November 12, 2025
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Zombies Is Tapping Into Its Past to Guide Its Future
Summary
- Learn how Black Ops 7 Zombies is being designed to pay homage to the past, with each destination within the Dark Aether representing a different period and location.
- With a drivable Wonder Vehicle, compelling locations to explore, and a tremendous number of surprises hiding within the Dark Aether, Black Ops 7 Zombies is shaping up to slay.
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 launches November 14, 2025, for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox on PC, ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, Cloud, Battle.net, Steam, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4. It is an Xbox Play Anywhere title and available day one with Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
We’ve never seen Zombies like this before. Ashes of the Damned is not only the largest Round-Based Zombies map the series has ever seen, but it’s also the culmination of ideas and fan-favorite modes from over the years that have been built for this moment. Like a shambling undead ripping through a boarded-up window looking for their next meal, Black Ops 7 Zombies feels like it’s ready to feast.
From the rural Vandorn Farm to the frontier town of Ashwood, there are an awesome number of thrilling POIs for us to explore. In addition to the several unique modes at launch — Standard, Survival, Cursed, and Dead Ops Arcade 4 — Black Ops 7 Zombies will also be one of the most accessible entries ever; there’s something for everyone, especially once Directed mode arrives in Season 01 to help guide new players through the Main Quest.
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In talking again with Treyarch Design Director Kevin Drew (you can read our previous piece about Ol’ Tessie here on Xbox Wire), this starts with the massive Ashes of the Damned map, whose size was directly influenced by the team’s desire to have a new drivable Wonder Vehicle in the game. “That kind of dictates that you need a bigger space,” says Drew. “We also really wanted to sell this idea of the Dark Aether being like a Bermuda Triangle, have things come into this place from various dimensions.”
This direction has led the team to pay homage to the past, with each destination representing a different period and location. “There’s a familiarity with those locations, like Green Run from TranZit, but it has an entirely different place and backstory that’s going to be important for that level and beyond,” adds Drew.
We can also look forward to experiencing a new incarnation of the iconic crew from the early days of Zombies. However, once we meet them, it sounds like they will not exactly be as we once remembered them. “Where they came from is unknown, but from somewhere else, some other dimension. Not from our Earth. And being inside of the Dark Aether, you’re going to see other familiar elements sprinkled in.”
Narratively, it sounds like there will be a lot to unpack for those who have been following the Zombies storylines over the years. “They have a reputation for being incredibly complex,” Drew adds. “I love that, but I like to think that we’ve taken an iceberg approach now since Cold War, where at the peak, at just a glance, it’s a simple story. Like in Black Ops 6 Zombies, you’re getting revenge for the person who imprisoned you. In Black Ops 7 Zombies you’re now trapped in this other dimension trying to escape. For a new player, that’s really all you need to know. But obviously, you can go look below the water and see there’s more to discover.”
Working alongside the Creative Director, who makes a lot of calls with what path the game’s story will take, Drew is also there to point out opportunities and suggestions as they arise, like resurrecting lost ideas or characters and giving them new life. But it’s not just him. Drew makes it a point to call out the community — it’s the fans who have helped guide a lot of this unique story over the years.
“Zombies is such a unique mode, and the gaming landscape is historically shaped by the fans. We’ll put things out there and see what resonates and what people are looking for, combining that with some stories that we want to tell. For example, we have a brand-new antagonist (in Black Ops 7 Zombies) and just being inside the Dark Aether there will be all sorts of new lore to explore.”
Part of that landscape evolution is the Cursed mode, which has been designed to be a more challenging experience for advanced players. In this mode, players can discover and activate Relics to face even harder challenges in exchange for new levels of power and rewards. These Relics work as significant debuffs to increase the challenge in a Cursed match, with nine to uncover across Ashes of the Damned. The more potent the Relic, the greater the challenge you’ll face. Which in turn means the more potent the Relic, the greater your Tier power becomes.
“Looking back at our most dedicated audience, it’s like, what are they looking for? They’re looking for a challenge. They’re looking for Easter eggs. So, we built an entire mode with them in mind,” says Drew. “I’m really excited about Cursed. It’s something that we’ve been thinking about for several years. It’s all about being extremely difficult, and that’s okay now because you’re opting in for that. Players can choose how they want to make the mode more difficult, which I think is really cool. And we’ll be continuing to release additional Relics throughout the seasons so that toy box will just grow for those players.”
Dead Ops Arcade is also getting some added love in Black Ops 7 Zombies. It’s no longer a mode that you must unearth on your adventure, as it will be available for you right from the game’s menu. “It is a huge mode and it is part of the family. We want to make sure people see this. It’s a massive experience that could be its own game,” adds Drew.
