Call of Duty: Warzone

This article is about the original version of Call of Duty: Warzone. For its 2022 successor, see Call of Duty: Warzone (2022 video game).

Call of Duty: Warzone
Developer(s)
Publisher(s)Activision
SeriesCall of Duty
EngineIW 8.0
Platform(s)
ReleaseMarch 10, 2020
Genre(s)Battle royale, first-person shooter
Mode(s)Multiplayer

Call of Duty: Warzone[a] was a 2020 free-to-play battle royale first-person shooter game developed by Raven Software and Infinity Ward and published by Activision. It was released on March 10, 2020, for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One as part of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) and was subsequently connected to Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (2020) and Call of Duty: Vanguard (2021), but did not require purchase of any of the aforementioned titles.[2] Warzone allowed online multiplayer combat among 150 players and featured both cross-platform play and cross-platform progression between the three aforementioned titles.

At launch, the game featured two main game modes: Battle Royale and Plunder. Warzone introduced a new in-game currency system that could be used at "Buy Stations" in and around the map. "Loadout Drops" were a key in-game object allowing players to access and switch between their customized classes and were obtainable through purchase with the Cash currency.[3] At launch, Warzone only offered Trios, a squad capacity of three players; Solos, Duos and Quads were added to the game via post-launch updates.

Upon release, Warzone received generally favorable reviews from critics. Warzone was downloaded by six million people within 24 hours of its initial release; by April 2021, the game surpassed 100 million downloads.[4] A successor to Warzone, initially titled Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 before it was also shortened to Call of Duty: Warzone, was released on November 16, 2022. A mobile version of Warzone, titled Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile, was announced in March 2022,[5] and was released on March 21, 2024.[6] In June 2023, Activision announced that servers for Warzone would be shut down on September 21, 2023 to focus development on Warzone 2.0

At launch, Warzone featured two primary game modes: Battle Royale and Plunder.[7] These game modes were initially playable in a squad capacity of three players ("Trios"); post-launch updates made the modes playable in other squad sizes, such as Solos, Duos and Quads.[8] In addition to Battle Royale and Plunder, several new game modes, including various limited-time modes and the "Resurgence" game mode, have been introduced throughout the course of the game's life cycle.[9] Warzone has also been used to reveal upcoming Call of Duty titles through similar limited-time gamemodes.[10][11]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference WZCaldera was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Snider, Mike (March 10, 2020). "'Call of Duty' sets its sights on 'Fortnite,' domination of battle royale video games". USA Today. Archived from the original on March 19, 2020. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
  3. ^ Gilroy, Joab (March 25, 2020). "Call of Duty: Warzone Is Imbalanced In One Key Way". IGN. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  4. ^ "TWO INCREDIBLE MILESTONES: CALL OF DUTY®: WARZONE™ REACHES 100 MILLION PLAYERS, PREMIUM CALL OF DUTY® GAME SALES ECLIPSES 400 MILLION". Call of Duty. Activision. April 21, 2021. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference callofduty.com was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Green, Jake (March 6, 2024). "Warzone Mobile release date, trailers and latest news". TechRadar. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  7. ^ Gonzalez, Oscar (March 9, 2020). "Call of Duty Warzone: Everything you need to know about the new battle royale mode". CNET. Archived from the original on March 18, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  8. ^ "Call of Duty®: Warzone Mode Recon: Battle Royale Quads". Archived from the original on April 12, 2020. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ "Watch again: Warzone live event unveils Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War". VGC. August 26, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
  11. ^ Hume, Mike (August 19, 2021). "'Call of Duty: Vanguard' revealed in 'Warzone' live event". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 16, 2023.


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