Call Of Duty's Zombies mode has been going strong for many years, ever since its introduction in World At War. This has continued all the way to Vanguard, a title that took the series back to World War 2.
With how long the Zombies game mode has been going on, appearing in every Treyarch Call Of Duty since the aforementioned World At War, many maps have been released for it. A minimum of four have appeared in each game, and usually more. Some of the maps are incredibly difficult, and feel almost impossible to get to high rounds on. On the flip side, some maps are so easy it doesn't even feel rewarding mowing down mobs.
Updated September 24, 2022, by Johnny Garcia: Another iteration of Call of Duty Zombies has concluded with Call Of Duty: Vanguard, and with it, the precursor to the Dark Aether storyline. While the latest installment had round-based maps taking a backseat for most of its run, they returned in the latter half of the game's lifespan.
Treyarch appears to be getting a break for Modern Warfare 2, with the mode seemingly being absent from its lineup. The fan-favorite game is sure to return in the future — the Dark Aether storyline ended on a cliffhanger with the reveal of Eddie. A version of Edward Richtofen, he's pulled the strings of many events during the story set in Black Ops Cold War.
20 Hardest: Mob Of The Dead
Many consider Mob Of The Dead to be one of the best Call Of Duty Zombies maps, if not the best. It gave us a unique cast of characters, a memorable setting, and one of the coolest endings to a Zombies easter egg quest.
While it's one of the best maps, it's also one of the most difficult Zombies maps. There isn't a lot of room to run around in, and getting around the map can prove deadly if you make one wrong turn. Brutus brings some extra difficulty, and in multiplayer games, it's almost impossible to split up.
19 Hardest: TranZit
TranZit is not only one of the hardest Zombies maps, but it's an awful map to boot. Everything that TranZit does exists to be inconvenient. The fog, fire, and Denizens make it incredibly hard to move around the map without the use of the bus. There's fast travel, sure, but it's so convoluted and random that it's basically useless.
Pack-A-Punching on a Solo game is essentially up to chance if the room will be open by the time you get to it. Everything about TranZit works against the player, and it makes it incredibly difficult to do just about anything in it.
18 Hardest: Zetsubou No Shima
Zetsubou No Shima was one of the weaker entries into Black Ops 3's otherwise fantastic catalog of Zombies maps. The swamp made it annoying to get around the map, and the sheer number of Points required to set up on the map was ridiculous without Gobblegums.
Due to how fast the map expects you to set up, Zetsubou No Shima is one of the hardest Zombies maps — especially if you're playing with basic Gobblegums. Setting up on the map isn't an easy feat either, as there isn't a lot of room to run around, and many steps require you to be isolated in small areas.
17 Hardest: Verruckt
Verruckt was the first DLC map released in Zombies, and was also one of the hardest. It also marked the introduction of Perks, Traps, and a moveable Mystery Box, which would become the three staples of the series. Verruckt is a very tight map, with no good open areas to be found.
This makes Verruckt one of the hardest Zombies maps in the series. Your only reliable source of damage in the high rounds is the Traps. The lack of Pack-A-Punch makes your guns fall off rather quickly, too. The only solace can be found in the Gobblegums on the Black Ops 3 version.
16 Hardest: Call Of The Dead
Call Of The Dead was the first time the now-traditional map featured guest characters voiced by celebrities. The plot is "George Romero films a zombie movie at a tundra" where a real zombie infection happens and they turn George himself into a Zombie.
The George Romero Boss Zombie is what makes the map so difficult. He will constantly follow you, and even if you kill him, he'll be back in a few rounds. The Wonder Weapons on the map are terrible, and without traps to use, it makes it even harder to progress in high rounds.
15 Hardest: Shangri-La
While arguably the prettiest map, Shangri-La is easily one of the hardest. It does contain the "Baby Gun" Wonder Weapon, which is one of the strongest Wonder Weapons ever. Despite this, it doesn't make the map any easier.
