Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 unveils the open-world zombies mode

The always popular Zombies mode returns with the launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, immersing players in an open-world setting to stop the undead hordes. Its addition brings variety to this particular Call of Duty subseries, which historically has seen modes like Spec Ops and, most recently, the Nuclear Raids. With Sledgehammer at the helm of this latest Modern Warfare title, the Task Force 141 faces the undead for the first time in the series' history.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is the third installment of the rebooted Modern Warfare series and takes place some time after the events of Modern Warfare 2 in 2022 and its subsequent seasons. The focus of the third installment is Vladimir Makarov, who makes his debut in the series reboot after being hinted at in the previous game as being responsible for triggering the events of Modern Warfare 2's campaign. Captain Price returns to lead Task Force 141 and embark on a mission to prevent Makarov from igniting World War III. However, the ultranationalist terrorist has an elite unit known as the Konni Group to counter the special operations team.

Alongside the campaign and multiplayer modes, Sledgehammer unveiled the open-world zombies mode of the game with a cinematic trailer that sets the stage for the outbreak that the Task Force 141 will be working to contain. The zombies of Modern Warfare 3 continue the Dark Aether Saga, which began in Call of Duty: Vanguard and was continued in Black Ops Cold War, with Victor Zakhaev leading a group called Terminus Outcomes as the main antagonists. An incident involving Zakhaev's private military group leads to the outbreak, which appears to be spreading rapidly and requires the Task Force 141 to join a containment operation called Operation Deadbolt.

The map where players will fight against the undead is described as "the largest Call of Duty Zombies map of all time," providing more space to fight and escape from the zombies that populate the map. Sledgehammer has not disclosed the location of the map, only mentioning that a mysterious military base in the heart of the city was the target of Zakhaev's efforts to escape with the enigmatic substance Aetherium before the outbreak occurs. The trailer also confirmed the presence of Soap and Kate Laswell as representatives of Task Force 141, while Sergei Ravanov from the Zombies mode of Black Ops Cold War makes a return.

It remains to be seen how this version of Zombies will be received by players, particularly in comparison to what else will be available at the launch of Modern Warfare 3. Multiplayer fans will have the opportunity to play on 16 remastered maps from 2009's Modern Warfare 2, while player-focused individuals can try out their playstyles in Open Combat Missions.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is set to be released on November 10, 2023, for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

Source: Call of Duty, YouTube