Against all odds, DMZ is reportedly making a comeback in Call of Duty 2026, despite its underwhelming reception during its initial launch.

When Modern Warfare 2 introduced DMZ in 2022, it was hailed as a refreshing alternative to battle royales, drawing inspiration from Tarkov. In this free-to-play PvP and PvE mode, players dropped into the Warzone map, Al Mazrah, where they scavenged for loot, completed missions, and tried to make a successful extraction.

Infinity Ward initially supported the mode with fresh locations and objectives in the early seasons, but as time went on, updates became less frequent, leading to player frustration. Ultimately, as the game's life cycle came to a close, support for DMZ was dropped entirely.

Though the mode's future seemed uncertain, DMZ kept a dedicated following that feared it would be left behind. However, a recent CoD leak has brought hope to fans, revealing that DMZ will make a return in 2026 as a third game mode. Whether it will be a full remaster of the original or a reworked version with select elements is still unclear.