Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s Zombies mode gets first trailer and story details

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s October release date is inching ever closer, with Activision growing looser-lipped by the day. Which brings us to the company’s latest reveal: a first look at Black Ops 6’s Zombies mode, courtesy of a two-and-a-half-minute cinematic trailer, ahead of a full gameplay breakdown this Thursday, 8th August.

“After being imprisoned for over five years at a remote outpost in the Philippine Sea, the former members of Requiem stage a daring breakout,” explains Activision in a bout of scene-setting over on the Call of Duty blog. “They are aided by the unexpected arrival of a mysterious Filipina smuggler and a former adversary. Unfortunately, their bid for freedom from Terminus Island coincides with another chaotic dimensional outbreak… Welcome to Black Ops 6 Zombies.”

That daring breakout is what we see in Black Ops 6 Zombies’ first cinematic trailer, which introduces the mode’s new characters – former Requiem stuff members Grigori Weaver, Mackenzie “Mac” Carver, Elizabeth Grey, Oskar Strauss, and Stoney Maddox (AKA Raptor One) – alongside their liberators, Maya Aguinaldo and Dr. William Peck.

There’s a bit more detail on each of the characters in Activision’s announcement post, but the key takeaway is Black Ops 6 Zombies continues the Dark Aether storyline, picking up five years after Requiem’s senior staff were arrested by Project Director Edward Richtofen. But Activision notes it’s not just the Terminus Island outpost that’s about to be overrun with undead: the West Virginian town of Liberty Falls, on the other side of the world, is also facing its own zombie outbreak.

So that’s your story, but what about gameplay? As it happens, Activision will be sharing the juicy stuff very soon. It’ll be updating its blog this Thursday, 8th August, with a post from Zombies developer Treyarch, promising an “in-depth gameplay overview, information about your pre-match preparation options, full details on Round-Based Zombies gameplay, and a bestiary of the undead.”

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 launches for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC on 25th October. It’ll be a day one release on Game Pass too – but, as Microsoft announced last month, not if you’re on the subscription service’s revised basic tier.