Since its inception in 2008's World at War, Call of Duty's Zombies mode has evolved from the simplistic bunker map of Nacht der Untoten to complex narrative quests and open-world adventures in battling the undead. If you include remastered maps and remakes, there are over 50 Zombies maps to choose from over the last 15 years of the franchise, but not all maps are created equal.
There are several components that can make for an unforgettable Call of Duty Zombies experience, and this top 12 list features maps with some of the most atmospheric designs, engaging storylines, fun Easter eggs, unique features, and gameplay innovation.
While there's only one non-Treyarch Zombies map included here, we can hold on to hope that Modern Warfare 3 could bring a top-tier experience with the inclusion of its Zombies mode this year. This is the first time the undead will rise in a Modern Warfare game, and Activision says this will include massive hordes of zombies on the largest Zombies map ever.
12. Ancient Evil (Black Ops 4)
Ancient Evil is the final map from 2018's Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, closing out Treyarch's Chaos storyline with an epic story conclusion taking place in Delphi, Greece. The map is an impressive setting with various temples and monuments dedicated to Greek mythology. The map is divided into two separate sections, and you can ride Pegasus, a mythological flying horse, to travel between the two portions. There's also a nice tonal shift between the two halves, with the starting point being a lighter theme and the upper portion having a more dark and twisted style.
This map has the more interesting story bits of Black Ops 4's overall narrative, with more character development, an epic boss fight featuring a corrupted Pegasus and a beefy looking zombie warlord, and even an exciting final cutscene with Medusa.
Picking the twelfth spot for the list was a big toss up between Ancient Evil and IX, the first map introduced in Black Ops 4. IX is the more casual-friendly map, with the huge, open arena to run around in, but Ancient Evil is a much more interesting and aesthetically pleasing map to play. And who doesn't want to fly around on Pegasus?
11. Nacht Der Untoten (Black Ops 3)
The Zombies maps from modern games wouldn't exist without the one that started it all, making Nacht der Untoten the godfather of Zombies mode. This is a simple map with three small areas, and it can be a great challenge to survive high rounds with so little space to maneuver.
For this ranking, we are listing the remastered version of the map included in Black Ops 3's Zombies Chronicles DLC, which is an even better version of Nacht der Untoten. Not only are the graphics much improved with greater details and textures, but enhanced lighting and audio improvements add an even more haunting ambiance than the original. The entire map looks and feels so much more alive with the enhanced realism, and the addition of perk machines and Black Ops 3's Gobblegum further add to the experience (or the machines can be avoided for a more classic approach). Either way you choose to play, this is a great map always worth revisiting.
10. Call of the Dead (Black Ops)
Call of the Dead from 2010's Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 may not be a perfect map, but this one offers a special pop cultural experience. This is the first Zombies map to utilize a Hollywood cast, and unlike the later maps of Mob of the Dead and Shadows of Evil, these celebrity personalities are just playing themselves. Call of the Dead features the talent of Danny Trejo, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Robert Englund, and Michael Rooker.
Set on a mysterious Siberian island, Call of the Dead is inspired by the legendary writer and director, the late George A. Romero, who also plays a role as a zombie on the map. While you can just casually slay zombies as one of these four actors and enjoy the voice lines and snowy setting, this map also features a major story Easter egg. With the Ensemble Cast questline, the actors must work together to help free the original cast of Dempsey, Nikolai, Takeo, and Richtofen, who are trapped inside a vault.
9. The Giant (Black Ops 3)
Call of Duty: World at War's Der Riese is a special Zombies experience, as it provides the introduction of teleporters for traversing the map and the iconic Pack-a-Punch machine for upgrading weapons. Der Riese also plays a major factor in the overall Zombies storyline, as radios scattered around the map include story bits and clues, and it set the standard for future Zombies narratives.
Overall, Der Riese ranks highly as a solid casual map, but for this list we're giving a higher ranking to Black Ops 3's remastered "The Giant" version of the map. The Giant brings remastered graphics, more Easter eggs, and new mechanics and features, including Black Ops 3's Gobblegums and a new Wonder weapon. While overly simplistic compared to later maps, Der Riese is still a blast to play for high rounds or just for casual fun with friends.
