Is Warzone 2 Going To Be Free To Play?

three men with brightly coloured weapons - is Warzone 2 going to be free?
Credit: Activision

three men with brightly coloured weapons - is Warzone 2 going to be free?
Credit: Activision

The latest release in the Call of Duty series is almost upon us, and players are wondering whether Warzone 2 will be free. The original Warzone was, of course, free. But that doesn't guarantee that a future release will be. Remember when loot boxes didn't exist? Or when DLC was just part of the game? Yeah, us too.

While information about Warzone 2 is relatively thin on the ground (although we do have an inkling of the Warzone 2 system requirements) Activision has given us some key information, so we can let you know definitively, whether or not Warzone 2 is going to be free.

And guess what? It's good news.

Is Warzone 2 Going To Be Free To Play?

We'll cut to the chase: Warzone 2 will be free to play. Activision has explicitly confirmed this.

In their June 8 blog post announcing Modern Warfare 2, they stated the following (we've highlighted the crucial bit for emphasis):

Development on the all-new, dynamic Warzone 2.0 experience is also being led by Infinity Ward, along with Raven Software. The new, free-to-play battle royale Warzone also features the same technology powering Modern Warfare II

There's really no room for confusion on this. The new Warzone (which may or may not be called Warzone 2 when it is finally released) is described as free-to-play.

Which is good news for anyone who is a fan of Warzone, but might have been concerned that the new game would cost. After all, it wouldn't be the first time a developer has decided to try to squeeze every last bit of juice out of a lemon.

In this case, however, they've clearly decided that it makes more sense to keep the base game free, and then make their money from additional in-game purchases.

The Warzone 2 Battle Pass is a slightly different story. This will overlap with Modern Warfare 2, which means items such as XP, Tier Skips and cosmetic items can be shared between the two games. Modern Warfare though, is most definitely not free.

What Else Do We Know About Warzone 2?

So now that we've got the big question about Warzone 2 being free out of the way, what else has been revealed about Warzone 2?

Well, there are a few key pieces of information that are out there in the world.

Perhaps most significantly, Warzone 2 is going to be separate from the current Warzone. The current Warzone won't be axed immediately though. Activision stated that, "Todayā€™s Warzone will continue as a separate experience that will include a continuation of player progression and inventories within that Warzone experience". It does mean though, that you won't be transferring your inventory to Warzone 2.

Activision stated in their most recent earnings report that Warzone 2.0 will be "tightly integrated with the premium game, will launch as an extension of theĀ Modern WarfareĀ universe later this year". So we'd expect it to include content, systems and game mechanics from MW2. This may even include swimming.

Both MW2 and Warzone will be using the same COD engine that debuted with Modern Warfare in 2019. We also know that Warzone 2 will be available on the following major platforms - PS4 and PS5, Xbox One and Series X|S, and PC. Yes, you hear it; Warzone 2 is coming to PS4 and Xbox One as well.

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