Summary

  • Raven Software is testing a higher player count of 150 in Call of Duty: Warzone's Battle Royale to evaluate performance and prepare for future updates.
  • Adjustments to player count have been done before to maintain balance and ensure smooth gameplay and pacing.
  • The increase to 150 players possibly hints at the return of Verdansk in Warzone Season 3.

The Call of Duty: Warzone development team, Raven Software, has confirmed that the game will undergo a test to evaluate a higher player count in Battle Royale. As in previous Warzone iterations, the goal could be to ensure smooth performance, prevent stability issues, and be well-prepared for the arrival of future updates.

This isn’t the first time Warzone has experimented with adjusting the player count in its survival mode. Throughout its lifecycle, the Battle Royale maps have influenced these adjustments, with the developers fine-tuning the numbers to maintain a balanced and engaging experience. In each instance, the team has explained the reasoning behind the change to help players understand the decision. If the adjustment didn’t work as intended, they would tweak it and offer a version that delivered the best gameplay experience for the majority of fans.

activision big plans for call of duty warzone verdansk return
Activision Reportedly Has Big Plans for Verdansk's Warzone Return

Activision reportedly has plans for a major return of Verdansk to Call of Duty: Warzone in an effort to improve the game’s current state.

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In a Twitter post, Raven Software, the team behind the free-to-play Call of Duty title, has announced that as part of the “preparations for future updates,” the player count in the standard Battle Royale mode on Urzikstan will be increased to 150 from the current 120 capacity. They also assured players that they would “closely monitor feedback,” evaluating the performance, impact, and match flow of this change in the “coming weeks.”

Warzone Battle Royale Player Count Change May Hint at Verdansk’s Return

Since the post referenced future updates, the player count change likely lays the groundwork for the reported return of Verdansk with Warzone Season 3. The latest version of Verdansk, released in 2021, featured a 150-player Battle Royale, offering a balanced experience that was widely praised by the community for enhancing the gameplay flow of the mode. While the original map, like other BR locations, has seen variations in participant counts, the development team appears to have settled on 150 as the optimal number to maintain the map’s flow and pacing, possibly to prevent static gameplay given the size of Warzone’s large-mode maps.

As part of Warzone's integration with Black Ops 6, Urzikstan, the current Battle Royale map, has undergone player count adjustments, starting at 100 players before being increased to 120 in mid-2024. These changes are among the most requested by many BR fans with each release, aiming to maintain a consistent pace of play and reduce downtime. As with previous Warzone versions, the development team is open to testing further adjustments to the current map to ensure smooth gameplay, potentially setting the ground for future maps in the franchise.

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call of duty warzone
9 /10

Call of Duty: Warzone
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First-Person Shooter
Battle Royale
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Systems
PC-1 PlayStation-1 Xbox-1
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Top Critic Avg: 80 /100 Critics Rec: 78%
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Released
March 10, 2020
ESRB
M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs, Violence
Publisher(s)
Activision
Engine
IW 8.0 & IW 9.0 (Warzone 2.0)
Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer
Cross-Platform Play
PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
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SUBSCRIPTION
DIGITAL
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Welcome to Call of Duty®: Warzone™, the massive free-to-play combat arena which now features Urzikstan, Rebirth Island and Fortune’s Keep.
Turn the Heat Up
Prepare to take the battle to a new metropolis in the all-new Urzikstan map, the new big Battle Royale map. Jump in to celebrate the epic return of Rebirth Island and Fortune’s Keep, two Resurgence maps that are sure to excite veterans and newcomers alike.
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A Game Pass Core subscription is not required to play Call of Duty®: Warzone™. All other online modes still require Game Pass Core.

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Genre(s)
First-Person Shooter, Battle Royale