Dataminers have uncovered cut content showing that Call of Duty: World at War was originally planned to give vehicles a far larger role in its multiplayer than the game ultimately shipped with. Developer Treyarch had been experimenting with expanded vehicle mechanics since the earlier Call of Duty 3, but most of this ambition was scaled back or removed before World at War's 2008 launch, leaving only four maps with tanks in the finished game.

According to leaks from ForwardLeaks and TheSpoopatron on X, players would have been able to call in a tank after reaching a seven-kill streak, with full customisation options including flamethrowers, alternative weapons and adjustable speed. Several additional maps, including Railway, Sandtrap, Village and Zoo, appear to have been designed specifically around tank combat before the feature was cut, possibly due to the game's rushed two-year development cycle. The find echoes a separate recent discovery of a cut Zombies tower-defence mode in the newly released Black Ops ports, which have proven among 2026's best-selling titles.