Black Ops Cold War reportedly set to get new “open world” Zombies Outbreak mode

Isaac McIntyre
Black Ops Cold War Zombies loom over game logo "Outbreak" open world mode.

Treyarch is reportedly set to add a new “open-world style” Zombies mode ⁠— apparently titled ‘Outbreak’ ⁠— to Black Ops Cold War in the near future, according to Call of Duty leaks on Twitter and Reddit.

The new Black Ops Cold War leak was first posted by Call of Duty insider ‘Okami,’ before being shared around Twitter and Reddit on February 10.

According to the leaker, this new mode would be an “open-world style” Zombies mode, added to Black Ops Cold War in a coming season. The upcoming playlist ⁠— apparently totally “co-op” ⁠— will be played on a yet-to-be-released “large-scale Fireteam map.”

The playlist will reportedly be a “Treyarch-style” PVE mode.

There have been limited details beyond early reports, but Dexerto believes any new Zombies mode in Black Ops Cold War will continue the series’ rebooted story.

If the new “Outbreak” rumors prove true, this won’t be the first time Treyarch has added Zombies to a mega-sized map in Call of Duty ⁠— early Warzone predecessor “Blackout” had small pockets of undead AI randomly spawn throughout its Black Ops 4 battle royale matches.

Black Ops 2 also had a semi-open Zombies map, TranZit. The transport-based mode saw players battle across a huge battlefield via robot-controlled bus.

The report from Okami also mentions “Outbreak” would be hosted on a Fireteam map, though it’s not clear if this would be a new release. If it’s an already-existing option, this may include Alpine, Ruka, or even Sanatorium from Season 1.

The new Zombies mode may be hosted on a Fireteam map like "Sanatorium."
The new Zombies mode may be hosted on a Fireteam map like “Sanatorium.”

Dexerto has yet to hear any official confirmation from Activision either way on these “Outbreak” rumors, so take any Zombies news with a grain of salt until then.

If the rumored mode is added to Black Ops Cold War soon, it likely won’t be until after Season 2’s big content drop. The 2021 title’s second season is penned in for the last week of February, which coincides with the end of the current battle pass.

For now, Zombies fans will have to stick to playing the new map, “Firebase Z,” which was released on February 4 after an extended teaser campaign.

About The Author

Isaac was formerly the Australian Managing Editor at Dexerto. Isaac began his writing career as a sports journalist at Fairfax Media, before falling in love with all things esports and gaming. Since then he's covered Oceanic and global League of Legends for Upcomer, Hotspawn, and Snowball Esports.