Call of Duty: Warzone is now available on the Nintendo Switch 2, arriving as a free download with the start of Season 1 on November 6. The launch comes as Activision ends support for the battle royale on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and folds it into Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4.
Activision said in a Call of Duty blog post that Season 1 went live at midnight ET on November 6 across all platforms, and that its start marks the launch of Warzone on the Switch 2. Players on the handheld can drop into the season’s new maps and the game’s other playlists, the post said, as the free game arrives on the system for the first time.
How to play it
Nintendo Life reported on November 7 that Warzone is a separate download from the single-player, multiplayer and DMZ modes of Modern Warfare 4, so players do not need to buy that game. It can be downloaded from the Nintendo eShop and requires an Activision account to play. Nintendo Life said the total file size on its own console was 122GB. That is the outlet’s own figure, not one published by Activision.
Two new maps and two old favourites
Season 1 adds Hajin, a large Battle Royale map set across North and South Korea with 13 major points of interest, and Zodiac, a compact Resurgence map built around a drone factory with 10 locations. Activision said Hajin includes changing weather, such as fog, wind and rain, and its own Gulag, the one-on-one arena where eliminated players can fight their way back into a match. Zodiac was developed by Beenox with Infinity Ward and includes moving trains and underground tunnels.
Verdansk and Rebirth Island return later in the season, according to Activision, with Verdansk gaining new landmarks including the Signal Station and the Grazna-7 Launch Complex.
What changes in play
The integration resets player levels, with an optional Prestige system shared across Multiplayer, DMZ and Warzone. Players get all 33 Modern Warfare 4 launch weapons, and guns from Modern Warfare II through Black Ops 7 stay usable from a Legacy tab, though they cannot be edited in the Gunsmith.
New gear includes a Zipline Launcher, which creates a rope that enemy players can also use, and a Grabber Drone that can carry loot, objects and even teammates. Activision also said Tactical Sprint will be available to every Operator without a Perk, though for a slightly shorter duration, and that players can now drag allies while reviving them. Fuel barrels, dumpsters and other objects can be moved around Hajin, Zodiac and Verdansk.
Battle Royale and Resurgence are the main modes. Limited-time modes at launch include Rally Point, a no-circle training mode on Zodiac for up to 20 players, Massive Resurgence for up to 120 players on Hajin, and Loaded Resurgence for up to 44 players. Extreme Resurgence and Rockets and Snipers follow in the mid-season.
The end of support on older consoles
Activision said starting with Season 1 the game is no longer playable on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, as Warzone and Modern Warfare 4 move on from older hardware. Players keep their progress if they log in with the same linked Activision account on a supported platform. The company’s support page says the game was removed from PS4 and Xbox One digital storefronts starting June 4, with last-generation play available through the end of Black Ops 7 Season 06. Some content, including COD Points, only carries over within the same console family.
For readers following the franchise, Eastern Herald’s earlier report on Modern Warfare 4 covered its Korea War campaign and the Switch 2 debut.
Activision’s post does not give Switch 2 performance details for Warzone, such as resolution or frame rate, and Eastern Herald has not played the Switch 2 version.
