What wave-based Special Ops mode appears in Modern Warfare 3?

The wave-based Special Ops mode in Modern Warfare 3 is called Survival.

Survival places one or two players on a multiplayer map and challenges them to repel increasingly difficult waves of enemies. Each round rewards successful players with cash and experience, which can be spent on weapons, ammunition, equipment, upgrades, and air or ground support.

The mode expanded the cooperative side of Special Ops beyond the mission-based challenges inherited from Modern Warfare 2. Its escalating enemy waves made it comparable to horde-style modes, although it was distinct from Call of Duty’s Nazi Zombies format: enemies were human opponents and appeared from tactical locations based partly on the players’ positions.

Outbreak, Safeguard, and Extinction are names associated with other Call of Duty modes or installments, not Modern Warfare 3’s wave-based Special Ops offering. Survival also appeared across the game’s multiplayer maps, including downloadable content maps.