TheCall of Duty Zombiesseries has evolved throughout the years, and what once started as a fun and terrifying horror project, quickly grew into an expansive sci-fi series that nobody could forget. The bestCall of Duty Zombiesmaps have ranged over the years, but what truly makes them stand out isn’t just the wonder weapons and characters, but the atmosphere.
The atmosphere of everyCOD Zombiesmap is important for the series due to what they could evoke. Whether it’s memorable and expansive skyboxes of war, or perhaps the dreariness of abandoned asylums and fog-infested lands,Call of Duty Zombiesexcels at its environments and replayability.
8Shadows of Evil
With four newly-cursed souls placed into the familiarity of Morg City, albeit with undead horrors, those whosurvive Shadows of Evilwill be placed within its jazzy and noir setting, filled with the wonders of a sprawling city and the occult that lurks beneath the surface. Shadows of Evil is innovative, fun, and harboring a great atmosphere.
Shadows of Evil might not be the scariest of the maps, but it’s definitely one of the most engaging. The jazzy round change music, thefun Perk jingles, and the general aesthetic of the neon lights and sprawling landscapes of Morg City, there’s a lot to enjoy, especially when the Apothicons take hold of this dimension, drowning the sky in an orange eclipse with a giant squid lurking above.
7Verruckt
Taking place in an abandoned asylum, Verruckt was the first DLC map for Zombies withCall of Duty: World at War, and it didn’t disappoint. This terrifying map continued the fear that these zombies could evoke, and their behavior was far different thanks to erratic movements and the occasional super sprinter. Verruckt was also responsible for some thingsintegral to Zombies’ DNA, with Perks and the Power Switch.
Verruckt wasn’t just immersive for its innovation at the time but for its atmosphere. An abandoned asylum with a plethora of hints and easter eggs, this horrific and grim place was dark and claustrophobic, and surviving it was most difficult due to its tightness and overall zombie aggression.
6Buried
An Old West Mining Town Trapped Within the Earth With a Ghost House
An old American mining town that has somehow found itself in the depths of Africa, Buried already excels at atmosphere just based on its location alone. For those who want to hark back to the Old West and kill some cowboy zombies, Buried is the map for them. Yet, it’s not just the zombies and the shanty town of wooden structures that make Buried excel.
Buried holds ghosts and other secrets that make it such a rewarding experience. From the terrifying maze of the ghost girl house to the actual hedge maze just outside it, Buried is both spacious and claustrophobic at the same time,providing players with plenty to doin an American town of the Old West that never truly died.
5Call of the Dead
A Chilling Siberian Outpost Writhe With Group 935 Experiments and George A. Romero
What was supposed to be a movie set quickly became the crime scene of a zombie invasion, and the Siberian outpost in Call of the Dead becomes a hellish nightmare. With no way off the frozen glacier, the A-list cast mustsurvive against the cold and the bite of the zombies, all while a zombified George Romero hunts them down.
The impressionable fog, harsh snow, and slowing waters of Call of the Dead make it an incredible map, and a changing point in the Zombies franchise. This was a map that could stand on its own without the assets from the campaign or multiplayer, and getting lost in icy cavers, a spiraling lighthouse, and a shipwreck, was an exciting and chilling experience.
4Mob of the Dead
Zombies Invade a Hell-Turned Alcatraz
Waking in a zombie-infested prison is quite something, but waking in Alcatraz itself? Mob of the Dead excels in the atmosphere, and the ruins of Alcatraz make for an incredible map, where it seems hell has carried over into the design to make every zombie and cell a fearful disaster. With the map brimming with secrets and its deadly Warden coming to wreak havoc time and again, Mob of the Dead stands out as one of the best maps out there.
Mob of the Dead stillholds some terrifying elementsfrom when the Zombies maps used to focus somewhat on horror, and the rioted prison and its mysterious yards will always hold an incredible atmosphere, as trying to navigate a prison such as this with undead hot on the tail will forever be memorable.
3Zetsubou No Shima
A Dense Jungle Surrounds a Pacific Island Filled With Zombies and Experiments
A remote island in the Pacific, Zetsubou No Shima brings horror elements back intoCall of Duty Zombiesby showcasing the secret experiments of the sinister Division 9. Zetsubou No Shima experiments with nature and animals, creating horrors beyond comprehension that make for a memorable andterrifying encounter at every turn.
With such dreariness of fog and the overruling nature that engulfs the island, Zetsubou No Shima features plants and spiders that fight back, providing players with an assortment of terrors. From diabolical labs to water-flogged areas, and condensed jungles, this isolated island can easily become a tomb.
2Origins
Giant Robots, Mech-Zombies, and Templars Create a New Story in the Trenches
The origins of Group 935, and the swelling ancient evil that has been awakened into the battlefield of World War 1, Origins takes players into a new dimension outside of the established canon to begin anew.Origins takes players to Excavation Site 64, where they must find a way to reach Agartha by trudging this dig site’s trenches. Origins are on an epic scale, and upon looking up, players will see a warzone before them, where dogfights reign hellfire and giant robots march through the battle zones.
Origins shows the potential of the series’ creativity and the potential for Element 115, and as players fight through trenches, craft ultimate weapons, and combat Templar zombies, they will find themselves in an atmosphere like no other, as Origins is a true warzone from an alternate World War 1.
1Nacht der Untoten
Terrifying Nostalgia Lurks Within the Claustrophobic Fog
Anyone who has playedCall of Duty: World at Waris familiar with the end credits, in which players watch a sprinting zombie burst into frame when the scorched words “Nazi Zombies” appear. Spawning into an abandoned airfield, the environment of Nacht der Untoten is unmatched due to the terrifying fog and the zombies that loom in the distance.
It might be small, but it’s certainly impressionable, and Nacht der Untoten was the start of something truly groundbreaking. The sound design of the zombies, the fear of opening up a door that says “Hell” on it, and hitting the mystery box for the first time. Nacht der Untoten is extremely nostalgic, and its condensed and foggy atmosphere aids it tenfold.
