COD Mobile Season 9: Vampires vs Werewolves Brings the Grav, Haunted Maps and Fang Wars
Players chose the Halloween theme. Now they get to pick a side, unlock the Grav and hunt mech-equipped Leaders.
COD Mobile is asking players to pick a side this Halloween. Season 9, titled Vampires vs Werewolves, launches on October 14, 2026, with faction battles, the Grav assault rifle and a version of Kill Confirmed that puts a mech-equipped target on each team.
The theme came from the community. Players voted for the supernatural rivalry and helped choose some of the Operator skins and weapon blueprints in the Battle Pass. Activision calls it COD Mobile's first community-voted season, and Fang Wars gives players a way to carry that choice into the game.
When does COD Mobile Season 9 release?
Activision's announcement lists the launch for October 14 at 5 PM Pacific Time. In Nigeria, that is 1 AM on October 15, so anyone planning to jump in at launch will be staying up late.
The update includes free gameplay additions as well as paid cosmetics. The base Grav is available through the free Battle Pass tiers, while the community-selected skins and blueprints sit in the premium pass.
Fang Wars puts vampires against werewolves
Fang Wars is the season's faction event. Players choose vampires or werewolves, then complete missions to contribute to their side's progress. The vampire reward track includes the SO-14 blueprint called Moonlit Marksman Rifle, while werewolves can work toward the Type 25 blueprint called Lone Wolf Assault Rifle.
Other milestone rewards are available to both factions, including the Purifier's Deadly Nightshade Operator Skill skin and the Type 19 Petal Pattern blueprint. Both sides can earn the regular Vampire Victory and Werewolves Victory Calling Cards regardless of the result. The winning faction also receives a gold version of its own card.
That leaves the faction choice mostly down to which blueprint you want and which side you would rather represent. You can still collect the shared rewards without backing the eventual winner.
Leader's Kill Confirmed makes the hunt more complicated
Leader's Kill Confirmed keeps the familiar dog-tag objective but adds a Leader to each team. That player wears a mech suit, and their position is visible to both sides. Eliminating the enemy Leader earns a tag worth significantly more points, after which another teammate takes over the role.
The extra target creates a decision ordinary Kill Confirmed does not have. Chase the enemy Leader and you could leave your own exposed. Stay close to defend yours and you might miss the tags needed to win. Regular Operators also gain special abilities as the match progresses to help them fight the mech-equipped players.
It is the addition most likely to change how a match plays out. The balance of the suits and abilities will matter, but the objective already gives teams a reason to do more than chase whichever opponent appears first.
The Grav joins the free Battle Pass
The new Grav assault rifle is described as having high bullet velocity suited to ranged engagements. Players can unlock the base weapon through the free Battle Pass, so purchasing the premium pass is not required to try it.
That description alone does not establish where the Grav will sit in the meta. Recoil, damage range, mobility and handling will decide how useful it is against the rifles players already trust. The premium pass also includes a Solstice Herald blueprint for the weapon.
Players helped choose the premium rewards
The community-voted designs include Minotaur's Pack Commander werewolf skin and Sparrowhawk's Moonlight Vengeance vampire skin. The CX9 Wolven Moonrise and 3-Line Rifle Cantus Rubra blueprints are also part of the selected lineup.
The remaining premium rewards include Artery's The Hunter skin, Calisto's The Witch skin and the MG82 Bloodsucker's Ban blueprint. Free tiers offer the base Grav alongside cosmetics such as charms, Calling Cards, stickers and camos.
Haunted Standoff and Haunted Hacienda return
Haunted Standoff and Haunted Hacienda are returning for Halloween, with separate 24/7 playlists running at different points in the season. Attack of the Undead is also coming back, giving players another reason to revisit the darker versions of these maps.
Season 9 also brings back Shoryu and Hadoken from the Street Fighter 6 collaboration, along with Honkai: Gleaming Front from the Honkai Impact 3rd crossover. Activision says Gleaming Front will return with improvements and small adjustments.
Howlbones, skeletal dogs and Halloween draws
The Día de Muertos-inspired Call of the Dead event asks players to collect Howlbones for the Event Store. Collecting 100 automatically unlocks the K9 Unit's Fantasma Operator Skill skin, which replaces the usual dogs with skeletal-looking canines.
The Season 9 Challenge Pass adds daily and weekly missions, with tokens available toward rewards including the QXR Rose Requiem blueprint. In the Store, the Hunger Eternal Draw features the Legendary Grav Vitae Devourer, while the Weresoldier Unleashed Draw includes the AK117 Lycan Eclipse. The Dark Ritual Series Armory adds more Halloween-themed Operator skins.
A Halloween sale runs from October 28 to November 3, covering selected draws, crates and other Store items. Those offers sit alongside the free weapon, returning maps and seasonal events, so there is plenty to try before deciding whether any of the paid cosmetics are worth buying.
For players returning for Halloween, Leader's Kill Confirmed and the Grav are the clearest places to start. Fang Wars adds the season-long rivalry, while the haunted playlists bring back the familiar Halloween atmosphere. The community has already chosen the theme; the next choice is which faction gets your support.
Source: Activision's official Season 9 announcement, published October 7, 2026. https://www.callofduty.com/blog/2026/10/call-of-duty-mobile-season-9-vampires-werewolves
For more seasonal shooter coverage, see COD Mobile’s Season 8 crossover and our Fortnitemares coverage.
Loading the discussion…
Keep falling
Go deeper
The WASABI Rabbit Hole