Black Ops 2 Zombies was a significant step forward for the mode — introducing new game types beyond the traditional Survival, the sprawling TranZit map with its bus travel system, and the critically acclaimed Mob of the Dead with its Hollywood cast. Here is a complete guide to every BO2 Zombies map, every game mode, how to actually unlock the DLC maps, the TranZit bus driver, and answers to the questions players still ask about this 2012 game over a decade later.
Does Black Ops 2 Have Zombies?
Yes — Black Ops 2 has a full Zombies mode with six maps across the base game and DLC. It is the third Call of Duty game to feature Zombies (after World at War and Black Ops 1) and the first to introduce game modes beyond the traditional Survival. The base game includes TranZit and Nuketown Zombies (the latter with the Season Pass), with four additional maps released across DLC packs throughout 2013.
All Black Ops 2 Zombies Maps
| Map | Setting | How to Get | Release |
| TranZit (Green Run) | Post-apocalyptic American countryside — multiple locations connected by bus | Base game (free) | Nov 13, 2012 |
| Nuketown Zombies | Nuketown — the classic nuclear test site | Season Pass bonus or standalone purchase | Dec 2012 (Xbox); Jan 2013 (PC/PS3) |
| Die Rise | Collapsing skyscrapers — Shanghai-inspired | Revolution DLC ($14.99) | Jan/Feb 2013 |
| Mob of the Dead | Alcatraz Island — Prohibition era | Uprising DLC ($14.99) | Apr/May 2013 |
| Buried | Underground Old West ghost town | Vengeance DLC ($14.99) | Jul/Aug 2013 |
| Origins | WWI France — giant robots and elemental staffs | Apocalypse DLC ($14.99) | Aug/Sep 2013 |
TranZit: The Bus Map Explained
TranZit is the main Zombies map included with the base game, and the one most associated with Black Ops 2 Zombies. It is a large, open map called Green Run — a post-apocalyptic stretch of American countryside split into multiple areas: the Bus Depot, the Diner, the Farm, the Town, and the Power Station. The defining feature is the bus.
The Bus Driver
The bus driver is the unnamed character in a brown hat and jacket who drives the bus between TranZit’s stops. He is not a player-controlled character — he runs his route on a fixed schedule regardless of what players do. Understanding how to work with (and around) him is one of the first things TranZit teaches you:
- The bus stops briefly at each location — Bus Depot, Diner, Farm, Town, Power Station — and then moves on. Players must reboard before it departs or be left behind
- If you are on the bus when it is about to depart and you delay it by blocking the driver’s path, he will shove you off the bus — this is sometimes called him ‘kicking’ you off
- Outside the bus, the map is covered in thick fog. Moving through the fog causes Denizens — small, face-hugging creatures — to attack and latch onto your head, draining your health rapidly until removed or killed
- You can travel between stops on foot, but the fog and Denizens make it dangerous. Carrying a lit turbine can temporarily clear Denizens from an area
- The bus can be customized with buildable parts found around the map — a ladder, a hatch, a roof sign, and a shield for the front — each adding functionality
TranZit’s Survival and Grief sub-modes split the map into its individual locations: Bus Depot, Farm, Town, and Diner are all available as standalone survival maps without the bus travel element.
Mob of the Dead: The Alcatraz Map
Mob of the Dead is widely considered the best map in Black Ops 2 Zombies and one of the best Zombies maps ever made. Set on Alcatraz Island during the Prohibition era, it follows four gangsters who have been imprisoned and must survive a zombie outbreak while attempting to escape.
The Cast
Mob of the Dead features Hollywood actors voicing the four playable characters:
| Actor | Character | Notes |
| Ray Liotta | Billy Handsome | Known for Goodfellas |
| Joe Pantoliano | Albert ‘Weasel’ Arlington | Known for The Matrix, Sopranos |
| Michael Madsen | Finn O’Leary | Known for Reservoir Dogs |
| Chazz Palminteri | Salvatore ‘Sal’ DeLuca | Known for A Bronx Tale |
Key Features
- Afterlife Mode: When downed (instead of waiting for a revive), players enter Afterlife — a ghostly state where they can float, shock electrical panels, and complete objectives. It replaces Quick Revive on this map
- Brutus: The Warden — a heavily armored special enemy who disables perks and equipment when he attacks. He can be killed but does not have a dedicated round; he appears mixed into regular zombie hordes
- Icarus: A buildable plane constructed from five parts scattered around the map. Required to reach the Golden Gate Bridge area for the Easter Egg
- Hell’s Retriever: A tomahawk wonder weapon obtained by feeding zombie kills to three Cerberus (hellhound) heads hidden around the map. Returns to the player after being thrown. Can be upgraded to the Hell’s Redeemer
- Blundergat: The map’s primary Wonder Weapon — a hybrid of a Blunderbuss and Gatling Gun. Available from the Mystery Box
- Electric Cherry: A new Perk-a-Cola exclusive to Mob of the Dead (and some later maps). Creates an electric burst during reloads that stuns or kills nearby zombies
The Easter Egg: Pop Goes the Weasel
The Mob of the Dead Easter Egg — Pop Goes the Weasel — is one of the most elaborate in Zombies history and was the first Zombies Easter Egg where players could actually complete the map rather than simply surviving forever. The Easter Egg involves a moral choice: players controlling Sal, Billy, and Finn must kill the player controlling Weasel (Albert Arlington), or Weasel must kill the other three. The outcome that ‘breaks the cycle’ was later confirmed as canon by Black Ops 4’s Blood of the Dead — Weasel kills the others.