8. Ascension (Black Ops)
The Zombies mode introduced in Call of Duty: World at War started incredibly simple, lacking quests and perks but growing a little in complexity with each map released. Ascension from Call of Duty: Black Ops is beloved for not only having a cool abandoned spaceport setting, but for adding features that would impact the future of Zombies.
Ascension introduces the very first Easter egg questline, setting the standard for future maps to come. The map adds a greater variety of perk options than ever before, with the popular PhD Flopper and Stamin-Up both making their Perk-a-Cola debut. Ascension also introduces the Lunar Landers, which are launch pads used to fly around to different points on the map, all while slaying the zombies below.
The map layout is incredibly fun to play casually, and the open areas of Ascension are great for beginners looking to practice against "training" zombies or go for high-round challenges. The only real downside of the map is the annoying monkeys who can remove your perks; otherwise, Ascension is a great map to revisit for some zombie-slaying action.
7. Moon (Black Ops)
Moon is the final map of Call of Duty: Black Ops, which sends Dempsey, Nikolai, Takeo, and Richtofen to the moon. Moon has one of the best starting areas of any map, where you can choose to see how long you can survive in an endless horde of zombies, or you can flee through a teleporter to reach the moon. There's an adrenaline rush that comes every time you spawn on the moon, as you're immediately suffocating and rushing to grab your space suit. The map gives you the unique experience of mowing down zombies while experiencing low gravity. This map gives you distinct movement options, and it can add a bit of randomness to the flow of the fights, as both you and the undead are bouncing around.
Even more than just the excitement of being on the moon killing zombies, the main Easter egg quest has a satisfying storyline and gives one of the most epic conclusions, where three rockets are shot at Earth, shattering and partially destroying the planet.
6. Zombies In Spaceland (Infinite Warfare)
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare's Zombies maps really don't get enough credit. The mode is often criticized for a lack of character and story depth, and the maps can be a little goofy and cartoonish, but that's actually part of the charm of the Zombies in Spaceland map.
Infinite Warfare's Zombies doesn't try to imitate the classic look or feel of Treyarch's Zombies, nor does it take itself too seriously, letting Zombies in Spaceland work well as a retro theme park that is a lot of silly fun. You can shoot hoops, play arcade games, ride a rollercoaster, make zombies boogie on a dance floor, complete side Easter eggs, and there's even a main Easter egg quest that lets you fight an alien boss.
Zombies in Spaceland establishes a distinct atmosphere with upbeat tunes playing throughout the map, and each section of the park has a different theme to provide a lot of visual variety. If you can accept the casual and silly vibes, Zombies in Spaceland can be one of the more entertaining maps to play.
5. Buried (Black Ops 2)
Black Ops 2's Buried takes the TranZit/Victis crew to an underground western town filled with zombies and Easter egg secrets. Even if you're not a fan of old westerns, there is still a lot of uniqueness to appreciate, as Buried is packed with features you don't get on most maps.
Most notably, Buried features a friendly non-playable character named Arthur, who helps you fight zombies if you feed him some candy. He can also be helpful in constructing buildable equipment or knocking down barricades to open up access to other areas of the map.
Buried is one of the few maps with a bank system, allowing you to store points in the bank for later use in the current game or for a later game. You can even share points with your teammates, which is great for helping someone regain after an untimely death. The map also features a maze that features a randomized path each playthrough, and there are easy side Easter eggs to complete to earn free perks.
There's even innovation to the weapon pool. Buried introduces the beefed-up Ray Gun Mark II variant of the iconic ray gun and two other unique Wonder weapons are available as well. The Paralyzer is a gun that does what the name says: It paralyzes zombies to slow and stop them within a small radius, but it can also be pointed at the ground and used as a mobility tool to fly around the map. Time Bomb lets you go back in time to a specific round, thus keeping all your perks, points, and weapons you had during the time you placed the device. It's perfect for fixing a high-round oopsie where everything goes wrong.
Overall, this is a map every Zombies player needs to experience, and it's a great map design for casual play.
4. Origins (Black Ops 2)
Black Ops 2's Origins serves as the final Zombies map for the game, and it marks the return of Treyarch's iconic characters of Dempsey, Nikolai, Takeo, and Richtofen. The setting for the map is a dig site in Northern France in 1918, taking place during World War 1. In this alternate history, France is overrun with zombies and robots. It can be a really exciting map to experience, as there's nothing quite like emerging from the bunkers and trenches for the first time and seeing the fighter jets in the sky and giant robots stomping above you.
