A strange glitch has been reported in Call of Duty: Warzone, introducing a horror element into the fierce 1v1 duels within the Gulag. Players struggling to get a second chance at survival are now said to be confronted by an unexpected and unwanted foe: zombies. The occurrence went viral following professional Warzone player Ryda posting a fan-uploaded clip highlighting the surreal experience.
The clip, recorded by a player who is going into the Gulag arena to duel, finds the player immediately attacked by an unknown figure that appears with unmistakable zombie groans. The creature attacks the player as soon as they are about to start their duel against another eliminated player, inflicting serious damage before the duel has even started.
The grainy video makes it hard to pinpoint the attacker visually with certainty, but the included audio leaves very little to guess. The audible growls are the sort of noises created by zombies within the Warzone environment, which leaves the community confused and theorizing about why this strange incident has occurred.
This sudden invasion of the undead into the Gulag, an area usually reserved for intense player-versus-player action, has generated a flood of theories and debates among Warzone fans. While small disturbances such as rocks tossed by spectating players are the norm in the Gulag, the invasion of fighting-fit zombies is new.
Others believe that this may be a leftover from a past limited-time zombie event in Warzone or an indication of an upcoming zombie-themed update for the Gulag. Others humorously speculate that it might be a complicated emote that got out of control, but this is not likely, considering the visible damage that has been done.
This bug brings an element of randomness and inequality to the experience of the Gulag. Players are already under pressure in the intense last-man-standing duel. Now, they must also navigate the added challenge of potential zombie encounters, which can leave them starting combat at a significant health disadvantage.
The video posted by Ryda cuts just as the duel is about to begin for the player, the result hanging in the balance, but the huge handicap they were dealing with is evident. It is extremely unlikely to be an intentional feature added by the developers at Raven Software and Infinity Ward.
This kind of radical alteration to the fundamental Gulag mechanic would likely involve official word and patch notes, and none have come. The infrequency of such occurrences also points towards a glitch and not an addition.
The developers recently rolled out an update for Warzone on May 13, 2025, that was mostly about bug fixes concerning gameplay and the current ‘High Art’ event. This update fixed issues such as movement when aiming down sights and unintended revive times, but said nothing about zombie incursions in the Gulag.
While the Warzone community waits for an official confirmation or a patch to address this strange bug, players who find themselves in the Gulag will need to be even more cautious. Though besting their human enemy is still top of mind for them, even the threat of a sudden undead attack has now taken on a horror twist in the fight over redeployment.
The bizarre glitch is a reminder of the mercurial nature of live-service games and the unintended interactions that sometimes occur in the midst of virtual battle.