With 80 levels and more than 20 arenas, coupled with outrageous firepower, Dead Ops Arcade 4 will have you unleash the hurt against the Silverback clan’s armies and their vengeful new patriarch, Papaback. And for the first time, DOA embraces Round-Based Zombies mechanics with Ammo Mods, Field Upgrades, and GobbleGums, all tailored to enhance your Dead Ops Arcade experience. Also, both top-down and first-person camera options are supported, letting you switch perspectives without losing pace. Best of all, every DOA run contributes to shared progression, earning XP that advances your player level across Campaign, Multiplayer, Zombies, and Call of Duty: Warzone. “Leveraging a lot of our enemy types, seeing those and even fighting them in a different way has been really cool,” says Drew. “It feels like a cohesive and massive offering, which is great.”
And with launch approaching soon on November 14, I was curious to know if Drew could shed some light on what we can look forward to down the road. “You’re not going to know what to expect. Looking at our lineup this year, each map is going to bring something different to the table. And that is going to be a lot of fun for fans to experience with extra layers of things to uncover.”
With an awesome Wonder Vehicle to drive around, many compelling locations to explore, and what sounds like a tremendous number of surprises hiding within the Dark Aether, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Zombies is shaping up to slay starting November 14.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 launches November 14, 2025, for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox on PC, ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, Cloud, Battle.net, Steam, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4. It is an Xbox Play Anywhere title and available day one with Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
Call of Duty®: Black Ops 7 – Vault Edition
Activision Publishing Inc.
– Items for immediate use in Call of Duty®: Black Ops 6 and Call of Duty®: Warzone
*:
— Reznov Challenge Pack – unlock the SOG Reznov Operator Skin. Plus, get access to unlock the Stalingrad Reznov and Memory Reznov Operator Skins
— Guild Override Weapon Camo – unlock the Guild Override dynamic Weapon Camo
The Vault Edition includes:
– Cross-Gen Bundle of Call of Duty®: Black Ops 7
— Includes Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Xbox PC versions of the game
– BlackCell (1 Season)**
— Includes: Battle Pass, 20 Tier Skips, 1,100 CP and more
– Operator Collection
— 4 Operator Skins: Harper, Karma, T.E.D.D. and Reaper EWR-3
– Mastercraft Collection
— 5 Mastercraft Weapons
– Ultra GobbleGum Pack for Zombies
— 8 GobbleGums of Ultra rarity for Black Ops 7
– Permanent Unlock Token for Black Ops 7 (available at launch)
In Call of Duty®: Black Ops 7, Treyarch and Raven Software are bringing players the most mind-bending Black Ops ever.
The year is 2035 and the world is on the brink of chaos, ravaged by violent conflict and psychological warfare. David Mason leads an elite team on a covert mission to the sprawling city of Avalon. While there, they discover a sophisticated plot that won’t just plunge the world into chaos, it will pull them into their own haunting pasts.
Squad up or go solo in an innovative Co-Op Campaign that redefines the Black Ops experience.
Multiplayer explodes out of the gate with 16 electrifying 6v6 maps and two 20v20 maps at launch. Master a cutting-edge arsenal and outmaneuver your enemies with an evolved Omnimovement system.
In Treyarch’s legendary Round-Based Zombies mode, the nightmare begins where reality ends. Trapped in the heart of the Dark Aether, the crew is thrust into a vast, ever-shifting hellscape.
Game requires a Game Pass Core subscription (sold separately).
TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot required for PC, other security measures may be enforced. Learn more at https://support.activision.com/tpm.
*Call of Duty®: Black Ops 6 or Call of Duty®: Warzone on Xbox Series X|S / Xbox One / Xbox PC required to redeem. Sold / downloaded separately. Must be redeemed by November 14th, 2026.
**BlackCell, Battle Pass, Call of Duty® Points and Tier Skips will be accessible in Black Ops 7 upon availability of the Season 1 Battle Pass in-game. Redemption applies to one Season of the Black Ops 7 Battle Pass only.
Content, features, services, online play, and support not available in all regions, and may vary, change, or terminate.
Requires an Activision account and acceptance of the Activision Software License and Services Agreement. A mobile phone number linked to your Activision account may be required to play Black Ops 7.
Additional storage space may be required for mandatory game updates.
For more information, please visit www.callofduty.com.
©/TM/® 2025 Activision Publishing, Inc. This product contains software technology licensed from Id Software ('Id Technology'). Id Technology © 1999-2025 Id Software, Inc.