The setup required for high rounds can feel a bit more frustrating with Origin's complicated map design. There are narrow trenches, muddy areas that slow you down, heavily armored Panzersoldat enemies, and you have to be mindful of your surroundings, as the giant robots crossing the map can easily step on you if you get yourself stuck or you're not watching where you're going. This is a map that just isn't beginner- or casual-friendly.
While Origins can be more challenging, the map's Little Lost Girl storyline Easter egg is quite rewarding as it allows you to build powerful elemental staffs, which can be really fun to wield against a horde of zombies as well as the final boss.
3. Der Eisendrache (Black Ops 3)
Der Eisendrache is a snowy map set in Austria within Griffin Castle. This Black Ops 3 map has a great layout for players of any skill level to enjoy, and it also packs some nostalgia with several mechanics inspired by previous beloved maps, such as Origins, Mob of the Dead, Moon, and Shadows of Evil. This includes the heavy Panzersoldat enemies and elemental weapons from Origins, and similar to feeding the Cerberus heads in Mob of the Dead's prison, you're feeding dragon heads at the castle.
While it may be controversial to rank Der Eisendrache higher than an even bigger fan-favorite like Origins, Der Eisendrache sits at the number three spot because it has a less frustrating map flow and takes a weapon type like the powerful elemental staffs of Origins and, with elemental bows, makes them much easier to obtain and even more entertaining to use. Overall, this is just a more enjoyable map, and it is much more suitable for players of all skill levels.
2. Shadows of Evil (Black Ops 3)
Shadows of Evil is the first Zombies map in Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, and it stands as one of the most atmospheric maps in the history of Zombies. The setting takes place in the fictional 1940s Morg City, which comes to life with a very captivating noir-esque vibe and places like the Black Lace Burlesque club, the Blazing Starlight theater, and an old boxing gym. A jazzy soundtrack adds to the setting, and each perk machine gets a unique '40s-style jingle exclusive to this map.
It also features a Hollywood cast of Ron Perlman, Heather Graham, Neal McDonough, and Jeff Goldblum. They play four sinners attempting to resolve their crimes by completing sacrificial rituals for an entity known as the Shadowman but actually trigger an apocalypse and must work to prevent the end of the world. While this map can be an entertaining experience with casual gameplay, Shadows of Evil's Apocalypse Averted Easter eqq is a very satisfying storyline to complete.
Just like Mob of the Dead, this map checks all the boxes from what you'd expect from a top-tier Zombies map, with the overall design, audio, and storytelling allowing Shadows of Evil's atmosphere to easily pull you into a whimsical yet terrifying 1940s zombie apocalypse.
1. Mob of the Dead (Black Ops 2)
Set in Alcatraz Prison around the 1930s, Mob of the Dead from Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 checks all the boxes for a top-tier Zombies experience. The map provides one of the most satisfying Zombies Easter egg quests and narratives, as Mob of the Dead features a Hollywood cast of Ray Liotta, Chazz Palminteri, Joe Pantoliano, and Michael Madsen, who play fictional mobsters and inmates of Alcatraz looking to execute an escape plan on the night of a zombie outbreak.
Mob of the Dead also introduces Afterlife, which is an astral projection game mechanic exclusive to this map. Entering the Afterlife state after you've been knocked allows you to activate certain objects that need electricity, reach new areas, and also revive yourself. There is a very limited time for getting back to your body, but it's handy when you've gotten unlucky with the horde, giving you a second chance at life.
Overall, this bloody, nightmare-fueled version of Alcatraz makes a perfect atmosphere for killing zombies, and you can even slay the undead while jamming to "Rusty Cage" by Johnny Cash. This is a map that works great as a casual experience with friends or as a more serious adventure to free the prisoners from the island.
With so many Zombies maps in Call of Duty history, it's difficult to chisel a list down to just twelve picks. It's unfortunate that none of the maps from Black Ops Cold War make the cut here, because the game has a really fun and casually-friendly Zombies experience with beginner-friendly maps like Die Maschine and the regions found in the open-world Outbreak mode.
Honorable mentions include: Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare's Shaolin Shuffle, Black Ops: Cold War's Mauer Der Toten and Die Maschine, Black Ops 1's Kino Der Toten, and WWII's The Final Reich.
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