Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold Waris unveiling new details about its highly anticipated open-world Zombies Outbreak mode. The first of its kind, Outbreak is designed to throw the traditional boxed-in, round-based format of the regular Zombies mode mostly out the window.
Developer Treyarch’s fifth entry in itsBlack Opsseries launched back on August 11, 2025. The game has since been met with a fairly positive reception, with some players praising its innovative campaign, while others are critical of ongoing gameplay issues. While the franchise does usually harbor its fair share of critics,Call of Dutyis as successful as its ever been, withBlack Ops Cold Warnow one of the best-selling gamesof all time.
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Initially confirmed inCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s Season 2 gameplay trailer, Outbreak is being touted as a “massive new Zombies experience,” where squads of up to four Operators will be tasked with various objectives across multiple regions of Russia’s Ural Mountains. Titled “Operation Threshold,” the Outbreak mode directly follows the events of Die Maschine and Firebase Z, in which Requiem discovers the Russian mountains may hold the answers to the Dark Aether’s power. The biggest fundamental difference between Outbreak and traditional Zombies is the fact that there are no set paths to and from objectives, which can take one of five forms:
After successfully completing one of the objectives, players must then locate a beacon that, upon activation, gives them several useful machines, and one of two choices: Exfil or take a portal to another region in the Ural Mountains. The first option functions how the regularCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold WarZombies Exfildoes, but the second is where it gets interesting. Should players opt to keep going, they’ll be transported to another region in the Ural Mountains for another objective, where reward quality and zombie lethality both increase.
Along with the new Outbreak mode,Black Ops Cold War’s Season 2 introduces Refined and Flawless Aetherium Crystals. Used to upgrade Skills to a respective fourth and fifth tier, the new resource will require extensive research from Outbreak players. However, the new crystals can also appear in traditional Zombies following the start of the new season. Info on exactly what those tiers do is expected in the coming days.
The officialCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold Warblog alludes that there is more content to come for Outbreak, so gamers will want to keep their eyes peeled for any further incoming intel. WhileBlack Ops Cold Warcontinues to be one of the most successful in theCall of Dutyfranchise, there are a sizable amount of players who prefer the Infinity Ward-developedCall of Duty: Modern Warfare. While the 2019 title hasn’t held the spotlight for quite some time, diehard fans will be pleased to know that details haveleaked online forModern WarfareSeason 7.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold Waris available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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