COD Mobile Zombies in 2026: History and What's Playable

As of November 2026, none of Activision's 2026 season announcements for Call of Duty: Mobile lists the classic round-based Zombies mode or Undead Siege; the undead content this year arrives through limited-time Attack of the Undead playlists, including two Halloween maps in the current Season 9. Zombies in COD Mobile has a long on-and-off history, from a 2019 launch to a 2020 removal and a 2022 return, so what you can play depends heavily on the season. This guide explains every zombie mode the game has had, what is running now, and how to get the most from the undead playlists while they last.

We checked this against Activision's official 2026 Call of Duty: Mobile season announcements on the Call of Duty blog and the Call of Duty Wiki on Fandom, including its Call of Duty: Mobile and Darkness Infiltration pages, in November 2026.

What You Can Play Right Now

The current season, Vampires vs Werewolves, launched on October 14 with a clear Halloween theme. Activision's announcement says Attack of the Undead is featured on two maps, Haunted Hacienda and Haunted Standoff, and that both fan-favorite Halloween maps also get their own 24/7 playlists at different points during the season. That is the closest thing to a zombies experience in the live game this month.

Season 9 also brings back two collaboration playlists for a limited time: the Street Fighter 6 modes Shoryu and Hadoken, and Honkai: Gleaming Front, based on Honkai Impact 3rd, which Activision says returns with improvements and small tweaks. None of those are zombie modes, but they sit in the same rotating section of the mode list, so check it at the start of each week.

Season 10 arrives on November 11 and focuses on Verdansk, a new limited-time mode called Create Your Truth and DMZ: Recon updates, including a new Chemist boss in the radiation zone. Nothing in that announcement mentions zombies, so if undead modes are what you enjoy, play them before the season changes.

Zombies Classic: Launch, Removal and Return

According to the Call of Duty Wiki, the original Zombies mode launched on November 23, 2019, on the map Shi No Numa. It offered a round-based Survival mode and a Raid mode in two difficulties, Normal and Hardcore. Familiar Perk-a-Colas appeared, including Juggernog, Speed Cola, Double Tap Root Beer, Quick Revive, Deadshot Daiquiri and Electric Cherry, alongside a Coins system that worked much like the GobbleGums from Black Ops III and cheaper Buffs that boosted damage or health.

It did not last. On February 29, 2020, TiMi Studios announced the mode would be removed on March 25, 2020. It stayed away for more than two years before returning on October 13, 2022, with Season 9: Zombies Are Back. The return brought back the Raid modes and added a traditional round-based mode called Endless. Coins stayed, but Buffs were removed. The Wiki lists Nacht der Untoten and Shi No Numa as the maps for Survival and Raid.

The reason for the removal mattered for what came next. Dexerto's coverage from the time quotes TiMi Studios saying it may bring the mode back, with Nacht der Untoten, once it could make sure the mode was of high enough quality, and that it would focus on Multiplayer, Battle Royale and Ranked first. That is exactly the order things happened in: ranked and Battle Royale expanded, and Nacht der Untoten arrived with the 2022 return.

Classic Zombies also had secrets. In Hardcore Raid, players could repair an elevator using parts that spawned in the central building, ride it to an underground lab, destroy glowing plants to collect codes, and enter them at a terminal to reach a boss fight against Jubokko. Smaller Easter eggs included a blue crystal that spawned skulls to shoot for a Power-Up and teddy bears hidden in sightlines around the map.

Undead Siege: The Battle Royale Twist

The game's second take on zombies arrived on August 1, 2021, as Undead Siege. The Wiki describes it as a very different design: a PvE mode in which a squad of four defends a teleportation base from waves of zombies, borrowing mechanics from both Battle Royale and traditional Zombies. It had Casual and Hard difficulties, with Hard offering much better rewards and XP in exchange for more coordination, plus its own reward track and a related event called Aether Hunt.

Undead Siege played out on Battle Royale ground rather than a tight zombies map, with the Wiki listing Isolated and Blackout as its maps. Its enemy roster went well beyond shambling zombies: the Goliath Exo Zombie, Cerberus, Igniter, Hazmat, Pulverizer, Belcher, Inferno, Necromancer and The Butcher all appeared, along with Brutus and hounds. Special weapons included the Death Machine, the War Machine and the XS1 Goliath.

