Vanguard delivers the complete package to Call of Duty fans across Campaign, online Multiplayer and Zombies co-operative modes. Players will witness the origins of Special Forces as they change the face of history, forming Task Force One in a sprawling World War II narrative campaign spanning the Eastern and Western fronts of Europe, the Pacific, and North Africa. Multiplayer features 20 maps on day one at launch. While Zombies fans will experience a signature undead gameplay experience, marking a franchise-first Zombies crossover for Call of Duty.

Later this year, Vanguard players will be immersed in a fully integrated, new Call of Duty: Warzone experience featuring a brand-new map, new gameplay and new experiences. Together, this is the most connected Call of Duty ever, all powered by the next-generation Call of Duty engine introduced in Modern Warfare.

It's time to rise on every front.

The next chapter in the Dark Aether Saga has been revealed, with “Der Anfang” – the new story of Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies.

Your mission: Stop the undead army with a new set of Dark Aether skills.

Welcome to Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies.

Stalingrad, 1944. The mass graves of fallen soldiers stir as Dark Aether magic animates the dead’s limbs. This is Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies, developed by Treyarch Studios in a franchise-first crossover featuring new characters and new horrors awaiting your arrival when Vanguard launches.

The four-person co-op mode continues and expands on the Dark Aether story first experienced in Call of Duty®: Black Ops Cold War. Set in World War II in the ruins of Stalingrad, this new incarnation of Zombies takes players to the darkest corners of the occult, where mortals bond with Dark Aether entities to gain immeasurable power… but at what cost?

The Story of Vanguard Zombies — “Der Anfang”

It all began with the opening of the Dark Aether gateway at Projekt Endstation. After the Nazi experiment went catastrophically wrong and punched a hole through the dimensional veil, the effects traveled far and wide. More than we ever knew.

Our Special Forces operatives are stranded in the snowy graveyard of Stalingrad, with no backup and no means of communication, held in by the dark magic of Kortifex the Deathless. Kortifex is one of five Dark Aether entities bonded with mortals via their otherworldly artifacts. The other four — Saraxis the Shadow, Norticus the Conqueror, Inviktor the Destroyer, and Bellekar the Warlock — are in revolt against Kortifex.

“Der Anfang” — or “The Beginning” — introduces players to these Dark Aether entities via their artifacts, which were plundered by antagonist Oberführer Wolfram Von List. This officer was in command of the Die Wahrheit battalion in search of mystical antiquities to help turn the tide of the war in the Nazis’ favor.

Von List, now bonded with Kortifex, has gained the power to raise the dead. What better field to create an army of undead than the mass graves of Stalingrad, a year following the Nazis’ worst defeat in one of the war’s most decisive battles?

Our operatives have one slim hope in the form of help from unexpected sources. Professor Gabriel Krafft, a demonologist forced by Von List to uncover the five artifacts, sent out the initial distress call that got our operatives stuck there in the first place. With his guidance, and the help of the four entities fighting against Kortifex the Deathless, who all can give you special new powers, there might be some way to break the containment spell and keep the undead horde from sweeping across Europe.

Straight to the Fun — A Brand-New Zombies Experience

By reentering the World War II setting, Zombies returns to its roots in the era where Call of Duty® Zombies first got its start. In this new chapter, Treyarch Studios has utilized Sledgehammer Games’ powerful Vanguard tech to immerse players in a brutal new environment that will appeal to longtime fans and new players alike.

Get right to the action and step into a portal, transporting you via Dark Aether magic to the crux of the fight, whether that means battling the undead on the rain-spattered rooftops of the Hotel Royal or trudging through the swamps of fan-favorite Shi No Numa. Between objectives, explore the ever-expanding forward operating base in Stalingrad to access classic upgrades such as Perks, weapon upgrades, and the Pack-a-Punch. In Vanguard Zombies, it’s not long before you’re wading knee deep in the undead.

“Der Anfang” introduces new upgrades to the Zombies experience as well, such as the powerful Altar of Covenants.

New Powers: The Altar of Covenants

Offer the new Sacrificial Heart loot item to the Altar of Covenants to choose from a variety of upgrades that randomize each time you return from an objective. As just a few examples, players can pick Ammo Gremlin to reload non-equipped weapons over time, Brain Rot to turn zombies into allies, or Unholy Ground to hold down chokepoints and objectives. There will be plenty of Covenants to choose from, empowering players to approach each game differently.

