In Bodycam‘s Zombies mode, you respawn at the start of the next wave. When you die, you drop into a spectator view, and since the v0.9 update the spectator HUD shows a “respawning next wave” indicator, so your squad only has to survive the current wave to bring you back.
Zombies returned on November 13, 2026, in v0.9, The Dead and Damned, and Reissad Studio says the mode stays until February 15, 2027. Below is how dying and coming back work, how it plays out on Village, Asylum and the new Zombie Trenches, how the squad gets a fallen player back faster, and what a death means when you play alone.
How Respawning Works in Bodycam Zombies
Reissad’s v0.9 patch notes list the respawn changes under “Player flow,” among the changes that apply on every Zombies map:
- Spectator HUD with a “respawning next wave” indicator. A death puts you in spectator, and the HUD tells you that you are coming back at the next wave.
- Current wave in the tablet scoreboard. The scoreboard on your tablet now shows which wave the run is on.
- Wave sounds follow your SFX volume. End-round and wave sounds now use the SFX volume slider, so if you turned SFX down, the cue that a wave is over gets quieter too. Keep SFX loud enough to hear it.
Where you come back has not changed in the v0.9 notes. Reissad’s November 2024 patch moved Zombies respawns closer to teammates, so you rejoin near your squad rather than back at the start of the map, and no patch since has said otherwise.
None of Reissad’s Zombies patch notes mention a revive. As the studio describes it, a fallen player waits out the wave in spectator and comes back with the next one.
Respawning on Each Zombies Map
v0.9 brings three Zombies maps, and they pace a run differently:
| Map | How a run is paced | What it means for respawns |
|---|---|---|
| Village | Waves, plus a new special wave of sprinters only, with the church bell ringing non-stop | A death during the sprinter wave keeps you out until it is cleared |
| Asylum | Waves, with a special wave every 5 waves (all generators shut down, an alarm, red emergency lights and sprinters only) | From wave 2, a few sprinters also show up in regular waves |
| Zombie Trenches | A 10-minute timed mission, with a radio announcer at the start and at 5, 2 and 1 minute left | Reissad calls it “the hardest map of all,” so every death costs the squad |
Reissad lists the respawn indicator among the changes for every map, but it describes Zombie Trenches only as a timed survival mission and does not say how waves turn over there. Treat a death on Trenches as expensive.
How to Bring a Teammate Back Faster
Your fallen teammate comes back when the wave ends, so the fastest way to get them back is to finish the wave cleanly. v0.9 changes help with that:
- Aim high. Zombie health no longer scales with waves. Base health is lower, damage now changes by limb, and the head hitbox was reworked, so a clean headshot stays reliable deep into a run.
- Prioritize sprinters. Sprinters can now be killed with one shot from any weapon, so even a pistol drops them.
- Hunt the stragglers. Zombies no longer despawn as soon as their target becomes unreachable, so a zombie stuck somewhere stays in the map instead of vanishing.
- Stay together. Respawns put players near teammates, and spawns were fixed so zombies no longer appear right behind or in front of players. A tight squad is easier to rejoin and harder to surround.
Also restock before the special waves. Weapon boxes now hand out weapons with random attachments (most come with a flashlight), and a new Loadout box gives you the primary and secondary weapons of your equipped loadout, which is the quickest way to be fully armed again after you respawn.
Playing Solo: There Is No One to Carry the Wave
Zombies is co-op for up to four players, and you can run it alone, but a respawn waits for the next wave, and when you play solo there is no teammate left to reach it. Reissad’s notes do not describe what happens when every player is down at once, so play a solo run as if you have one life: start on Village or Asylum rather than Trenches, and back off early instead of trading hits.
Our Bodycam PvE guide covers what the mode includes, and how to play Bodycam with friends explains how to set up a game for a full squad, which is the safest way to play Zombies. Zombies matches also earn Reissad Points since v0.9; our guide to unlocking weapons and attachments explains what they buy. Every guide for the game is on our Bodycam hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you respawn in Bodycam Zombies? You come back at the start of the next wave. Since v0.9, the spectator HUD shows a “respawning next wave” indicator while you wait.
Can you revive teammates in Bodycam Zombies? No revive appears in any of Reissad’s Zombies patch notes. A fallen player rejoins at the next wave instead.
Where do you respawn in Bodycam Zombies? Close to your teammates. Reissad moved Zombies respawns nearer the squad in November 2024.
How do you know what wave it is? Check the scoreboard on your tablet, which shows the current wave since v0.9.
How long is Zombies available in Bodycam? Reissad says Zombies stays until February 15, 2027, after which the team takes it out to focus on v0.10.