Shangri-La has absolutely no open space, and going anywhere in the middle of a round is incredibly dangerous. Monkeys can come to change Power Up Drops which can both hurt and help you. If something important drops, you have to put everything on the line to get it; otherwise it'll be lost. All of this gives Shangri-La the title of the hardest Zombies map that was DLC.
14 Hardest: Die Rise
Die Rise was the first DLC map for Black Ops 2, and continued the trend of this installment having the hardest maps in the series. Its Wonder Weapon, the Sliquifier, is one of the best ever — unlike many others, it had no cap on its damage.
What makes Die Rise so hard is the lack of maneuverability. If you want to get from one area to another, you essentially have to hope an elevator is there when you need it. There's no real timer on them either, so they could just leave you behind leaving you stuck in an area.
13 Hardest: Nacht Der Untoten
The original Zombies map; Nacht Der Untoten is perhaps the most iconic map, being the first foray into the game mode for many after beating the World At War campaign. It's appeared in nearly all games except for Black Ops 4 and Vanguard.
Nacht Der Untoten is as barebones as you can get in Zombies. Few perks (outside of the Black Ops 3 version), no Pack-A-Punch, and barely any rooms, all make for an exceedingly difficult map. Though difficult, its simplicity is a part of its charm. Getting to high rounds is very difficult on any version, even with Gobblegums in Black Ops 3, and it's one of the few maps from that game with that distinction.
12 Hardest: Nuketown Zombies
Nuketown is one of, if not the, most iconic maps when it comes to Treyarch Call Of Duty games. It was only a matter of time until it came to Zombies, which occurred at the start of Black Ops 2.
Nuketown Zombies is incredibly difficult due to how unpredictable it is. Generally, you want to get Juggernog as quickly as possible. However, on Nuketown Zombies, perks randomly dropped, meaning there was a chance you wouldn't even be able to buy it until the rounds reached the 20s. The same is true for Pack-A-Punch, which could in turn make high rounds much harder when your guns hardly do anything.
11 Hardest: Five
One of the Black Ops 1 launch maps, Five takes the cake when it comes to difficult maps. The Winter's Howl is a very weak Wonder Weapon, and there are only a few places you can situate yourself on the map. The Pentagon Thief rounds also have the potential to be devasting if he permanently takes one of your powerful weapons.
Going anywhere in the middle of the round is a death sentence, and having to deal with Nova Crawlers makes things even harder. Perks are all over the place and, to get to the Pack-A-Punch room, you need to do it at the start or the end of the round.
10 Easiest: Der Eisendrache
Der Eisendrache was when the Black Ops 3 Zombies train got rolling, and for many, it was the highlight of that era. For good reason, too — Der Eisendrache is one of the best Zombies maps the series has seen.
However, due to the Wonder Weapons available it also happens to be one of the easiest Zombies maps. Having access to the bows made killing zombies trivial, and you were able to clear out entire hordes with just one shot. Panzer Soldats help to mitigate this slightly, but the bows can take care of them just as easily.
9 Easiest: Der Riese/The Giant
Der Riese is one of the most iconic Zombies maps of all time, and was when Zombies became what it is today. Its Black Ops 3 remake, The Giant, is essentially the same map but with added Gobblegums.
Both versions of Der Riese are among the easiest Zombies maps. With the famous catwalk spot, you can camp out with your entire party to destroy Zombie hordes. With the Black Ops 3 version, this becomes even easier thanks to Gobblegums being able to refresh your ammo. The Wunderwaffe DG-2 is one of the best Wonder Weapons ever, as well, which only makes it easier — excluding the Juggernog glitch in World At War, that is.
8 Easiest: Ancient Evil
Ancient Evil is one of the most well-received maps from Black Ops 4, and for good reason. It's a simple map that's incredibly fun to play. And hey, Vikings or whatever. Unfortunately, the trade-off is that this makes it one of the easiest maps in the series.
