Rex Infernus closes out the Black Ops 7 Zombies story. It arrives as the centerpiece of the Season 5 Reloaded update, bringing a new round-based map, a main quest, spider-themed enemies, and the return of a fan-favorite perk. It also lands a single day before the first Modern Warfare 4 beta, so time to finish the map before the next Call of Duty pulls attention away will be short.
Quick answer: Rex Infernus and its main quest go live on Aug. 20 at 11am CT alongside Season 5 Reloaded. The Modern Warfare 4 beta begins the next day, Aug. 21.
Release time: August 20, 2026, 11:00am CT
When Rex Infernus goes live and how it overlaps the MW4 beta
Season 5 Reloaded drops on Aug. 20 at 11am CT, and Rex Infernus becomes playable at that moment along with its main story quest. This is the mid-season update for Season 5, and it is set up as the last major Zombies content drop before Modern Warfare 4 launches in October.
The Modern Warfare 4 beta starts Aug. 21, one day after the map goes live. Call of Duty Next follows on the same day, showcasing what is coming across MW4, DMZ, and Warzone. Because MW4 is launching with the DMZ extraction mode and no Zombies mode announced, Rex Infernus likely marks the end of new round-based Zombies content for a while.
| Event | Date and time |
|---|---|
| Season 5 Reloaded and Rex Infernus go live | Aug. 20, 11am CT |
| Modern Warfare 4 beta begins | Aug. 21 |
| Call of Duty Next | Aug. 21 |
The new spider enemies: Deathspinner and Web Mother
Rex Infernus leans into an arachnid theme with two new threats. The Deathspinner is the standard new enemy type. On its own it is manageable, but Treyarch warns that it becomes dangerous in numbers, so watch for swarms rather than single spawns.
The elite threat is the Web Mother. She screams and lunges, and she throws out heavy webbing that damages and slows the crew. She also cocoons zombies and turns them into environmental hazards, which changes how you move around the map during a fight. If you deal with arachnophobia, this map may not be for you.
One on one, they’re not so bad, but watch out when they swarm.
Widow’s Wine perk and new Mystery Box weapons
Widow’s Wine returns as a Perk-a-Cola in this update, fitting the map’s spider theme. It comes with a fresh set of Minor and Major Augments so you can tune how it behaves. The perk creates a burst of webs that can trigger when your health drops to a certain point from melee attacks.
Season 5 Reloaded also adds two Ultra-Rarity legacy weapons to the Mystery Box: the TR2 marksman rifle and the Olympia shotgun. A new Wonder Weapon and a new GobbleGum arrive with the map as well.
| Addition | Details |
|---|---|
| Perk-a-Cola | Widow’s Wine, with new Minor and Major Augments |
| Ultra-Rarity Mystery Box weapon | TR2 marksman rifle |
| Ultra-Rarity Mystery Box weapon | Olympia shotgun |
| Other | New Wonder Weapon and new GobbleGum |
The main quest and the end of the Warden’s arc
Rex Infernus is the final chapter of the Black Ops 7 Zombies narrative. The quest sends the crew to cleanse the Shadowsmiths’ places of power, locate the Warden’s inner sanctum, and finish him off before reality collapses. Treyarch has kept the specifics under wraps so players discover the steps for themselves once the map opens.
As reality stands on the cusp of destruction, the crew face their ultimate challenge. Everything has led to this point, but does the crew have what it takes to finish the job and save reality?
Treyarch is following the launch with a ZombieZone live stream, watching alongside the community as players work through the map for the first time.
Rex Infernus caps a run of Zombies maps that built toward this confrontation, and with the MW4 beta opening the very next day, the window to close out the quest before switching games is narrow. Whether you finish the story first or jump straight into the beta, both go live within 24 hours of each other.
