Warzone 2.0 Release Date/Time, Countdown, & What To Expect

Check out everything you need to know about the Warzone 2.0 release date, and how to download and play the new Battle Royale.

Finally, after 2 years of Call of Duty Warzone, Activision is releasing a completely new Battle Royale experience: Warzone 2.0.

The updated version of Warzone aims to build on the appeal of the original title, while introducing new mechanics and areas made specifically for a BR setting.

Check out the first gameplay of the Warzone 2.0 map ‘Al Mazrah’ here!

But when can we go hands-on with Warzone 2 for ourselves?

Warzone 2 Release Date

Warzone 2.0 will release on November 16, 2022, as officially confirmed by Activision in the September CoD: Next event.

There will be a simultaneous global launch, meaning we won’t have to wait until midnight to play the game.

It comes 981 days after the release of the first Warzone (March 10th, 2020).

Warzone 2 will be available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. The game will be accessible on both Battle.net and Steam for PC players.

The new Battle Royale title will be fully crossplay, allowing you to play together with friends on any platform.

The release will come 20 days after the launch of the latest Call of Duty title, MW2.

What Time Does Warzone 2.0 Come Out?

Warzone 2 will have a global launch at the following times:

November 16

• 10 AM PT (California / West Coast)
• 12 PM CT (Illinois)
• 1 PM ET (New York)
• 6 PM GMT (UK)
• 7 PM CEST (Central Europe)
• 9 PM MSK (Moscow)
• 11:30 PM IST (India)

November 17

• 2 AM CST (China)
• 3 AM JST (Japan)
• 5 AM AEDT (Australia)
• 7 AM NZDT (New Zealand)

Warzone 2.0 Countdown – Time Until Release

Warzone 2.0 will release in .

Since the game has a single global release time, this countdown is accurate no matter where you are in the world.

Read More: DMZ Officially Revealed for Warzone 2.0 – Release Date Confirmed

Is Warzone 2 Dropping Early?

No, so far there is no indication that Warzone 2.0 could be dropping early, ahead of the time provided by Activision. And there should be no way to access the game before its official release window, as servers will all be offline.

However, you can check out the entire Warzone 2 map early with this Modern Warfare 2 spectator cam trick! Why not plan out your first drop in-game?

We’ll update this article if there are any ways to access Warzone 2 early as release day approaches.

Is There a Pre-Load for Warzone 2?

A pre-load for Warzone 2 will go live on November 14 in .

It will be available at the following times on November 14:

• 10 AM PT (California / West Coast)
• 12 PM CT (Illinois)
• 1 PM ET (New York)
• 6 PM GMT (UK)
• 7 PM CEST (Central Europe)
• 9 PM MSK (Moscow)
• 11:30 PM IST (India)

And on November 15 in the following regions:

• 2 AM CST (China)
• 3 AM JST (Japan)
• 5 AM AEDT (Australia)
• 7 AM NZDT (New Zealand)

Here’s how to pre-load Warzone 2 on PlayStation, Xbox, or PC!

Warzone 2.0 Download Size

Warzone 2.0 has been confirmed to be a whopping 115.62 GB download on Xbox consoles. Although the PlayStation version will likely be slightly different, expect a similar file size on Sony devices too.

Thankfully, Warzone 2 will be its own application, rather than being bundled with Modern Warfare, so that will hopefully decrease its necessary file size somewhat.

For reference, Warzone currently takes up around 100 GB of storage space on consoles and has reached as high as 175 GB on PC.

Warzone 2 Trailer

Check out the Warzone 2 portion of the COD NEXT trailer below, showing off some Battle Royale action:

Warzone 2 Map

Al Mazrah is Call of Duty’s biggest-ever map, situated in Western Asia, in a fictional country called Republic of Adal.

Here’s how big Al Mazrah is when compared to both Caldera and the original Warzone map, Verdansk!

The new Warzone 2.0 map features some classic remastered MW2 maps, such as Highrise and Terminal, bringing back some extreme nostalgia.

We’ve got a full breakdown of all the new POIs in Al Mazrah here.

For a closer look at the brand-new arena, here’s the official reveal of the Warzone 2 map ‘Al Mazrah’, straight from COD NEXT:

Warzone 2 Rebirth Map

Warzone 2 will not have a smaller Resurgence map at launch. However, Activision mentions that fans of small Battle Royale maps should keep their eyes open for ‘exciting developments in Warzone 2.0 during future seasons.’

