Summary
Despite being a side game,Call of Duty Zombieshas established itself as inseparable from the rest of the franchise since its introduction in 2008. While it originally began as a mode exclusively to be expected inthe Treyarch-ledCall of Dutytitles, it’s since expanded to being included in a number of other titles within the shooter franchise, as well.
Each iteration ofCall of Duty Zombiesattempts to bring something new to the table, and whether that pans out into anything the diehard fans of the game mode are actually interested in revisiting can vary dramatically. The qualities that can affect these various Zombies modes can include the mechanics, map designs, and overall feel or vision of the mode as a whole.
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S Tier
Black Ops 1:ThefirstBlack Opstitletakes the base thatWorld at Warestablished and runs with it in a way that many still consider the peak of the game mode to this day. This is the game that truly established the idea of larger maps loaded with obscure Easter eggs that can add a lot to the story or grant the players powerful upgrades/weapons that wouldn’t be accessible otherwise. It also throws in all the maps fromWorld at Warwith a number of upgrades that make this the optimal way to experience those locales. Fans consistently debate the best map inBlack Ops, but Ascension deserves its props for balancing things that every Zombies player enjoys while feeling completely original from anything that came before or that has happened since.
Black Ops 2:Call of Duty Black Ops 2certainly takes a “throw everything and see what sticks” approach to its Zombies mode, and it’s surprisingly effective. There were so many new ideas stuffed into this Zombies mode between the PvP Turned mode, the hybrid multimap Tranzit, the massive robots of Origins, and so many other things that it felt overwhelming to players at the time. In the present day, though, it’s easy to see thatBlack Ops 2 Zombiesaged fairly welland produced some of the best maps and new ideas the mode has ever seen. It is unfortunate that it’s the only game of the originalBOtrilogy to not include any older maps as DLC. LikeBO1, fans furiously debate the best map from this game, but Mob of the Dead and Die Rise tend to come up the most.
A Tier
Black Ops 3:It can be controversial to putBlack Ops 3below the S Tier, seeing as many fans consider it the best Zombies experience in the entire franchise, and many buy this game exclusively to play this mode. It does set itself up in many ways to be an optimal experience, considering it collects many of the maps fromWorld at WarthroughBlack Ops 2while adding a lot of interesting innovations, like the Gobblegum, new perks, and custom loadouts.
It unfortunately falls a little short with many of its own maps, though, with the size and scale of its maps and complex Easter eggs pushed beyond a limit that many find tolerable. There is a faction of fans that rabidly defends these Easter eggs, making this game divisive but popular overall. Der Eisendrache is also less divisively consideredone of the best Zombies mapsof all time.
World at War:The game that introduced Nazi Zombies to the world can suffer from a lot of the problems that tend to weigh down any debut, which is that it just hasn’t been refined in the way future additions are refined. It’s more understandable here than in most situations, given that this mode was originally intended as an Easter egg, and Treyarch had no idea that it would become as popular as it did. Still, the studio ran with it and made three additional maps that all innovate on the mode in ways that remain standards of the franchise to this day, like the introduction of theCall of Duty Zombiesexclusive Wonder Weapons. Der Riese stands out as a potent early example of strong map design.
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B Tier
Cold War:The most recentBlack Opsgame has a fairly polarizing Zombies mode with a similar number of pros and cons. On the one hand, it’s mechanically impressive and can add a lot of longevity for players who have maybe become bored with the formula through its many upgradeable systems that addnew depth toCold Warweapons, perks, and more.
Cold Waralso introduces the concept of bringing back an old map and reinventing it through its Zombies debut Die Maschine, which is based on thevery first Zombies map Nacht der Untoten. On the other hand, many players feel that all the new systems added make the game mode feel easier than ever, with many hitting a point where the game’s repetitive grind is made more tedious by its lack of real challenge. Fan rankings for theCold War Zombiesmaps are all over the place, but Mauer der Toten is in the top half nearly always.
Black Ops 4:The game generally considered to bethe weakest of theBlack Opsfranchiseunsurprisingly has a similarly weak Zombies mode.Black Ops 4does get props for the sheer number of maps it introduces, with eight different maps, twice the number normally put in a Zombies mode. Many of those maps have solid layouts as well that can be fun to explore and contain some solid Easter eggs that please any fans of the older games. The mechanics ofBlack Ops 4 Zombiesis where it ultimately feels weakest, however, with a lot of systems making this mode feel more tedious than previous entries. Dead of the Night comes up most often as the best map with its exciting, haunted mansion-exploring layout.
C Tier
WW2:Sledgehammer’s second crack at a Zombies mode feels leagues stronger than its first. It has a bad reputation within the community due to a weak launch, sadly, but any players willing to re-exploreWW2 Zombiesin 2023 will find a more polished experience loaded with interesting and surprisingly gritty maps. Its mechanics still don’t compare to most of what Treyarch has done, butWW2gets the most props of anynon-TreyarchCall of Duty Zombiesmodefor what it manages to pull off. Darkest Shore is known as a particularly spooky experience for any player who’s ever wishedCall of Duty Zombieswould explore its horrific themes more often.
Infinite Warfare:Infinity Ward’scontroversial futuristicCall of Dutycontains a surprisingly interesting Zombies mode that feels unique to all non-TreyarchCall of Duty Zombiesexperiences in a way that can work to its advantage as often as the opposite. It definitely feels like the first time a developer other than Treyarch understood what makes fans enjoy Zombies, which resulted in Infinity War adding in the types of map layouts and Easter eggs that Zombies fans then clung to in lieu of any new Treyarch maps.
Its mechanics can result in rounds getting a little tedious faster than most of the games rated higher on this list, though. The debut map, Zombies in Spaceland, gets praise often for being the best non-Treyarch Zombies map, and it’s not hard to see why with its colorful layout and entertaining new characters.
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D Tier
Advanced Warfare:This Zombies mode sticking out like a sore thumb is fitting consideringAdvanced Warfarewithin itself certainly feels like theblack sheep of theCall of Dutyfamily. Sledgehammer’s first crack at a Zombies mode of its own isn’t its worst attempt, but it certainly feels like its attempt to bring this mode into the future with “Exo-Zombies” doesn’t pan out the way many were hoping. It feels awkward and oftentimes unfair and likely could have used a lot more time in the oven. Its debut map Carrier is the one that the few fans of this Zombies mode tend to talk about the most often.
Vanguard:The most recent iteration of Zombies is the mode that, sadly, falls the most painfully on its face. The only point thatcan be given to Sledgehammer forVanguard Zombiesis that the developers did legitimately try to pull off something different and forge an experience that doesn’t feel derivative of what came before here. The issue is that, in doing so, the things that madeCall of Duty Zombiesso popular with fans in the first place are completely lost.
The result is a Zombies mode that feels like a chore and continues the streak ofdisappointing non-TreyarchCall of Duty Zombies, where killing zombies and exploration have never felt less satisfying. Terra Maledicta is generally considered the best map by players, but it doesn’t have much competition.
