The 10 best and worst Call of Duty Zombies maps of all time
The Zombies mode in the Call of Duty series has provided countless memories over the years, and with that in mind, we’ll take a look at some of its best and worst maps.
Since its inception in 2003, the Call of Duty series has mostly been known for two major modes: its story campaign and its online multiplayer. However, with the release of Call of Duty: World at War in 2008, a new mode was introduced that has been with us ever since: the aforementioned Zombies.
When Zombies first arrived, it was a very basic but fun mode, and it could only be played once you’ve finished the Call of Duty: World at War story campaign. There might not have been much going on in the Nacht der Untoten map, but that made it no less of a blast to play with friends as you fight to take on increasing waves of zombie hordes.
Over the years, the Zombies mode has grown to be more substantial, with larger maps, more missions, enemy types, easter eggs, and more. Some appreciate the new direction, while others prefer it old-school. Either way, when you gather a few friends, there aren’t many modes more fun to play than Zombies.
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This list will be split into five maps on each side of the coin. So, let’s take a look at the best and worst Zombies maps in the history of Call of Duty
The best and worst Call of Duty Zombies maps ever
The best Call of Duty Zombies maps
Origins — Call of Duty: Black Ops II and Black Ops III
When it comes to blending the core survival elements of the Zombies mode while adapting story progression, Origins is right at the top of the list. It had fun with missions, intense enemies (The Panzer, we’re looking at you), easter eggs, magic, horror and giant robots. Perhaps above all else, its characters: Edward Richtofen, Nikolai Belinski, Takeo Masaki, and Tank Dempsey became instant Zombies legends.
Mob of the Dead — Black Ops II and Black Ops 4
Mob of the Dead is up there with Origins as the absolute best Zombies map. It really felt, with this map, that the storytelling of this mode levelled up and Zombies started to feel like a proper standalone story campaign. It had an interesting ‘Afterlife’ mechanic that allowed you to briefly drift out of your body to access certain areas and help to solve puzzles. The ‘MOB’ easter egg is also legendary, as it had a direct impact on how the story ended, and speaking of legendary, Mob of the Dead is set in the Alcatraz maximum-security prison.
Der Eisendrache — Black Ops III
Der Eisendrache was an example of a map that takes the best elements of Zombies in Black Ops II and improves the player experience in Black Ops III without losing focus on why fans love this mode. Other than using firearm weapons, players could also use elemental bows and gravity-defying weapons such as Ragnarok DG-4. Its location in a gothic castle in the Austrian Alps is amongst the best in the series, even if it did see the return of the sinister Panzers.
Kino der Toten — Call of Duty: Black Ops and Black Ops III
While it did have unlockable areas, plenty of objectives and some fun easter eggs, the simplicity of Kino der Toten is one of the reasons why this Zombies map was such a blast. What’s more, the theatre location is legendary, and it had some stupidly fun weapons such as the Thunder Gun, and the teleportation was pure madness. Perhaps out of all the maps on this list, this is quite easily the most replayable in terms of accessibility.
Der Riese — Call of Duty: World at War, Black Ops III
Other than having a tense atmosphere, scary zombies and a great location, Der Riese was also one of the most important Zombies maps due to it introducing the ‘Pack-a-Punch’ perk. Der Riese was remade in Black Ops III with a new name, The Giant. The remake was larger, had more weapons, perks, enemies, easter eggs and more. Plus, it capitalised on the improved gameplay of the newer title. But it may have lacked some of the OG's charm.
READ MORE: The Best Call of Duty Games Worth Playing Before Modern Warfare 4
The worst Call of Duty Zombies maps
TranZit — Call of Duty: Black Ops II
On paper, TranZit should have been a fantastic map, but in execution, it never quite hit the mark. The map felt too big for its own good, and while it introduced a mechanic of catching a bus that takes you to a new area, it was easy to miss, and if/when that happened, it felt like an age for the next one to arrive. It also had annoying little frog-like enemies called Denizens, which were supposed to be scary. Then the map had loads of lava on the floor, which was especially annoying when fighting enemies, because you could easily, unknowingly walk straight into environmental damage. This map belongs in the past.
The Tortured Path — Call of Duty: WWII
Call of Duty: WWII isn't everyone’s favourite story campaign or multiplayer, and that also includes its Zombies. In particular, The Tortured Path lived up to its name in the worst way. It felt cramped and restrictive; it had three main areas that felt very disconnected and, perhaps above all, it was way too objective-based and lost focus on what fans loved about the Zombies mode in the first place.
Die Rise — Call of Duty: Black Ops II
Not to be confused with Der Riese, Die Rise doesn't even come close to being anywhere near the upper echelon of the best Zombies maps. This map is a prime example of poor level design. Its vertical structure could get confusing to navigate, especially during the latter stages. You could too easily fall off the map and die, and it had annoying elevators that took longer to arrive than real-life ones. In the meantime, you’d probably all get killed by the Zombie hordes anyway. This is a map we’d rather forget (until you read a list like this).
Voyage of Despair — Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
This map was another example of poor level design, plus it felt like it was trying to be too ambitious for its own good. Again, losing focus on why fans loved Zombies. Furthermore, it had too many claustrophobic and narrow sections, a confusing layout, its spawning of special enemies was infuriating, enemies would spam attacks, it had overly complicated easter eggs, and above all else, it just never felt like fun. Its Titanic-inspired level should have been something special, but even that couldn't save it.
The Beast from Beyond - Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
Straight off the bat, few maps felt more out of place in Zombies than The Beast from Beyond. The abandoned alien research facility should also have been something special, but it just felt empty and soulless. Yet, despite looking on the empty side, many of its areas were frustratingly cramped, and the reintroduction of the Cryptids enemies not only felt out of place, but early on in the map, they also felt overpowered. Then, when you throw in the zombie hordes alongside them, I’m guessing quite a few controllers would have been thrown in pure anger. And a common theme for Zombies maps during this time: accessing its easter eggs was just too much hassle.
Looking at all the worst maps above, it now seems very obvious why they all only appeared in one Call of Duty game each.
Topics: List, Call Of Duty, Activision