On Nov. 16, 2022, “Call of Duty” released “Warzone 2.0,” the supposed successor to its previous installment in “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.” “Warzone 2.0” brings new changes to the table, adapting to the new mechanics of the newest installment of “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.” The changes include a new gunsmith progression system, a new map, and different movement mechanics that give a new feel to gameplay and player-to-player interaction.

A game plagued with bugs and blatant code issues on the release date would usually hinder the amount of active players any game would have, but not for “Warzone 2.0.” With a consistent player amount kept over 300,000 on release month, the game blew any previous expectations out of the water. Compared to its predecessor, it hasn’t reached the same level of popularity, but does match up in game content and new features.

The core of “Warzone 2.0” is the new map Al Mazrah, which brings out the nostalgic feeling for veterans, but still gives a new experience to players who have only played 2019 “Warzone.” While the new map is innovative, it is very large and forces the use of cars, planes, and various other modes of transportation, which feels like it’s moving away from the original games.

Despite this, the addition of proximity chat, where a player can talk to an opponent when they are within a certain distance of them, received a positive response. This adds new dimensions and lets players communicate throughout the game. Proximity chat adds a new experience to Warzone, and the addition has seen great praise from casual players.

While “Warzone 2.0” deviates from the original “Call of Duty” games due to its battle royale nature, it gives new life to a faltering franchise. With active player rates dropping every year, a fresh game was much needed, causing Activision, the developers of “Call of Duty,” to revise the formula from a yearly release to every two years. What this means for players is that “Warzone” is here to stay for a while. 

Overall, the prospect of “Warzone 2” looks promising. Players can now experience a new battle royale experience without the limitations of its predecessor. New mechanics and game modes make room for more improvement and additions in the future, which will help with the game’s longevity.

“Warzone 2” is free to play on all platforms and can be downloaded on Steam or Battle.net for PC players.