infinite Warfare‘s maps consisted of celebrity cameos like Kevin Smith and featured a different genre for each map. One such map has players embarking on a kung-fu journey against the Zombie hordes. The team at Infinity Ward seemed to have a lot of fun with their version of the Zombie mode.

7 Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare

Taking Advantage Of The Game’s Movement Mechanics

• Even zombies have exo suits sometimes
• Gameplay is otherwise familiar to the older zombies titles

With Sledgehammer Games leading their first Call of Duty title, Advanced Warfare experimented with movement more than other COD games. Exo-skeletons were used for better versatility in jumps and running, and even the zombies could move more.

The game featured a talented cast, with the likes of Jon Bernthal, John Malkovich, and Evil Dead’s very own Bruce Campbell. The gameplay was pretty fun, and there was a good variety of maps. However, it just didn’t feel like a Treyarch title.

6 Call Of Duty: Black Ops 2

Evolving Zombies To More Than Just A Mini-Game

• Grief is a new eight-player mode featuring two teams of four
• Turned has one player survive against three players controlling zombies

After the success of Zombies, Activision knew it had to invest more time and money into the game mode. After all, it has a loyal fan base. With Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, players saw the multiplayer engine in use for Zombies, as well as new stat-tracking, improved leaderboards, and skill-based matchmaking.

Black Ops 2 featured a lot of interesting maps, as well as famed Easter eggs that COD players came to expect from the franchise. Black Ops 2 offers some great moments in the Zombies series, as well as unique game modes.

Grief

The maximum number of players in any COD Zombies title was 4 until Black Ops 2 introduced Grief. In Grief, players were reduced to a small section of the iconic maps, where they would enter into a 4v4 mode. Grief was effectively the “Last Man Standing” game mode that saw both teams trying to survive the zombie hordes.

Players may not be able to directly hurt each other, but they can get in the way and hinder progress by stealing kills, not opening doors, and using their melee or gun on them. Grief can be a lot of fun when there’s a large group of players involved.

Turned

An exclusive game mode for Black Ops 2, Turned featured something brand new to COD Zombies: the ability to become a zombie. As the zombie, the player needs to hunt down the lone human survivor. Killing the surviving player will turn the victor into a human, and it’s a battle of who can kill the most player-controlled zombies before death.

Turned can be fun in a group of friends, but it doesn’t offer much else other than a version of Gun Game with zombies. It’s quick and short, and the maps are small, yet Turned can still be fun if the players are willing to make it so.

5 Call Of Duty: World At War

The One That Started It All

• Unlocked after beating the game
• Bare-bones but easy to jump into

When the credits rolled on the World at War campaign, many Call of Duty players may have been frightened to see shuffling bodies running toward the camera. The screen goes dark, with an ominous “Nazi Zombies” title card burning into the screen. Round 1 began, and Call of Duty has not been the same since.

World at War did a great job of fleshing out the Zombies game mode, and so much of it was perfect on the first try that many features remain a staple, with examples being the round system, mystery box, perks, and more. World at War remains a classic Zombies experience.

4 Call Of Duty: Black Ops

Play As Nixon, JFK, And Fidel Castro

• Levels are filled with various easter eggs
• The Call of the Dead map features Sarah Michelle Gellar, Danny Trejo, Robert Englund, and Michael Rooker as playable characters
• Director George Romero has a cameo

With Zombies being a huge success, many fans waited excitedly for Treyarch’s next title, Call of Duty: Black Ops, to see what was next. The developers knocked it out of the park with the two maps upon release, which allowed players to battle in a theater against new foes and become Nixon and JFK in the Pentagon.

The gameplay was smoother than the original entry, and Black Ops featured some great maps, with the original ones from World at War. It made the experience exhilarating, with new perks, weapons, and features to explore.

Dead Ops Arcade

A hidden game mode in Call of Duty: Black Ops, Dead Ops Arcade was a Zombies mode introduced to the title, with a completely different style of play. Dead Ops Arcade was unlocked by typing in “DOA” on the CIA computer on the title screen and will bring players into a top-down arcade shooter with zombies, silverback space gorillas, and more.

There’s a frenzy of mayhem in Dead Ops Arcade, and it can be fun to go through the levels and collect exciting loot to progress. It can be a challenge, too.

The CIA computer has additional secrets, such as the entirety of the classic text adventure
Zork.

3 Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War

Use Any Operator, And Progress Contributes To All Other Modes

• Progression is shared between Zombies and the regular multiplayer
• Features one of the most advanced progression systems
• Exfil adds a new tension to ending rounds

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s Zombies arrived with a lot of unique features. For the first time in the franchise, players could select their operative. This meant that, because of the collaborations, players could fight zombies like Rambo or Frank Woods. Perks were abundant, providing a new tier system for weapons and upgrades.

Guns felt intensely powerful, and mowing down Zombies had never been more fun. The maps were large, and the hordes even larger, thanks to the next-gen console capabilities. Black Ops Cold War was easier for new players, providing a game mode that everyone could enjoy.

Onslaught

A cooperative Zombies mode in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Onslaught is a 2-person experience that sees players survive against Zombies and other enemies within multiplayer maps. It’s interesting to see the hordes of the undead invade famous multiplayer maps in Call of Duty.

Onslaught’s two-player limit can restrict the fun. However, running around the large or small maps in multiplayer with an army of zombies on the hunt can still be incredibly enjoyable. Players will be tasked with increasing the Dark Aether Orb power to 100% as part of this tense mode.

2 Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6

A Great Entry Point For Newcomers, Offering Some Classic Vibes

Considering that Black Ops 6 is a direct continuation of 2020’s Black Ops: Cold War, it makes sense for Black Ops 6 to retain a similar feel. Anyone who loved that game’s turn at undead carnage will get a similar kick from the 2024 title. Some hardcore fans might not be as in love with the softer difficulty curve, but the later waves still get intense and overrun the team with zombies.

The two maps that came at launch, Liberty Falls and Terminus, are radically different in both aesthetic and geometry, to make players not bemoan that there are only two maps to start out with. Liberty Falls in particular is a great map for beginners with its open areas and circular design, which makes it easy to always find an exit when the zombie horde becomes too hard to handle. If there is one fault against it, however, it is the lack of celebrity voice roles that were once the norm in Zombies.

The
Black Ops 6
campaign also features a direct homage to the Zombies mode. The level Emergence sees the character hallucinate a full on zombie outbreak in the lab where the mission is set.

1 Black Ops 3

The Most Refined Gameplay And The Best Maps

• Stars Jeff Goldblum, Heather Graham, Neal McDonough, and Ron Pearlman
• Nightmares mode lets players go through the main campaign, replacing the enemies with zombies
• An in-depth story told with each level

The best Zombies experience is never an agreeable answer. However, many can agree that Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 is the best for a multitude of reasons. The game itself features an array of exciting new maps. These range from the streets of Morg City as Jeff Goldblum and Ron Perlman to the ongoing Zombies storyline with the Primis Crew. Zombies Chronicles also saw the DLC release of fan-favorite maps, remade for Black Ops 3.

The game mode is the definitive way to play certain maps, thanks to the many assortments of weapons and wonder weapons. The perks are many, and the gameplay is exciting. Players can run, jump, and slide across the maps, all while being chased by all sorts of mini-bosses and zombies. Each Easter egg also features a defining boss to further unfold the Zombie mode story.

The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of
Black Ops 3
famously do not include a single-player campaign. They do, however, feature Zombies.