The main thing that puts it above the rest is the use of the Hands. When you upgrade them, they become some of the best Wonder Weapons Zombies has ever seen. There is a fair number of open areas to avoid getting cornered, but even if you do, the mechanics in Black Ops 4 on top of the Wonder Weapons will easily save you.
7 Easiest: Tag Der Toten
Tag Der Toten is a remaster of Call Of The Dead, and takes away all of the challenges of the original. The Black Ops 4 engine is partially to blame, but the lack of the George Romero Boss Zombie leaves a hole in the map that makes it much easier.
The design of Tag Der Toten has plenty of open areas and, unlike Call Of The Dead, you don't have to worry about anything else. It feels near impossible to get cornered because of it, and rounds feel like they blaze by with no challenge. Black Ops 4 is already the easiest Zombies mode in the series, and Tag Der Toten is one of the easiest Zombies maps of all time.
6 Easiest: Ascension
The first DLC for the original Black Ops, Ascension was the easiest Zombies map in it. It has so much open space that, even in four-player games, every player will have their own area.
It's easy to get free Perks, as well, with Monkey rounds — though the fewer players there are, the harder it is to protect all your Perks. Even then, the two most important Perks — Quick Revive and Juggernog — are easily protected at the same time. With the addition of PhD Flopper, it negates all the splash damage of the Ray Gun, making it even easier to get out of corners.
5 Easiest: Revelations
The finale to Black Ops 3 and the original ending to Zombies, Revelations brought things from maps of Zombies' past. Among the many things brought back, Revelations returned tons of powerful Wonder Weapons.
A map with heavy hitters like a Thundergun, Apothicon Servant, Lil' Arnies, and the Ragnarok is bound to be easy. To add to that, there's plenty of wide space on the map to move around in. The addition of upgradeable Perks helps to make getting to high rounds a breeze. Even the variety of Boss Zombies put onto the map doesn't do anything to the difficulty, since the Wonder Weapons dismantle them easily.
4 Easiest: Firebase Z
Cold War Zombies was unique in that just about any gun was viable to reach high rounds, thanks to the changes to the upgrade system. While it's great for versatility with each session, it does lead to the game, and in turn maps, being quite easy.
Firebase Z is the easiest of the lot. The Boss Zombies on the map are easy to deal with, and ammo drops are so plentiful you never actually have to buy any. Not only that, but the areas to run around in are huge, making it easy to not get caught in corners.
3 Easiest: Kino Der Toten
Kino Der Toten is one of the most iconic maps in Zombies history, from the easter egg song to the Thundergun. It gives you a lot of space, as well as plenty of powerful traps that will kill zombies in any round.
Kino Der Toten is easy because of all this, but that is a part of its charm. It's one of the most low-stress Zombies maps out there, which helped its popularity. The map lacks a Boss Zombie, too, making surviving much easier — since you only have to worry about ammo.
2 Easiest: IX
IX is one of the best maps Black Ops 4 has to offer, though it's also one of the easiest. Thanks to Specialists and Elixers, it makes surviving in a pinch incredibly easy.
IX has a lot of open space, most notably in the starting room. Here, you can also fuel your run, thanks to crowd rewards that can give you free ammo and Specialist refills. All four of the Perk Totems are easy to get to, attached to the main area of the map — should you ever go down and lose your Perks.
1 Easiest: Buried
Buried, which is generally considered to be one of the "only good Victis maps," is also the easiest in the series. "The Paralyzer" is an infinite-ammo Wonder Weapon, and a solid one at that. Buried is also the easiest map to get all the Perks on — without the use of Gobblegums — and with the Bank mechanics, it is easy to get Points to set up.
"The Time Bomb" makes it easy to erase mistakes, as it will reset to where you were if you ever go down and lose your Perks. With each run of Buried, you'll have tons of Points to store away for future runs, making it even easier.