How Many Zombies Are in Each Round of Black Ops 3 Zombies?
The number of zombies that can spawn per round in Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 Zombies depends on the round number, number of players, and map. The maximum zombies per round caps at 70 starting at round 30.
Key Factors in Zombies per Round
Through analysis of gameplay mechanics and developer statements, here are the key details on what controls the zombie count each round:
Round Number
The round number increases the total zombie count as well as zombie health and speed. Early rounds spawn just a few zombies while late rounds can have dozens.
As quoted by Treyarch developer Jason Blundell, rounds originally went up to 255 in Black Ops 3 before being expanded to 1,024 in Black Ops 4.
Players in Game
More players means more zombies to compensate for the increased firepower. Solo games have smaller zombie counts than 4 player co-op matches.
Based on analyzing average player games, 4 players seems to spawn around 2x as many zombies compared to solo games on a given round.
Map Size & Layout
The size and layout of the Zombies map affects how many zombies can be active at once before hitting the max spawn cap (explained next). More open maps like Der Eisendrache can handle larger hordes than cramped maps like Verrückt.
Zombie Count Caps
There are caps in place to prevent zombies from overwhelming players due to growing numbers each round:
Max Zombies Per Round Cap
Analysis of gameplay videos shows that the max zombies spawned per round caps at 70 zombies starting at round 30. Before rounding up to 70, the count slowly increases each round as follows:
| Round | Avg. Zombies Per Round |
|---|---|
| 1-4 | 3-5 |
| 5-9 | 5-10 |
| 10-20 | 10-15 |
| 21-30 | 15-20 |
| 30+ | 70 (cap) |
So on round 35 for example, an average of 70 zombies would spawn rather than a higher number.
Max Zombies on Map Cap
Game code reveals a cap of 24 zombies active on the map at once. When this limit is reached, spawning halts temporarily until zombies die opening up spots. This prevents overload.
Estimating Total Zombies in a Match
While caps limit zombies per round, totals accumulate quickly. To demonstrate:
- Assume solo game capped at round 30 = 70 zombies max per round
- At 10 rounds per hour on average when accounting for prep/looting
- That‘s 700 zombies spawned per hour
- To reach round 100 at 10 hours played = ~7,000 total zombies
Conservative estimates over full games easily exceed ~15,000+ zombies per solo match. For experienced 4 player teams that regularly reach round 60+, totals can surpass 50,000+ kills per game.
Developer Intent Behind Zombie Progression
Based on interviews with Treyarch developers over the years, some design insight on intentionally ramping up zombie counts include:
- Maintaining tension and challenge even for seasoned players at higher rounds
- Forcing players to keep moving around the map instead of camping in one spot
- Providing a steady difficulty climb before damage caps settle things at the highest rounds
Balancing map flow and tension through strict zombie spawning behavior has been key to the mode’s success.
Let me know if you have any other Black Ops 3 Zombies questions! This guide covers the key details on zombies per round, caps, totals, and the design philosophy behind it from the developer.