And it seems that the leak that stated that Rebirth Island and Fortune’s Keep will disappear forever when the new Battle Royale launches is indeed correct. Warzone Caldera (the rebrand of Warzone 1) will not feature smaller BR maps once Warzone 2.0 kicks off.

This certainly suggests that Activision knows how much players love those arenas, and they’re trying to push players toward the new title.

For a while now, one of the most popular aspects of Warzone has been its Rebirth Island map, as well as the newer Fortune’s Keep.

Warzone 2 New Features & Gameplay Changes

Map & Circles

Not only is the Warzone 2.0 map a brand-new arena, but it also behaves very differently from the Battle Royale we know and love.

In Warzone 2, the circle will sometimes split into 3 small circles, all separated by the gas. Players will be able to see how many opponents are within their circle, as well as how many total players remain alive in the match.

Towards the end of the game, the circles begin to converge on one another, bringing the final squads together for one last shootout. Positioning is, therefore, more important than ever before.

Generally, Warzone 2.0 is a little slower-paced than Warzone was, with 1st zone providing players with 85 extra seconds of loot time.

JGOD made a fantastic breakdown of all the new zone times and how they compare to the original Battle Royale, which you can see below:

Gameplay

• Looting is very different in Al Mazrah from how players might remember it in the original Warzone. Supply Chests still explode loot onto the ground, but other loot containers will have players needing to instead move items between boxes and their inventories using a menu system.
• Players have a limited amount of storage space, upgradable by finding backpacks, like in games such as Apex Legends. You can now carry as many grenades or armor plates as you have room for, but that same space is also shared between other equipment and even individual stacks of ammo.
• One of the most entertaining additions to Warzone 2.0 is proximity chat – here’s how it works in-game.
• AI enemies are also present on the Warzone map, defending Strongholds, Black Sites, and the Gulag. You’ll need to take these AI on if you’re looking to get your hands on your loadout for free.

So far, fan reactions to the Warzone 2 changes have been mixed, but Activision has already taken a great deal of feedback into consideration and is altering the game accordingly.

Equipment and Guns

Although loadouts were initially totally removed from Warzone 2, Infinity Ward has brought them back by popular demand. Loadouts will drop for all players to claim in various areas of the map, but teams that take down AI Strongholds will also get a key for their custom loadout.

You can also still purchase your loadout guns in Al Mazrah using a new Shop system.

Each custom weapon will cost you around $20,000 to purchase, but the Shop also contains other important items to help you stay ahead of the competition. Getting your preferred loadout this way is going to cost you a lot of cash, especially since you’ll need to buy each gun individually for every member of your squad.

The good news is that Infinity Ward seems to be speeding up the weapon grind significantly, with the new Gunsmith system in MW2 being a lot more user-friendly.

Will Warzone 2 Be Free to Play?

Yes, Warzone 2 will be completely free to play, however, the game’s store will still contain optional skins and blueprints that are only obtainable by paying real money.

Will Warzone Skins and Guns Carry Over to Warzone 2.0?

No, Warzone 2.0 is an entirely new game, so no skins and guns from Warzone 1 will carry over to the upcoming Battle Royale.

All players will be starting fresh on release day, however, any skins and guns you’ve unlocked in Modern Warfare 2 (2022) will be present in the game.

Will the Original Warzone Still Exist When Warzone 2 Releases?

Yes, the original Warzone will still exist as Warzone Caldera when Warzone 2.0 launches, and it may even continue to get minor updates for the foreseeable future – though don’t expect it to receive any new content.

According to Activision:

“Warzone is planned to be relaunched as Call of Duty: Warzone Caldera as a separate experience. This will happen at approximately 10 AM PT on November 28.”

Call of Duty Blog – Activision

If Warzone 2 isn’t for you, the original title will still exist alongside all your guns and skins. But as we mentioned above, Rebirth Island and Fortune’s Keep will be gone from the game for good.

What’s more, all those who played Call of Duty Warzone will get a few gifted items in Warzone 2.0 as a token of Activision’s appreciation.

Is There a Warzone 2.0 Beta?

No, there will not be a Beta for Warzone 2.0, though Activision has invited content creators to come and play an early build of the game publically on two separate occasions.

One creator, JGOD, initially revealed that he was very worried about Warzone 2.0 and believed a delay might be for the best! However, the game has since had a lot of changes for the better, so it remains to be seen how players will find it on launch day.