Die Rise: The Skyscraper Map
Die Rise (Revolution DLC) takes place in a collapsing Shanghai skyscraper. Players navigate between floors using elevators that may not have floors on either end, creating constant fall damage risk. The map introduced the Sliquifier — a Wonder Weapon that shoots a slippery substance that causes zombies to slide into each other. Die Rise features the original Victis crew (Misty, Russman, Samuel, Marlton) and connects to the TranZit/Buried overarching storyline.
Buried: The Underground Town
Buried (Vengeance DLC) is set in an underground Old West ghost town. The map features a giant zombie (Leroy) who can be controlled with candy to assist players, a time bomb that lets you rewind your position, and a massive buildable maze area. Like Die Rise, Buried continues the Victis crew storyline and the Richtofen vs Maxis grand Easter Egg.
Origins: The Grand Finale
Origins (Apocalypse DLC) returns to the roots — the original four Zombies characters (Tank Dempsey, Nikolai Belinski, Takeo Masaki, and Edward Richtofen) in WWI-era France, where Treyarch began the story back in World at War. It is the largest and most mechanically complex BO2 Zombies map, featuring:
- Four elemental staffs (Fire, Wind, Lightning, Ice) that can be built and upgraded
- Panzer Soldat: A mechanized enemy in a giant mech suit who uses a grabbing arm and flamethrower
- Giant robots walking across the map that can be stepped on for instant death — or used to access otherwise unreachable areas
- Generators around the map that must be powered up to unlock areas
Origins is considered by many players the best BO2 Zombies map and one of the best Zombies maps ever made — rivaling Mob of the Dead. The ending cinematic of Origins also sets up the later BO3 and BO4 Zombies storylines.
Black Ops 2 Zombies Game Modes
| Mode | Description |
| Survival | Classic mode — hold out as long as possible against endless zombie waves; 1-4 players co-op |
| TranZit | Travel between locations by bus; full Green Run map; 1-4 players co-op |
| Grief | 8-player mode (2 teams of 4); both teams survive against zombies while sabotaging each other — cannot directly kill opponents but can hinder them (e.g. leading zombies toward them) |
| Turned | 1 human player vs 3 player-controlled zombies; the human tries to survive while zombies attempt to turn them; available on Diner, Cell Block (Mob of the Dead), and Borough (Buried) |
How to Unlock Black Ops 2 Zombies Maps
All DLC Zombies maps require purchase — they cannot be unlocked through gameplay. There are no in-game challenges, achievements, or secret methods to access Die Rise, Mob of the Dead, Buried, or Origins for free.
Your options:
- Season Pass: Included all four DLC packs (Revolution, Uprising, Vengeance, Apocalypse) plus Nuketown Zombies. Originally $49.99. Still available on Steam and may be available on legacy console stores
- Individual DLC packs: Each pack was $14.99 and included one Zombies map plus four multiplayer maps. Revolution = Die Rise; Uprising = Mob of the Dead; Vengeance = Buried; Apocalypse = Origins
- Nuketown Zombies: Came free with the Season Pass; was also sold as a standalone download
Note: Steam forum posts claiming maps can be unlocked through gameplay challenges (such as ‘walk around TranZit 25 times without the bus’) are troll posts. They are not real. The only way to access DLC maps is through purchasing the DLC.
Tony Todd and Black Ops 2
Tony Todd — the actor known for Candyman — voiced Admiral Tommy Briggs in the Black Ops 2 campaign. Briggs commands the USS Barack Obama and is a key figure in the Odysseus mission, where Menendez uses the ship as a Trojan Horse. Tony Todd is not a Black Ops 2 Zombies character. His name appears in BO2 searches because of his prominent campaign role and his general association with the CoD franchise — he later voiced The Warden in Black Ops Cold War’s Zombies Outbreak mode.