The randomization of these upgrades on offer adds a unique spin to every match. Paired with your other weapons and abilities, the Altar of Covenants can create unique gameplay builds never before experienced in Zombies. You’ll need them as you fight new, terrifying enemies like the MG-wielding Sturmkrieger and the explosive Boom Schreiers.

Connected Across All Modes and Platforms

Cross-Play and Cross-Gen

Just as in Multiplayer, Zombies players can gather across platforms and generations so that you can team up with your best allies, no matter what platform they play on.

Unified Battle Pass and Player Progression

Advance through Vanguard’s Battle Pass system via unified progression between Multiplayer, Call of Duty®: Warzone™, and Zombies. Your player level is shared between the modes, too, so you’re always progressing in tandem for a fully unified experience.

Get Your Digital Pre-order Now

Battle against Von List and Kortifex the Deathless when Vanguard launches on November 5. Visit CallofDuty.com to digitally preorder now and get the Arthur Kingsley Operator and “Night Raid” Mastercraft SMG for use in Black Ops Cold War and Warzone now.

Digital pre-orders also grant you access to an early pre-load of the game, so you’re ready to fight right on the game’s November 5 launch. All digital pre-orders include the Frontline Weapons Pack, featuring one seven-attachment and one eight-attachment SMG Weapon Blueprint for Vanguard. Get more rewards for ordering the Digital Cross-Gen Bundle or the Ultimate Edition.

Key Features:

• Epic campaign spanning four major theaters of WWII  
  • Experience pivotal WWII battles through the untold stories of multinational heroes that formed Task Force One, changing the face of history and setting the stage for Special Forces as we know it  
  • Development led by award-winning studio Sledgehammer Games, Call of Duty: Vanguard drops players into an epic scale of global warfare, where they will experience combat through the eyes of the original Special Forces Operators across four major theaters of WWII  
  • The deeply engaging, single player narrative features a select multinational group of four soldiers from diverse backgrounds, who rise together in combat to turn the tides of war  
  • Vanguard uses the next generation Call of Duty engine introduced with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare to deliver breathtaking visual fidelity, a photo realistic world, lifelike characters and optimized performance that enhances the gameplay for an advanced Call of Duty experience.  
• Unparalleled Multiplayer offering 
  • Massive day 1 Multiplayer offering with 20 multiplayer maps at launch, including 16 core multiplayer 
  • Experience signature Call of Duty combat and new ways to play with combat pacing and reactive gameplay environments.
  • Tactical down the barrel gunplay, the return of Gunsmith, new custom ballistics, and reactive environments
  • The fast and frenetic Champion Hill mode features a series of tournament style head-to-head matches, where players can play solo (1v1) or squad up in duos (2v2) and trios (3v3) to battle it out in an arena consisting of four maps to be the last squad standing  
• Treyarch Zombies!  
  • From the birthplace of Zombies, Treyarch helps deliver a franchise first Call of Duty Zombies crossover as Vanguard connects with the Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Zombies storyline delivering a new connection for Call of Duty players  
  • Players will be able to survive the relentless onslaught of the undead in a chilling all-new Zombies experience, developed by Treyarch Studios  
  • Provides continuity from a lore standpoint while innovating on the core gameplay loop  
• Warzone Integration  
  • Raven Studios leading development of brand-new Call of Duty: Warzone map coming this year  
  • Will feature a multi-faceted, new anti-cheat system across Warzone
  • Shares the same tech as Vanguard for seamless weapon and operator integration

Post launch, Vanguard  together with Warzone will offer a massive calendar of free post-launch content featuring new maps, modes, playlists, limited time events and seasonal events, as well as community celebrations and more.

The Battle Pass system also returns, allowing you to unlock post-launch content with unified progression across both Call of Duty: Vanguard and Call of Duty: Warzone. As always, you can unlock items like base weapons, customization items, and more, simply by playing the game.

Call of Duty: Vanguard is scheduled for release on PS5, PS4, XboxSeries X|S ,Xbox One, and PC via Battle.net starting November 5, 2021. Call of Duty: Warzone’s new experience will release later this year.