Call of Duty has introduced a new free mode with Modern Warfare 2, which, however, was left to its fate after just one year. A future CoD is now set to bring the comeback.
What mode is it about? Call of Duty introduced a new mode called DMZ in 2022 with the release of Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2.0, which you could play for free in CoD Warzone. DMZ was a mode inspired by EFT-Likes/ Extraction-Shooters – a shooter genre that gained popularity in previous years.
In DMZ, you were exposed on a map with a previously selected loadout and could then execute various faction tasks and collect loot. You had to survive in combat against numerous NPC enemies as well as other players to successfully board a helicopter at an extraction point and leave the map at the end. If you fell before extraction, you lost your carried equipment.
However, with the release of Modern Warfare 3 in 2023, it became clear: DMZ will no longer be supported. Although the mode was never completely scrapped, it remained in its original state since then. This is equivalent to the end for a live service game – especially for Call of Duty, where almost every year a new installment is released.
Future Call of Duty is set to bring back DMZ
What has now been revealed about the future of DMZ? The well-known CoD leaker “TheGhostOfHope” reports on X.com that DMZ will return with “Call of Duty 2026.” This refers to the CoD installment that will be released in 2026. As no title is currently known, the game is temporarily referred to as “CoD 2026.”
According to the leaker, DMZ is set to return as the “third mode” of CoD 2026 – as the main game mode alongside multiplayer and the campaign. In Black Ops 6, this role is currently taken by the turn-based zombie mode.
However, there is currently no further information about the return of DMZ.
What does the community say about it? In the comments on X, there are some critics but also fans of the mode. Many hope that DMZ will run independently of Warzone.
- telephonic1892 is excited: ‘These are wonderful news, I’m tired of Warzone, multiplayer is starting to bore me, DMZ is the best mode in the history of CoD.’
- redneckjedi35 wonders: ‘The question is only whether it will be as it was before, half-finished, or if they will really make an effort and challenge Delta Force.’
- SinfulNiss is skeptical: ‘I can’t wait for it to launch again without content, just to be in good shape at the end of the life cycle before it’s abandoned again.’
- DiversionDude thinks: ‘I hope they separate the DMZ mechanics from Warzone and the base game. This way, they can offer different experiences in the same package.’
Basically, the return of DMZ could please many Call of Duty players, but for that the mode apparently needs to be well implemented. If DMZ launches in 2026 with little content or has negative effects on multiplayer or Warzone, the mode will have a hard time. However, Black Ops 6 hasn’t had it particularly easy either lately: Call of Duty is losing almost as many players in a month as it gained with the release of Black Ops 6 on Steam.
