With Call of Duty Black Ops 6’s first post-launch season going strong, developer Treyarch gave players a quick update on what to expect in its second half. From holiday-themed skins to new additions for Zombies, Call of Duty’s latest and best entry in year is closing out the year with a bang.
Heading into the new year however, the series is teasing its most intriguing crossover yet. While Call of Duty has already brought the stars of hip-hop and WWE into the fold, it seems that 2025 has something more cerebral in store in the form of a Squid Game theme update.
Here’s everything you need to know about the mind-boggling crossover and everything else coming to Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Season 1 for the remainder of the year.
When does Black Ops 6 Season 1 Reloaded Begin?
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Season 1 Reloaded kicks off December 5. The “Reloaded” part of the season marks the halfway point for the current season. With the halfway point upon us, Treyarch shared some additional details for what’s in store for the year of 2024, which includes a focus on new features coming to the game’s Zombie mode.
What’s in store for Zombies Mode in Black Ops 6 Season 1 Reloaded?
As promised last month, Zombies is getting its first substantial update during Reloaded. The game mode is getting a new enemy type called the Doppelghast. Roughly translated to “double horror” in German, this two-headed tentacled nightmare will have “fast and unexpected maneuvers” that outpace the average zombie, according to a new blog post.
To help even the odds, players will now have access to a new elemental variant on the Bastard Sword. The two-handed claymore can be upgraded to deal fire, light, rot, and lightening damage if players. These weapons have passive and super abilities powered up over time. There’s also a new perk called Vulture Aid, which increases the variety of loot dropped by enemies. A new Ammo mod called Light Mend, which gives every shot fired a chance to transfer an enemy’s health to a nearby ally. And a new field upgrade called Tesla Storm, which tethers allied players with lightening, stunning and damaging nearby enemies.
A limited time map called Jingle Hells (last features in the 2020 Black Ops) drops you in a seasonal version of Liberty Falls zombie map, complete with wreaths, ribbons, twinkling lights, Christmas trees, and snow.
These updates will be added alongside the new map Citadelle des Morts, as well as the new Directed Mode, which is a guided experience for those stumped by Zombies’ more subtle progression systems.
What holiday-themed changes are coming to Black Ops 6 Season 1 Reloaded?
Just in time for the holidays, Black Ops 6 is adding some festive unlocks and tweaks for those who like to ring in the season with strangers online. This season’s Ransack mode will now have players competing to get cookies from crates instead of gold. Depositing cookies (presumably for Santa) will give players buffs like a speed boost, faster reload, and faster health regen. There is also a new Infectious Holiday mode, which is the classic Zombies mode, only the undead and operators now have Christmas themed attire.
Both of these modes, as well as the previously announced holiday variant of Nuketown, will feature snow piles that let players pick up a snowball add lob it at enemies for a one-shot elimination. A jolly good time indeed.
So what’s the deal with that Squid Game Tease?
The most interesting thing to be announced for Season One is an upcoming collaboration with Netflix celebrating the premiere of Squid Game 2. This isn’t the first time Call of Duty has crossed over with prestige television, as its features the caped villains and anti-heroes of Amazon’s The Boys in 2023. With Squid Game being less about violent thrills however, it will be interesting to see how Call of Duty adapts the hit show aside from player skins.
“Squid Game gets the green light to come to Call of Duty: Black Ops 6,” the announcement reads. “Look for Limited Time Modes in Multiplayer, Zombies, and Call of Duty: Warzone in-season. Get your numbers up and drop in.”
There’s little to parse from what Treyarch has shared so far, we sincerely hope that whatever comes of this crossover results in some fun and deadly games that replicate the tension of the Emmy award-winning TV show. Imagine how fun a Call of Duty twist on Red Light Green Light, marbles, or hopscotch could be. If Treyarch nails it, these modes could be big enough hits to stick around long after the end of the season.
