Best Call of Duty Zombies modes, ranked – Destructoid

Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 3 is now out, and so is the new Zombies mode. This undead battleground has remained wildly popular among fans of the series ever since its inception in Call Of Duty: World At War, but not all of its iterations share the same level of quality.

Let’s find out what’s the most fun zombie apocalypse to go through, shall we?

11. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (2018)

If you’re new to the Zombies-verse, let’s just say that the Black Ops series is the cream of the crop when it comes to Zombies — so long as we’re not talking about BO4. Outside of the awesome Chaos map, this is but an unfun rehash of the things fans love about the series.

Activision’s biggest focus with BO4 was Blackout, the series’ first Battle Royale mode. The game didn’t even feature a campaign, so we’re lucky we even got a Zombies mode at all. BO4 might not even have the straight-up worst Zombies mode in the franchise, but the overall lack of love plus the high disappointment factor easily earns it this spot.

10. Call of Duty: Vanguard (2021)

Sadly, Call Of Duty: Vanguard provides neither one of the best campaigns nor one of the best Zombies modes. Vanguard‘s Zombies is likely the most bare-bones entry in the history of the undead showdown, a real bummer as Zombies quickly grew into a beloved expectation with ever new Call of Duty.

Still, Vanguard made use of its old-timey scenario to go all Wolfenstein in the looks and themes department, which rocks. Style over substance isn’t a great formula if you want your game to stand the test of time, but it sure beats no style and no substance.

9. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023)

The newest iteration of the Zombies mode is quite bonkers. On the one hand, it features great perk mechanics, and some of the coolest enemies in the franchise. On the other one, it relies too much on the areas of the DMZ Warzone map, which just doesn’t make for the most fun play area for this type of game.

Much like the game’s campaign, the newest Zombies mode feels like an afterthought most of the time.

8. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (2014)

What makes Advanced Warfare stand out is its use of the game’s new movement mechanics. Things are faster and smoother, but mostly just on the player’s end. The rest of the game kind of fails to provide a fun counter to our fancy new abilities, but the change is still quite welcome.

Ultimately, I’d love to see an even more advanced Advanced Warfare refining the ideas spun up in this one.

7. Call of Duty: World At War (2008)

Few people remember World At War, Treyarch’s Call Of Duty that had the unsavory task of coming out after the original Modern Warfare. Still, this game deserves love not just for its underrated campaign, but also for making Zombies a thing.

If anything, WAW deserved an entry on this list solely for coming up with this concept, but it turns out that its Zombies mode holds up surprisingly well.

6. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (2016)

Even if you don’t love everything else about it, it’s hard to deny that the neon-infused world of Zombies in Spaceland is beautiful. It’s an absolute visual feast, dropping its strict adherence to gruesome greys and bloody browns.

Underneath its luscious skin, Infinite Warfare provides a solid Zombies experience that brings back many of the things players like about the series. It also adds a few mechanics that don’t really add much, but they don’t ruin anything, either.

5. Call of Duty: WW2 (2017)

Unlike most of the other games in the series, WW2 features a real war, so it’d only make sense for its Zombies mode to be as gritty as possible. It is. WW2 has what’s easily the most gruesome depiction of the famous creepy walkies that we’ve ever seen in the series, and I’m all here for it.

Outside of that, however, it’s just not as fun as the top entries in the series. I love gritty and scary, and I welcome this change, but most people prefer the series’ campier entries.

4. Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010)

The graphics will no longer make you fall out of your chair here, and the mechanics may feel wonkier than what you’re familiar with in modern settings. Still, this is the one where Zombies began feeling like a truly thoughtful, fleshed-out extra game bundled with the base Call of Duty. Black Ops made the mode more than just a fun offshoot. If you’re forgiving of older systems and visuals, this one is still a blast — especially if you’re nostalgic about it.

3. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (2020)

Cold War is when the series went all out in terms of scope. New hardware and tech meant not just cooler-looking zombies but also more zombies — way more zombies. I mean that in a good way, as it never feels like too much. Bring on the hordes.

It also features a special mode called Onslaught, where two players can go on a co-op adventure against the horde in the game’s maps that were usually just reserved for the regular multiplayer modes. It’s not spectacular, mostly due to the strange two-player limitation, but it’s a neat usage of the material that they have.

2. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (2012)

Black Ops 2 greatly improves and expands upon the elements that made the original Zombies mode such a hit among fans and newcomers alike. On top of various quality-of-life additions, there are also special gameplay modes such as Grief and Turned. If you’re all about boldness, this will easily be your favorite of the bunch.

It also helps that it features awesome secret easter eggs, as well as Destructoid’s favorite and second-favorite Zombies maps.

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 (2015)

Even if BO3 might not offer the most revolutionary Zombies experience, most argue that it is the definitive one. It features an army of new bosses and minibosses, along with new flash perks, maps, and even a few familiar battlegrounds.

While everyone won’t agree this is the best Zombies mode in the Call Of Duty series, I believe anyone can at least agree that this spot belongs to a game with the words “Black Ops” in its title. Even though Infinity Ward’s earliest contributions to the franchise tend to earn the most favor among players when it comes to campaigns, there’s no denying that Treyarch rules the Zombies playground.

Call of Duty games without Zombies

While the Zombies mode is now among the features defining Call of Duty, the series wasn’t always home to the undead. The hordes have certainly attracted their own communities dedicated to squaring up in Zombie-filled arenas, games prior to World at War’s 2008 debut lacked the mode. If you’re thinking of picking up older entries but no Zombies is a deal breaker, just note those prior to 2008, and a few remasters of the following:

• Call Of Duty (2003)
• Call Of Duty 2 (2005)
• Call Of Duty 3 (2006)
• Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007)
• Modern Warfare 2 (2009)
• Modern Warfare 3 (2011)

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