Call of Duty®: Black Ops 7 – Vault Edition Upgrade
Activision Publishing Inc.
– BlackCell (1 Season)**
— Includes: Battle Pass, 20 Tier Skips, 1,100 CP and more
– Operator Collection
— 4 Operator Skins: Harper, Karma, T.E.D.D. and Reaper EWR-3
– Mastercraft Collection
— 5 Mastercraft Weapons
– Ultra GobbleGum Pack for Zombies
— 8 GobbleGums of Ultra rarity for Black Ops 7
– Permanent Unlock Token for Black Ops 7 (available at launch)
*Requires existing ownership of the digital version of the Call of Duty®: Black Ops 7 – Cross-Gen Bundle on Xbox Series X|S / Xbox One / Xbox PC (sold separately), or active subscription to select Game Pass plans (Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass PC, or Game Pass Console).
**BlackCell, Battle Pass, Call of Duty® Points and Tier Skips will be accessible in Black Ops 7 upon availability of the Season 1 Battle Pass in-game. Redemption applies to one Season of the Black Ops 7 Battle Pass only.
For more information, please visit www.callofduty.com.
©/TM/® 2025 Activision Publishing, Inc. This product contains software technology licensed from Id Software ('Id Technology'). Id Technology © 1999-2025 Id Software, Inc.
Call of Duty®: Black Ops 7 – Cross-Gen Bundle
Activision Publishing Inc.
– Items for immediate use in Call of Duty®: Black Ops 6 and Call of Duty®: Warzone**:
— Reznov Challenge Pack – unlock the SOG Reznov Operator Skin. Plus, get access to unlock the Stalingrad Reznov and Memory Reznov Operator Skins
— Guild Override Weapon Camo – unlock the Guild Override dynamic Weapon Camo
Includes:
– Cross-Gen Bundle of Call of Duty®: Black Ops 7
— Includes Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Xbox PC versions of the game
In Call of Duty®: Black Ops 7, Treyarch and Raven Software are bringing players the most mind-bending Black Ops ever.
The year is 2035 and the world is on the brink of chaos, ravaged by violent conflict and psychological warfare. David Mason leads an elite JSOC team on a covert mission to the sprawling Mediterranean city of Avalon. While there, they discover a sophisticated plot that won’t just plunge the world into chaos, it will pull them into their own haunting pasts.
Squad up or go solo in an innovative Co-Op Campaign that redefines the Black Ops experience. Take on high-stakes challenges across a wide spectrum of environments, from the neon-lit rooftops of Japan to the Mediterranean coast, and even into the deepest corners of the human psyche.
Multiplayer explodes out of the gate with 16 electrifying 6v6 maps and two 20v20 maps at launch. From futuristic Tokyo vistas to the frozen, unforgiving wilds of Alaska, every environment is brimming with danger and opportunity. Master a cutting-edge arsenal and outmaneuver your enemies with an evolved Omnimovement system.
In Treyarch’s legendary Round-Based Zombies mode, the nightmare begins where reality ends. Trapped in the heart of the Dark Aether, the crew is thrust into a vast, ever-shifting hellscape. This isn’t just survival. It’s a descent into madness.
Game requires a Game Pass Core subscription (sold separately).
TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot required for PC, other security measures may be enforced. Learn more at https://support.activision.com/tpm.
*Requires active subscription to Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass PC, or Game Pass Console. Subscribers must login to Call of Duty®: Black Ops 6 or Call of Duty®: Warzone on Xbox Series X|S / Xbox One / Xbox PC by November 14, 2025 to redeem the Reznov Challenge Pack and Guild Override Weapon Camo.
**Call of Duty®: Black Ops 6 or Call of Duty®: Warzone on Xbox Series X|S / Xbox One / Xbox PC required to redeem. Sold / downloaded separately. Must be redeemed by November 14th, 2026.
Content, features, services, online play, and support not available in all regions, and may vary, change, or terminate.
Requires an Activision account and acceptance of the Activision Software License and Services Agreement. A mobile phone number linked to your Activision account may be required to play Black Ops 7.
Additional storage space may be required for mandatory game updates.
For more information, please visit www.callofduty.com.
©/TM/® 2025 Activision Publishing, Inc. This product contains software technology licensed from Id Software ('Id Technology'). Id Technology © 1999-2025 Id Software, Inc.
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flex: 100%;
margin-left: 0;
}
The post Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Zombies Is Tapping Into Its Past to Guide Its Future appeared first on Xbox Wire.
