Cold War Nuketown Zombies: How to play and get the Easter egg

how to play Nuketown Zombies cold war
(Image credit: Activision, Treyarch)

How can you play the COD: Cold War Nuketown Zombies Onslaught mode? If you've tried out the Die Maschine mission, then you'll be familiar with Dark Aether anomalies, and their tendency to pop up during a match. Zombies Onslaught sees these portals appearing on other Cold War maps that we'd usually see in the Multiplayer modes. Grab a buddy and prepare to survive waves of the restless undead to catch a glimpse of the Nuketown Zombies Easter egg.

Stay on target with these Cold War guides

Before trying to hop into the Zombies Onslaught mode, it's worth mentioning that it won't be available on PC until November 2021. This is due to a Sony exclusivity deal, so only PlayStation players can hop in and play for now.

How to play Nuketown Zombies in Cold War

Getting into the Zombies match on the Nuketown map only takes a few moments. Navigate to the Zombies menu and choose Zombies Onslaught to select the mode. You can then choose the Nuketown '84 map option. There are even a few blueprints to earn while slaying hordes of enemies on this map. What's even better is that you can test your skills in Zombies Onslaught with a friend as it supports up to two players.

How unlock CoD Nuketown Zombies blueprints

There are currently three blueprints to unlock in the Nuketown Zombies Onslaught mode. Interestingly, they also appear to be timed exclusives. They currently appear as featured challenges in the game's menus, with different expiration countdowns. Here are the Zombies Onslaught weapon blueprints:

  • Hellhawk QBZ-83 blueprint: Eliminate five Elites (Megaton enemies) in Onslaught matches. 
  • Primal Hunter blueprint: Earn Bronze or higher in an Onslaught match.
  • Crowstorm Type 63 blueprint: Earn seven Onslaught Chalices in Onslaught matches.

Here are them Cold War Nuketown Zombies Easter eggs found so far

If you're looking for Zombies-specific Easter eggs, TheGamingRevolution has spotted lots of potential Black Ops references on the Nuketown map. The video is very detailed and well worth a watching, but here are some of the Easter eggs discovered so far.

There's lots of graffiti across the map, where there are a few areas that look like a graffiti version of Dark Aether portals. On a yellow wall on the roof of one of the buildings, TheGamingRevolution has also noticed a painting of some people running, and believes that the guy with the glasses could either be Marlton or Stuhlinger from the Victis Crew. 

There are lots of pictures scrawled on the walls in Nuketown, including puppets and outlines of humans that may link to Tag der Toten in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. Finally, there are some Metro Brewery Cider bottles found near the bus on Nuketown '84 that may have links to the Zombies TranZit map from Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.

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How to get the Cold War Nuketown Easter egg

You may have already seen a preview of this treat, as the Nuketown 84 easter egg leaked ahead of map's release. The best part about this Easter egg is that you don't need to be in the Zombies Onslaught mode to see it. Loading into a custom private game will do the trick, so feel free to try it out yourself, and get your friends to help you.

To launch a private Nuketown '84 match, head to the Multiplayer main menu and select Custom Games in the bottom-left corner. Choose Change Map and click on Nuketown '84.

Shoot the mannequins

If you explore Nuketown '84 you'll see that there are lots of mannequins dotted around the map. To unlock an Easter egg, all you need to do is shoot off all the mannequin heads within the first two minutes of the game. So, as soon as you spawn into the match, it's time to practice landing some headshots on these harmless statues. If you manage to complete this task in time, it triggers either a green or blue synthwave video filter, and plays a song while you wander around on the map.

Emma Matthews

As PC Gamer's guides writer, Emma is usually juggling several games at once. She loves competitive first-person shooters like CS:GO and Call of Duty, but she always has time for a few rounds of Hearthstone. She's happiest when she's rescuing pugs in Spelunky 2.