If you remember Undead Siege fondly, it is worth keeping expectations realistic. Its mechanics live on in pieces: the Wiki notes that the later Darkness Infiltration mode borrowed elements from it, and Battle Royale has since added features such as in-match contracts and buy stations, which arrived on Rebirth Island in Season 4 of 2026. A straight return has not appeared in any 2026 announcement.

Darkness Infiltration and Other PvE Spin-offs

Darkness Infiltration was a limited PvE mode tied to an Alchemy Stars collaboration. The Wiki says it launched with the Season 9: Orbital Raiders update of 2024 and was removed with the Season 10 5th Anniversary update, and it is unavailable in the global version of the game. Played on a section of Isolated, it had squads complete main quests and optional side quests against dark creatures before defending an exfil terminal for 120 seconds. Players recruited support characters called Aurorians, with 53 available, each offering active or passive skills.

The closest 2026 equivalent came in Season 8 with the Honkai Impact 3rd collaboration. Activision described a new top-down roguelike shooter in which up to three players team up against waves of monsters until a final boss, across three maps with different difficulties. Elite Chests award upgrades such as Weapon Traits, Stigmata and Chips, downed players can be revived by teammates, and an Endless mode tests how long a team can last against increasingly difficult waves. For anyone who misses wave survival, that mode scratched the same itch.

Zombies also shows up in cosmetics. Season 4 of 2026 brought the Wicht Warden, from Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies, as an operator in a Store draw alongside the Mythic DP27 Necrotic Reliquary blueprint.

Attack of the Undead and Infection Modes

Attack of the Undead is the format you are most likely to find in 2026, and it is an infection mode rather than a wave defense. Activision's Season 5 announcement explains the structure through its The Boys variant, Supe'd Up Attack of the Undead: one player starts as the undead and tries to eliminate the others, and every survivor who falls joins the undead side. The undead rely on speed, agility and melee, while humans have ranged weapons and equipment. Humans win by surviving until the timer runs out; the undead win by converting everyone.

That Season 5 version added a twist for the final survivor, who gained a superpower based on an assigned character. Starlight emitted a shockwave that slowed nearby zombies, Black Noir drew a katana and gained movement speed with each elimination, and Homelander could hover and fire lasers while managing an overheat meter. The Season 9 playlists on Haunted Hacienda and Haunted Standoff use the standard Attack of the Undead rules on those Halloween maps.

Because these are casual limited-time modes, they are a good place to finish Battle Pass tasks that ask for eliminations or matches played, without the pressure of ranked. Our Battle Pass guide covers how to plan tasks across a four-week season.

Getting the Most From Undead Playlists

Limited-time modes come and go quickly, so a little planning goes a long way:

• Check the mode list weekly. Activision says the two Halloween maps get their own 24/7 playlists at different points of Season 9, so the lineup changes within the season.
• Bring close-range weapons as a human. Undead players rush you with speed and melee, so a fast SMG or shotgun is more useful than a sniper. Our guide to the strongest guns this season lists the current leaders in each class.
• Stack event rewards. Season 9's Call of the Dead event pays out Howlbones for an event store, and collecting 100 of them unlocks the K-9 Unit Fantasma operator skill skin, which releases a pack of skeletal dogs.
• Do not expect ranked progress. Attack of the Undead is not part of the ranked Multiplayer playlist, so climb in the dedicated ranked lobby instead, as our ranked tiers guide explains.

Finally, watch official channels for news of any zombies comeback rather than trusting leaks. Season 10's announcement, for example, went up on the Call of Duty blog on November 4, a week before launch, and its giveaways and promotions are covered in our guide to the Redemption Center.

Building Your Collection Faster

Many of the undead-themed operators and blueprints from past seasons, from Halloween draws to collaboration skins, are no longer obtainable on a new profile. Collectors who want a head start can look at the COD Mobile account listings in our store, which come from marketplace sellers and list their own unlocks. Please note that Activision's Terms of Use prohibit buying, selling, trading or otherwise transferring accounts and state that Activision does not recognize such transfers.

Frequently Asked Questions