If you want to play Warzone 2.0 at its 6PM UK time launch today, you’ll need to turn on your console and check for updates. The Warzone 2 update for Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 is live now, and it weighs in at up to 70GB.
Warzone 2 will go live today, 16th November, at 10AM PT / 1PM ET / 6PM GMT / 7PM CET.
While it is also available as a separate free-to-play game, Warzone 2.0 ties in directly with Modern Warfare 2. Built on the same new iteration of the IW game engine, there will be deep ties between MW2 and Warzone 2.0 with cross-progression and shared tech. It will also be more of an extension of the regular MW2 multiplayer thematically, and is set in the fictional Republic of Adal called Al Mazrah and the multiplayer maps from MW2 feature as landmarks.
It’s much more than just a new map, though, taking the opportunity to revisit and revise a lot of the core concepts within the battle royale genre. For example, there’s an alternative to the traditional shrinking circle for the late match play as multiple enclosures will be used to contain players instead of just one circle. The Gulag has also been revised, though still gives players the chance to get back into the fight with tense 2v2 fights – you can also hunt down an AI Jailer, take him down and steal his key in order to escape.
Warzone 2 also looks to eat some of Escape from Tarkov’s lunch with the new DMZ mode.DMZ puts a different spin on the open-world multiplayer gameplay, described as a “narrative-focused extraction mode”, in which you and your squad will need to take on missions and side objectives, fight against both AI combatants and other players, search for valuable items and then eventually fight for an exfiltration.
As for the main game Modern Warfare 2? Well, Nick had a great time with it (outside of some bugs and issues around launch). For our Modern Warfare 2 review, he said:
“There’s some rough edges to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II that keep it from hitting the heights of the 2019 Modern Warfare, though most of its flaws can and will be fixed or improved through patches. Still, there’s an action-packed story to play through, plenty of multiplayer and a light co-op mode, and the promise of more in future. With Warzone 2.0 just around the corner, the future is certainly bright for Modern Warfare 2.”
