Black Ops 7 Season 2 will smash two punishing Zombies experiences into one, and Treyarch's also teased its next round-based map

As if Treyarch hadn’t already packed enough variations of the Zombies formula into Black Ops 7, it looks like even more modes are on the way. While I and countless other Zombies fans are always happy to see new round-based maps arrive, there may soon be an overwhelming amount of ways to play them. In celebration of 115 Day, Treyarch has revealed what’s on the horizon for next month’s Black Ops 7 Season 2 update, and while its lips are sealed on the new round-based map, it’s spilt the beans on several new modes.

The first sees two of Black Ops 7 Zombies’ existing experiences collide. The return of Survival for BO7 was great to see – a gauntlet that is solely focused on your survival skills as you fend off endless waves in one compact area. I also like what Treyarch has done with its hardcore Cursed mode, which brings back a BO3-style points-based system, lets you scale difficulty with modifiers called Relics, and sees you start each match with just a pistol in hand – as God intended. For Season 2 of the FPS game, both of these modes are being smashed together.

Cursed Survival will arrive as “a new, permanent addition to Black Ops 7 Zombies” that will eventually be playable on every existing and future Survival map. The initial lineup includes Mars, which will be a brand new Survival zone in Season 2 that’s based off of the boss arena from the Astra Malorum map.

“We know this has been a top request from fans of Cursed since the mode was unlocked shortly after launch, and the team is excited to bring it to the game with the new season,” Treyarch says in its 115 Day blog post. “Cursed Survival will support four maps at launch: Vandorn Farm, Exit 115, Zarya Cosmodrome, and Mars, with more coming in the future as they’re released.

“Reach Round 100 on a given map in Cursed Survival, and you’ll earn huge XP bonuses, more GobbleGums, and a new Relic-based cosmetic item. Ever wanted a Golden Spork to hang on your weapon? Now you can.”

However, the new mode train keeps on rolling in Season 2. To further serve those who love chaotic, stressful, compact Zombies experiences, Starting Room is making a comeback. This mode, first introduced last year as a limited-time challenge in Black Ops 6, will also become a “permanent fixture” in BO7 Zombies. “You and your squad will be trapped in the starting area of Ashes of the Damned or Astra Malorum, armed only with the resources normally available in the first room of the respective map, with all doors permanently locked.”

The reason for the influx of new Black Ops 7 Zombies modes at the start of Season 2 can be explained by the fact that the next round-based map is not coming until Season 2 Reloaded, according to the blog post. The Mars Survival Map, Cursed Survival, and Starting Room should do a decent job of keeping players entertained til then, but the BO7 storyline won’t continue until midway through the season.

Prior to launch, Treyarch repeatedly promised that this year would be the biggest ever in terms of the amount of content for Zombies and BO7 as a whole, so the constant barrage of new modes is unsurprising. However, in this 115 Day post, it confirms that a grand total of five post-launch Zombies maps will arrive, with Astra Malorum of course being the first of those. This is one more than we got across Black Ops 6’s seasonal updates, and is the largest post-launch offering ever when it comes to round-based content, which is great. However, it’s worth noting that Black Ops 7 debuted with just one map (Ashes of the Damned) whereas Black Ops 6 launched with two (Terminus and Liberty Falls). That means both games will have six maps in total when all is said and done.

While details on the next round-based map are very, very limited, the teaser video below was posted on social media. It shows several children’s drawings and a potential glimpse at main antagonist, the Warden.

Season 02 Reloaded Teaser – Black Ops 7 Zombies

After the events of Astra Malorum, the crew finds themselves transported out of time and space by the Warden after freeing Caltheris from her bonds…

The story continues in our next Round-Based Zombies Map launching with Season 02… pic.twitter.com/lHo5d9qvdP

– Treyarch (@Treyarch) January 15, 2026

Per the current in-game timer for Season 1, Black Ops 7 Season 2 is expected begin on Thursday, February 5, so that’s when you’ll be able to enjoy the new Mars Survival map, dive into Cursed Survival, and test your mettle in Starting Room. Mid-season updates usually arrive four or five weeks later, so expect Season 2 Reloaded and the new round-based map to land in the first half of March.

Even though I still have content bloat concerns when it comes to Zombies modes, Cursed Survival certainly sounds like it’ll keep the most hardcore fans happy. I’m not totally sure what Starting Room offers that’s truly different from Survival, but I expect there’s a handful of players excited to see it back. As for the round-based stuff, keep it coming – as long as the quality stays high, we’ll never be overserved in that department.