Call of Duty: Warzone is still live as a free-to-play battle royale, but it has changed a lot and gone through multiple rebrands and transitions. The original 2020 Warzone (Modern Warfare-era Verdansk/Caldera) was shut down in September 2023 so Activision could focus on its successor versions of Warzone.
Original Warzone shutdown
- The first Warzone client tied to 2019’s Modern Warfare had its servers turned off on September 21, 2023, ending official support for Verdansk/Caldera in that version.
- This shutdown was done to consolidate players and development onto the newer Warzone experience (often called Warzone 2.0 at the time).
Current Warzone state (late 2025)
- Warzone is now integrated with Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, with a big Season 1 overhaul and content drop on December 4, 2025, including changes to the battle royale mode, a new season, and Black Ops 7 progression integration.
- Raven Software and Treyarch are using this season to introduce major gameplay and balance changes (weapon tuning cadence, attachment limits, loot adjustments, etc.) to refresh the meta and keep the mode aligned with Black Ops 7 systems.
Community perception of “Warzone is dead”
- Some players say “Warzone is dead” because of frustration with cheaters, balance, and churn across so many versions, especially after the original Verdansk era ended.
- Despite this sentiment, Activision is still actively updating the current Warzone client with new seasons, maps (including a new Resurgence map), events, and a paid Battle Pass structure.
Future outlook
- Commentators and leakers speculate that if Warzone stops being profitable or fails to retain players, it could eventually be left with minimal updates or even be shut down, similar to what happened with the original Warzone, but this is speculation rather than an announced plan.
- Officially, as of December 2025, the messaging is about a “new era” of Warzone tied to Black Ops 7 Season 1 rather than ending the game.
