Game Modes

Warzone features two primary game modes: Battle Royale and Plunder. It is the second main battle royale installment in the Call of Duty franchise, following the "Blackout" mode of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (2018). Warzone differs from Black Ops 4 by reducing reliance on equipable gadgets and instead encouraging the accumulation of a new in-game currency called Cash. Warzone supports up to 150 players in a single match, which exceeds the typical size of 100 players seen in other battle royale titles. Some limited-time modes support 200 players.

The Battle Royale mode is similar to other titles in the genre where players compete in a continuously shrinking map to be the last player remaining. Players parachute onto a large game map, where they encounter other players. As the game progresses and players are eliminated, the playable area shrinks, forcing the remaining players into tighter spaces. In Warzone, the non-playable areas become contaminated with a yellow gas that depletes health and eventually kills the player if they do not return to the safe playable area. Unlike other titles, Warzone introduces a greater emphasis on vehicles, and a new in-game currency mechanic. Parachuting is unrestricted, with the player being allowed to open and cut their parachute an unlimited number of times while in air. At launch, the game supported trios (squads of up to three players) with an option to disable squad filling. Four-player squads and Solo BR modes were added in following updates, while Duos was added near the end of Modern Warfare Season 3.

Character death in Battle Royale does not necessarily translate to player defeat like in other titles. Instead, the mode offers a respawn mechanic which players can take advantage of in various ways. Players who are killed are transported to the "Gulag", where they engage in one-on-one combat with another defeated player, with both players being given the same weaponry. The guns that the players receive have few or no attachments. Players may only enter the gulag after their first death in a match. The winner of this combat is respawned into the game. Other methods of respawn are available using the in-game currency system. Players may use the in-game currency to purchase respawn tokens for other players should they not be revived by the Gulag mechanic.

Verdansk and Verdansk '84

Verdansk - Verdansk was the original Battle Royale map featured in the game for the Modern Warfare content seasons. It was themed after the fictional city shown in Modern Warfare's campaign and multiplayer modes. It is divided into five main sectors that are further divided into zones, each with a unique point of interest. It was destroyed by a nuclear missile during the Destruction of Verdansk event. The map is based on the real-life Donetsk city.

Verdansk '84 - Verdansk '84 is the main map featured in the game's Battle Royale and Plunder modes for the Black Ops Cold War content seasons. It was unveiled after the nuclear destruction of its modern-day counterpart, taking place in the spring of 1984. A sizeable majority of structures and locations were retouched and revisited, along with finer global details and touch-ups across the entire map. The map features seven new locations, five revamped locations, the removal of several structures and obstacles, and the addition of a new centerpiece, the Grid Radar Array. Several new locations and places of interest were added as the Black Ops: Cold War and Warzone integrated seasons progressed. These include Nakatomi Plaza, survival camps, CIA outpost, several satellite crash sites, and Red Doors. Also featured are new global weapon loadout changes from Modern Warfare to Black Ops: Cold War, with weapons from the former still being accessible via Loadout Drops.

In-Match Events

In-match events can occur at any time, and consist of Jailbreak, Fire Sale, and Supply Chopper.

• Jailbreak frees all players in the Gulag and returns them to the match.

• Fire Sale discounts all purchases at Buy Stations up to 80%.

• Supply Chopper spawns a helicopter carrying loot that drops once shot down.

Warzone has been used to reveal upcoming Call of Duty titles through limited-time gamemodes:

• Know Your History was a quad Battle Royale-esque gamemode in which squads must collect and crack map codes, secure a key, and find a new weapon. After which players must reach a checkpoint before the time runs out. It was used to reveal Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.

• Battle of Verdansk was a team-based mode in which all players work together to destroy and armored train. After the train is destroyed, an aerial bombing forces players to reach a checkpoint for exfil. It was used to reveal Call of Duty: Vanguard.

Rebirth Island

Rebirth Island is the second map introduced in the game with the integration of Black Ops Cold War's contents. The map is based on the real-life Vozrozhdeniya Island, which was also featured in the Call of Duty: Black Ops campaign mode. Design-wise, the map is a re-imagination of "Alcatraz Island", previously featured in Black Ops 4's Blackout mode. Unlike Verdansk, Rebirth Island is smaller in scale, only allowing 40 players maximum per match.

Rebirth Island also has a special Rebirth system: while at least one teammate of a player is alive, said player can respawn after a short amount of time. This time is increased as the game progresses, and respawns are ultimately turned off after 10 minutes.

Equipment

In Battle Royale modes and Rebirth modes, every player starts out with a basic un-customized pistol from both Modern Warfare or Black Ops Cold War loadouts. Players can pick up every component found in a standard loadout (primary and secondary weapons, lethal and tactical equipment, field upgrades, and kill streaks) as they search the map for items scattered across the ground and from supply boxes found in designated locations. Additional equipment unique to Warzone are armor plates. Three of these armor plates can be equipped to a player at a given time with the ability to carry up to five plates in the players' inventory or up to eight if the player has found an armor satchel. Players can also pick up cash that can be used at buy stations to purchase various killstreaks or support items. Custom weapon loadouts can be acquired from loadout crates. These loadout crates appear periodically throughout a match and can also be purchased from buy stations. In Plunder, players spawn with custom loadouts, similar to regular Multiplayer modes.

For the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Activision and Treyarch announced that the game would feature a unified progression system with Warzone, allowing items from Cold War multiplayer modes to be usable within Warzone, alongside Modern Warfare items players have earned or purchased. On November 13, 2020, to coincide with Cold War's release, operator characters from Cold War were added to Warzone's playable roster. Season 1 of Cold War content was released on December 16, 2020, which integrated Cold War's weapons and their associated cosmetic items into Warzone.

A second content integration has been announced for Warzone by Activision and Sledgehammer Games, scheduled for the release of Call of Duty: Vanguard. As with the Cold War integration, new items from Vanguard, including operator characters and weapons, will be added to Warzone while allowing players to retain items from Modern Warfare and Cold War.