Call of Duty: Dark Warfare

ShooterofIO: Dark Warfare
Developer(s)	Supreme Studios
Publisher(s)	Monsteristic
Series	ShooterofIO
Engine	SOI 6.0 Engine
Platform(s)	PlayStation 4 PlayStation 5 Windows Xbox One Xbox Series X/S
Release	November 13, 2025
Genre(s)	First-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Call of Duty: Dark Warfare a video game modification developed by Ethan Goodwin for the video game Call of Duty: Black Ops III (2015). It is the first installment of the Dark Warfare trilogy. The modification was released on November 6, 2022, for Microsoft Windows players.

Dark Warfare's Multiplayer mode reinvents the wheel featuring a mixture of futuristic and modern day combat action. The mod completely removes the Specialists system and introduces Operators and Field Upgrades and introduces an all-new camo progression system for every weapon. Camos are even unlockable through the Campaign mode. The mod removes all the Zombies maps from Black Ops III and introduces three all-new custom maps including a map developed by VerK0, called TranZit Reborn, a remake of the Black Ops II Zombies map.

Being a mod for Black Ops III, Dark Warfare struggles to make itself feel like a fully-fledged video game. Dark Warfare features a large Campaign mode that is filled with custom animated content and reimagined storylines, that retells stories from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011). The mod was officially announced in June 2018 and the first gameplay trailer was released in June 2022. A second modification is scheduled to be released in October 2024.

Gameplay

Dark Warfare is a multiplayer focused modification that intends to push boundries of what mods can do, especially mods that are given from the developers.

Campaign

Dark Warfare features a total of 12 gameplay missions that are very similar in style to those from 2010's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's Spec-Ops. These levels play like a Spec-Ops mission and each conclude with a slide-show cutscene with the story being set in the 2020s and 1980s.

Multiplayer

Dark Warfare once again reinvents gameplay mechanics that are found in Multiplayer. This time around, players are no longer able to pick any Specialist character and instead choose a more modernized Operator list, though these won't be added too like present CODs. Gameplay features include a custom Create-a-Class system that removes the "Pick 10 System" and introduces the Gunsmith mechanic from 2019's Modern Warfare and some adjustments to suit the setting.

Dark Warfare reimagines every base Black Ops III Multiplayer map to be set in the modern day, removing unaccessable areas due to the lack of advanced movement, though players are able to access the original maps by playing the "Boosted" Playlist which allows advanced movement and the original maps from the original game. On top of all this, Dark Warfare features 12 new Multiplayer maps.

Zombies

Dark Warfare doesn't make too many changes to the Zombies mode, though removes all the maps and launched with "Tranzit Reborn", a map developed by VerK0. This map isn't exclusive to the mod but works perfectly with the mod. The base Black Ops III maps "Der Eisendrache", "Zetsubou no Shima", "Gorod Krovi" and "Revelations", were added into the game by June 2023. The maps were updated with updated graphics, settings, and features such as weapon rarity, movement changes, price changes, and much more. The Gobblegum system was removed.

An open world player versus environment (PvE) Zombies mode is included in the game. The game mode is structured similarly to the DMZ mode in Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0, rather than the round-based survival experience from older Zombies modes. A player will explore a large-sized map, which is also used as the new battle royale map for Wargrounds 2.0. The player can tackle zombies, as well as AI-controlled human enemies, in order to complete objectives around the map, as well as collect loot and sell them at buy stations, or extract them via exfiltration. In place of rounds, the map is divided into "zones", with varying levels of threat indicating the difficulty. After 45 minutes of in-match time, an "Aether Storm" begins to expand and cover the map, leaving the player with 15 minutes to exfil with their loot. Core mechanics from previous Zombies modes return, such as weapon wallbuys, Perk-a-Cola drinks, and the Mystery Box. Players can also extract "acquisitions", which are items that can be stored or brought into subsequent matches for use, or "schematics", which allow them to craft said items, with a cooldown limit. Story quests are also featured in the mode, which further progress the narrative.

Plot

Campaign

Story

In April 2019, Mason, Woods, and Bowman are part of a covert operation aimed at destabilizing a rogue regime in the Middle East. During the operation, Mason eliminates a high-profile target believed to be a key figure in the regime, allowing Woods and Bowman to escape amidst the chaos. However, Mason is captured by the regime's forces and handed over to a notorious Russian mercenary known as Sergei Volkov.

Imprisoned in a remote compound, Mason befriends a former Spetsnaz operative named Viktor Reznov, who reveals the identities of their enemies: Volkov, Colonel Ivanov, and a rogue scientist named Dr. Antonov. Flashbacks reveal Reznov's past involvement with a failed extraction mission in Eastern Europe, where he and his team were double-crossed by Volkov, leading to the death of their comrade.

In October 2018, Mason and Reznov uncover evidence of a dangerous bioweapon developed by Dr. Antonov for a shadowy organization known only as "The Syndicate". Their attempt to retrieve the weapon is thwarted by Volkov's men, resulting in Mason's capture and Reznov's disappearance.

Fast forward to October 2021, Mason engineers a daring escape from the compound with Reznov's help, sparking a revolt among the prisoners. Reznov sacrifices himself to ensure Mason's freedom, urging him to seek vengeance against their enemies.

Back in the United States, Mason is plagued by disturbing visions and anxiety attacks. He is recruited by a clandestine government agency to hunt down Volkov and prevent a catastrophic attack on American soil. As tensions rise between global powers, Mason's team is deployed to various hotspots around the world, including a mission to disrupt a weapons deal in the South China Sea and thwarting a terrorist plot in Europe.

In January 2023, Mason's team is sent to investigate suspicious activity in the Amazon rainforest, believed to be linked to Volkov's operations. They uncover a cache of stolen military technology and a dossier detailing Volkov's plans to unleash a deadly virus on major cities worldwide.

During a tense standoff with Volkov's forces, Mason's teammate is killed, and Mason is captured and subjected to intense interrogation. He escapes with the help of a former ally turned enemy, who reveals crucial information about Volkov's whereabouts.

In a final showdown, Mason and his team storm Volkov's stronghold in Siberia, where they confront him and prevent the release of the virus. Mason grapples with his identity and past as he confronts Volkov, ultimately overcoming his inner demons to defeat the villain.

Development

Dark Warfare is the first ShooterofIO title since the original Dark Warfare to use an engine which has had the majority of it re-written and built-up from scratch by Supreme Studios.

Upon learning about the 2025 game being developed by them, Air Studios began searching for development teams to work on the game so they can focus entirely on Ultimatum since they had "big plans for the advanced side of that game", and had no time to polish the new game.

Supreme Studios, who had helped develop remastered content in the franchise, agreed to help develop the game as long as they had a say in what the game would be like, to which Air Studios agreed. Supreme Studios ultimately decided to have the game set in the far future, as that has never been done before in the ShooterofIO franchise, and thought the rebooted Dark Warfare trilogy could be set in the future.

They began with remastering all the original maps from 2009's Dark Warfare and turning their settings and time period to the correct setting. They wanted to have a big list of map offering at launch, but knew they couldn't do only original maps unless they went into crunch.

Release

The game was released on November 13, 2025, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.