Is There a Boat Map in Black Ops 2 Zombies?
There is no dedicated boat or watercraft-themed Zombies map in Black Ops 2. The ‘boat map’ searches likely refer to one of two things: the TranZit map (which involves traveling through a flooded post-apocalyptic environment with water visible in several areas), or a confusion with Call of the Dead — a Black Ops 1 Zombies DLC map set on a ship, which features a large boat prominently.
‘Bo2 Aftermath’ is also a common point of confusion — Aftermath is a Black Ops 2 multiplayer map, not a Zombies map. It is set in the aftermath of the drone attack on Los Angeles seen in the campaign, featuring crashed vehicles and debris across a recognizable cityscape. It does not appear in Zombies mode.
Zombies Map Five: Is It in Black Ops 2?
No — ‘Five’ is a Black Ops 1 Zombies map, not a Black Ops 2 map. Five is set in the Pentagon and features John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Fidel Castro, and Robert McNamara as the playable characters. It was unlocked in Black Ops 1 by completing the campaign. It does not appear in Black Ops 2 in any form. Players searching for ‘zombies map Five’ in a Black Ops 2 context are likely misremembering which game it belongs to.
Black Ops Zombies on PS Vita
Black Ops: Declassified — the PS Vita version of Black Ops released in 2012 — included a very limited Zombies mode with a single map based on the Nuketown location. Developed by Nihilistic Software (not Treyarch), it was widely considered inferior to the console Zombies experience and lacked the full map selection, game modes, and Easter Egg content of the main game. If you are looking for the full Black Ops 2 Zombies experience, the PS3, Xbox 360, or PC versions are the only options.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Black Ops 2 have zombies?
Yes — Black Ops 2 has a full Zombies mode with six maps: TranZit (base game), Nuketown Zombies (Season Pass), Die Rise, Mob of the Dead, Buried, and Origins (all through DLC packs). It introduced new modes including Grief (8-player competitive survival) and Turned (human vs player-controlled zombies).
What is the Black Ops 2 bus map?
The bus map is TranZit — the full Green Run map included with the base game. It covers multiple locations (Bus Depot, Diner, Farm, Town, Power Station) connected by a bus that runs on a fixed schedule. The bus driver is an NPC who will eject players who block his path or fail to reboard before departure.
Who voices the bus driver in Black Ops 2 Zombies?
The TranZit bus driver is voiced but is not named or given a major character arc. He is simply the bus driver of the Green Run route. He will kick players off the bus if they obstruct his path or are still boarding when he is ready to depart.
How do you unlock maps in Black Ops 2 Zombies?
DLC maps (Die Rise, Mob of the Dead, Buried, Origins) require purchasing the corresponding DLC pack or Season Pass. They cannot be unlocked through gameplay. Any guide claiming otherwise is a troll post.
Who voices Mob of the Dead?
Mob of the Dead features Ray Liotta as Billy Handsome, Joe Pantoliano as Albert ‘Weasel’ Arlington, Michael Madsen as Finn O’Leary, and Chazz Palminteri as Salvatore ‘Sal’ DeLuca.
What is the Mob of the Dead canon ending?
The canon ending of Mob of the Dead — confirmed by Blood of the Dead in Black Ops 4 — is Weasel (Albert Arlington) killing the other three characters (Billy, Sal, and Finn), breaking the cycle and escaping the purgatory of Alcatraz.
What are the MOTD codes in Black Ops 2?
MOTD stands for Mob of the Dead. The ‘codes’ likely refer to the combination locks and electrical puzzles that are part of the map’s objectives and Easter Egg steps. Key objectives include feeding zombie kills to the three Cerberus heads to obtain the Hell’s Retriever, building the Icarus plane from five parts, and completing the Pop Goes the Weasel Easter Egg steps.
Final Thoughts
Black Ops 2 Zombies holds up as one of the strongest Zombies offerings in the franchise’s history. TranZit was divisive at launch — the fog, the Denizens, and the bus mechanics frustrated many players — but the DLC maps that followed were exceptional, culminating in Mob of the Dead and Origins, which remain two of the most celebrated maps in the entire Zombies canon. The introduction of Grief and Turned added competitive variety, and the Hollywood cast of Mob of the Dead brought a cinematic quality to the mode that had never been seen before. For anyone returning to it now, the DLC maps are the priority — particularly Mob of the Dead and Origins, which are as good as Zombies gets.
