Call of Duty: Warzone is out now, free for everyone

Activision has finally revealed Call of Duty: Warzone, the free-to-play battle royale. As we learned from leaks and can now confirm, it's a standalone battle royale rather than a mode attached to Modern Warfare. Give the trailer a watch above. 

150 players have to fight each other and outrun a deadly cloud of gas in the battle royale brawls, but Warzone's also launching with a second mode. Plunder is all about getting rich, scouring the map for loot and killing players to steal their cash.

Both modes will take place on Verdansk, which we learned earlier is a new map stitched together from locations both old and new. There's a city to fight over, but you can also leave civilisation behind and duke it out in Verdansk's forests and mountains. Activision says the map features 300 points of interest, and each zone has its own landmark, including a lumber yard and a dam. It's a big map, but you'll be able to get around faster in vehicles. If you're lucky, you'll be able to find an ATV, tactical rover, SUV, cargo truck, or a helicopter before someone else pinches it.

As well as a novel respawn system that forces players to fight in 1v1 battles in the Gulag for the chance to return—only in the battle royale mode—both modes let you and your squad select a contract, a special objective that will reward you with in-match cash, loot and abilities like seeing the next circle location before the map shrinks. There are different types of objective, including ones where you have to hunt down supply boxes or secure specific locations.

That cash you earn can then be spent at Buy Stations where you can pick up tokens that let you respawn fallen teammates, revival kits that you can use on yourself, and killstreaks. In Plunder, you can also buy balloons that let you deposit your cash so other squads can't steal it. Check out the launch map below.

(Image credit: Activision)
Fraser Brown
Online Editor

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.