Call of Duty lets you fight zombies for the first time before the release, confirms a popular mode for the beta

In November 2025, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 will be released. The latest installment of the popular shooter series will again feature a round-based Zombie mode that you can test for the first time before the release.

How can you test the Zombie mode before release? Activision has announced that you will be able to play the Zombie mode of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 during the upcoming beta. This is the first time that Zombies will be playable during a beta.

The Beta of Black Ops 7 starts for pre-orders on October 2, 2025. Everyone else can test the shooter starting October 5, before the servers go down again on October 8 until release.

If you want to get a taste of Black Ops 7, you can watch a trailer here:

Which popular mode has been confirmed for the beta? Activision has also confirmed that the Survival mode will be part of the Zombie experience in the beta of Black Ops 7. It was previously known that the mode would return to the shooter.

The Survival mode differs from the standard Zombie mode in that it focuses on pure survival. There are no quests or Easter eggs, just endless waves of undead trying to take your life on relatively small maps.

The Survival mode has not been included in a Call of Duty since the release of Black Ops 2 in 2012.

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What else is known about the Zombie mode? The new Zombies map of Black Ops 7 is called “Ashes of the Damned” and is set to be the largest map you have ever played in the round-based mode. To reach the different areas of the map, vehicles like the newly introduced Wonder Vehicle will be available to you.

The Zombie mode will be playable in four different variations: Standard, Survival, Cursed, and Directed. The latter is especially suitable for beginners as it assists you in navigating the map and completing quests/Easter eggs.

In the latest Call of Duty, the developers have taken Black Ops 7 as a model. This not only shows the return of the Survival mode but also the comeback of a popular antagonist: Call of Duty brings back one of the best villains with Black Ops 7, focusing on significant innovations for the series