Call of Duty The Haunting: A History of Fear in Warzone & Multiplayer

Last Updated: November 7, 2025

The witching hour is a celebrated tradition in Call of Duty. Each year, as autumn leaves fall, the fan-favorite Halloween event, The Haunting, casts its shadow over Multiplayer and Warzone. This annual event has become a cornerstone of the content calendar, delivering a full-scale horror invasion that draws inspiration from classic horror cinema, supernatural folklore, and even other gaming universes to deliver thrills and chills.

Players have come to expect a complete seasonal overhaul, featuring spooky map variants, monstrous game modes, and licensed crossovers with horror’s most iconic figures. From the haunted streets of Verdansk to demon-infested battlefields, The Haunting is consistently one of the most comprehensive and frightening events of the year.

A Full-Scale Fright Fest Across All Modes

Activision has cemented The Haunting not as a limited-time novelty but as a comprehensive content drop that infects every corner of the game, including Multiplayer, Warzone, and sometimes even Zombies or DMZ. This holistic approach ensures that no matter your preferred way to play, you are part of the spooky season festivities.

The integration across titles creates a unified experience with shared progression and thematic elements. The 2023 event in *Modern Warfare II* and *Warzone*, for example, introduced a "Soul Capture" mechanic, where players collected souls from eliminated enemies to unlock exclusive rewards across all modes. These events are legendary for their ambitious crossovers, bringing horror icons into the fold as playable Operators. Past years have seen bundles for Ghostface from *Scream*, Jigsaw from *Saw*, and Leatherface from *The Texas Chainsaw Massacre*. The 2023 iteration went even further, introducing a star-studded roster that included Ash Williams from *Evil Dead 2*, Alucard from *Hellsing*, Skeletor from *Masters of the Universe*, and even Lilith and Inarius from Blizzard's *Diablo IV*.

Warzone Descends into Darkness

For many, the headline attraction of any Haunting event is its terrifying transformation of Warzone. The tradition often involves plunging the primary battle royale map into the dead of night, creating a tense, atmospheric experience. The "Haunting of Verdansk" remains one of the most beloved events in Warzone history for its masterful execution of horror elements.

More recently, the 2023 event unleashed "Operation Nightmare" on Al Mazrah, where squads had to hunt down and eliminate monstrous entities at eerie map locations before facing off against a final, formidable boss. At the same time, the Resurgence map Vondel was overrun in "Vondead," a zombie-infested lockdown. These events fundamentally alter gameplay, reducing visibility and forcing players to rely on thermal optics and heightened audio awareness.

A cornerstone of the Warzone Haunting experience is the return of a fan-favorite mode:

Zombie Royale:

This mode turns the battle royale formula on its head. When eliminated, players don't go to the Gulag; they return to the fight as super-powered zombies. With enhanced speed, powerful melee attacks, thermal vision, and a terrifying leap ability, zombies hunt the remaining human operators. By collecting special syringes dropped by fallen humans, a zombie can earn the ultimate prize: a second chance to redeploy with their loadout and fight for the win. This creates chaotic final circles where the last human squad must fend off dozens of player-controlled undead.

Multiplayer Gets a Monstrous Makeover

Multiplayer lobbies are never safe from the Halloween takeover. The Haunting consistently introduces a slate of new content designed to bring horror to close-quarters combat. This typically includes Halloween-themed reskins of popular maps, decking them out with jack-o'-lanterns, ghostly apparitions, and a foreboding, nocturnal aesthetic. In 2023, for example, El Asilo and Embassy were given spooky makeovers.

Beyond aesthetics, The Haunting introduces unique twists on classic modes and entirely new playlists:

Haunted Game Modes:

Core modes like Domination, Kill Confirmed, and Grind are often given a supernatural twist. "Haunted Domination" features scarecrows that act as markers, while players in "Hauntfirmed" must contend with spooky loot containers instead of dog tags. A signature feature of these modes is the inclusion of jump scares, which can trigger upon opening crates, earning kills, or capturing objectives, keeping every operator on edge. These small but effective touches ensure the horror theme is felt in every match.

A Legacy of Fear

The Haunting has evolved dramatically from a simple cosmetic event into a massive, multi-game celebration of the horror genre. Its success lies in providing a refreshing break from the standard military shooter experience, injecting a dose of playful, thematic chaos into the game. From the ghost train that once circled Verdansk to the appearance of *Diablo's* "The Butcher" as a roaming boss in Al Mazrah, the event creates unique gameplay challenges and memorable water-cooler moments.

Each year builds upon the last, demonstrating a clear understanding of what makes the event so special to the player base. It is a celebration of fear, fun, and the communal experience of surviving the night, whether you're battling zombies in Warzone, fending off jump scares in Multiplayer, or dropping in as your favorite horror villain. As a pillar of the annual Call of Duty content cycle, The Haunting sets a high bar for seasonal events and remains the one players anticipate most eagerly when October rolls around.