How Grief mode could create a whole new genre for competitive Call of Duty

The recent addition of Grief mode has been shaking up Black Ops 6 for casual and competitive fans alike. In Grief, two teams are pitted against each other to determine which squad can survive waves of undead for longer.

Though esports typically involve PvP games, PvE modes that incorporate competitive elements could make the transition to an esports stage in the future, and BO6’s Grief is the perfect candidate.

Grief is a 4v4 Call of Duty game mode first seen in Black Ops 2. Treyarch recently brought Grief back in Black Ops 6: Season 4, causing players to question its competitive elements and how they compare to the standard multiplayer experience. Though Grief is incredibly different from any other experience in Black Ops 6, it’s easy to understand since it uses zombies as a template.

Two teams strive to survive waves of zombies until the opposing team falls. Though you can’t damage opposing players with bullets or knives, foes can sabotage each other. For example, shooting a player on the enemy team will cause their movement to be slowed, which could result in imminent death as zombies chase their sluggish character.

A player can also block their enemy’s vision and movement by simply standing in front of them, which helps to secure their demise against hordes of the undead. Black Ops 6 has been out for about seven months as of June 2025, so now was the perfect time to bring back Grief to shake up the gameplay as the sixth Black Ops reaches the middle of its lifespan.

The list below offers a quick rundown on Grief’s most notable mechanics:

As an esport, Grief’s format probably wouldn’t change too much. Matches of Grief are generally quicker than a normal game of COD zombies, which would help keep competitions concise and allow for dozens of competing teams in each tournament.

Matches would be broadcast live to an audience, who would make predictions on which team might win based on their teamwork ability and current loadouts. Overall, Grief could provide a very different viewing experience for esports fans, but we speculate that its angle might make it more fun to watch than traditional competitive multiplayer.

The most notable reason that Grief would survive as an esport is simple: sabotage is fun to watch. There are dozens of creative ways that combatants can cause disruption to the enemy team, some of which are quite funny. Mechanics like body-blocking would be entertaining to an audience, while some teams may even develop their own strategies based on teamwork.

Grief could be the perfect mode for a small tournament in between major competitions, so hopefully, Activision realises the esports potential in zombies mode. Though smaller in scope, COD zombie tournaments have been held in the past, plus it’s a genre that already has a strong following in 2025.

It’s difficult to directly compare Grief to specific modes from PvP games, as it’s actually quite unique. However, it’s easy to see the similarities between Grief and speedrunning competitions for single-player games. In both instances, players take on PvE enemies to determine who is the best at defeating them, so Grief simply takes it to the next level by assigning four players to opposing teams.

A massive success, one game that was similar to Grief regarding its PvE-PvP slant was the limited-time Super Mario Bros 35. In this nostalgic title, a group of players would face off online to determine who could outlast all other competitors as they fly through levels of classic Mario. Defeating an AI enemy would even send them to an opponent’s level, so Super Mario Bros 35 offered plenty of ways to cause opponents harm.

Speedrunning tournaments are still small in scope, but if fans are willing to tune in to watch pro players compete in a race against the clock, then a Grief tournament could also gain the attention of Call of Duty fans worldwide. 

Modes like Grief have always existed, but the popularity of speedrunning against other players in games like Super Mario Bros 35 proves that there is interest in experiences that offer both PvE and PvP elements, and this could easily apply to the esports industry in due time.

The core focus of esports in 2025 is PvP, but competing to see who can receive the best score against AI enemies could become a huge industry in the future of competitive gaming. Speedrunning competitions already exist, so tournaments focused on Grief would compare quite nicely.

There’s a large base of zombie fans in the Call of Duty community who would love to throw their hat in the esports ring, but more public support will probably be needed in order for Grief to go down the esports route.