If there’s one thingCall of Duty: Black Ops 6players can agree on is that Treyarch pretty much nailed the Zombies experience. Outside of a few issues with AI-generated content and voice-acting, round-based Zombies withinBlack Ops 6delivered several standout maps.Call of Duty: Black Ops 7aims to continue that success. Zombies in Black Ops 7 continues the Dark Aether story, picking up right after “Reckoning’s” final cutscene. According to Treyarch,Call of Duty: Black Ops 7launches with the largest round-based map ever made and takes inspiration from one of the most ambitious Zombies maps of all time, Tranzit.
Don’t I know you from somewhere?
While Treyarch didn’t reveal too much about the story behind this map, they did confirm a major plot point.
Spoiler alert below the image for those that haven’t seen the final cutscene for Reckoning.
Treyarch confirmed that the OG Zombies crew (Dempsey, Nikolai, Takeo and Richtofen) are back, kind of. These are a new iteration of the classic characters built for the Dark Aether timeline rather than a continuation of a previous iteration. InCall of Duty: Black Ops 7, the four OG Zombies crew team up withBlack Ops 6’screw (Grigori Weaver, Elizabeth Grey, Mackenzie “Mac” Carver and Maya Aguinaldo) to battle the growing Dark Aether threat.
According to the developers, having eight Zombies Operators at launch enables the studio to create additional banter and storytelling moments between all of them. Since this version of the OG crew are new to us, pairing them together with theBlack Ops 6crew will reveal all new details to players.
Tranzit? I hardly know her
Back in 2012, Tranzit was ambitious, particularly for the current-gen hardware. The PS3 and Xbox 360 struggled to run such a large map, and Tranzit quickly fell to the bottom of players' Zombies map rankings. In 2025, things are much different. With far more powerful hardware, Treyarch is taking another stab at the ambitious concept.
Treyarch confirmed that the OG Zombies crew (Dempsey, Nikolai, Takeo, and Richtofen) are back, kind of. These are a new iteration of the classic characters built for the Dark Aether timeline rather than a continuation of a previous iteration.
Much like Tranzit, this new map modernizes the idea of a massive, sprawling map filled with unique locations that players must travel across to progress the quest. Each location is pulled from a different period and features its own little story, though Treyarch is keeping the different locations a secret right now. Of the many locations you’ll travel to on this map, they only revealed a spooky Farm location.
To get to these locations, you’ll need to travel through the transition spaces. The goal of these spaces is to recapture the tension of moving from destination to destination that Tranzit elicited. These are the most dangerous spaces on the map that you’ll have to brave to finish the quest and find other special goodies. To make traveling easier, Treyarch is providing players with a first for Zombies, a Wonder Vehicle. This vehicle will help you travel and act as a safe harbor between destinations. While the developers didn’t provide too many details about how you’ll customize your vehicle, a static image shown to us implied there are lots of options.
Zombies is about fun
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Treyarch Zombies experience without extra modes. At launch, players will be able to jump into Survival Maps, smaller, repurposed areas of the main map that are perfect if you want to get some practice in or just want to blow off some Zombies heads. Farm will be one of such maps at launch. Treyarch also confirmed that Dead Ops Arcade is returning and will support XP progression much like every other mode.
While Zombies was the least discussed mode, it’s clear that Treyarch has ambitious plans for the mode inCall of Duty: Black Ops 7. The more powerful hardware allows them to fully deliver on the Tranzit experience with the largest round-based map in series history, the return of the OG crew feels triumphant and bonus modes like Dead Ops Arcade are sure to bring a smile to fans' faces. Thankfully, we won’t have to wait that long to learn about Zombies. Treyarch confirmed that they intend to reveal more in September.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7launches November 14 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PS4, and Xbox One. To learn of Duty: Black Ops 7, be sure to check out our thoughts onCampaignandMultiplayer, as well as ourinterview with Treyarch.
