Call of Duty: Warzone has existed since 2020, and in the years since it was released, it has seen its popularity ebb and flow. Once upon a time, it was the most popular battle royale game to ever exist. Drawing in tens of millions of players in a matter of weeks. However, those days have come and gone, and with an ever-dwindling player count and a generally negative sentiment being angled towards the game, we’re answering a very important question today: ‘Is Warzone dying?’
In 2021, Activision Blizzard’s teams introduced Caldera, and that was a solid turning point into a downward slide for Warzone. Since then, it has been a rocky road for Activision’s battle royale platform. Re-launches, lurching from CoD title to CoD title. And now seemingly failing to capture new players anymore. It’s gone from (briefly) leader in its genre, to an also ran.
While some major events have introduced spikes in popularity, we’ve seen the overall player base winding down over time. As new games rise and Warzone stagnates, it certainly seems like the end is near for the game, but honestly, is Warzone dying?
At one point, the beautifully simple formula of Verdansk and Rebirth Islandw as a winning one. It gave players both an expansive, open environment, and a close-quarters, rapid-paced game mode to enjoy. While it might not have been obvious at first, but Warzone players were in love with Verdansk. Both the old and the ‘new’ model. It was a place they’d spent countless hours exploring while under lockdown. Even using it as a meeting ground between friends, families, and in some cases, enemies.
In December of 2021, when Raven Software introduced Caldera, an all-new Warzone experience was brought about on a completely different map. This tropical paradise was penned as a revolutionary change for the insanely popular battle royale platform. However, it was seen as something of a ‘who asked’ moment for many of Warzone’s players. In general, the announcement wasn’t met with jubilation, but rather with a sour taste in the mouth at the thought of having the beloved Verdansk stripped out from underneath us.
Since then, two new maps were introduced – Al Mazrah in November 2022, and Urzikstan in 2023. Sadly, Al Mazrah was met with similar backlash from players. The game’s overall pacing was slowed down and many ‘meta movement mechanics’ being stripped from the platform. Urzikstan was a turning point for Warzone, but some saw it as being too little, too late – even the best Warzone players in the world.
In truth, it has never been ‘the same’ since Verdansk was removed. But the changes go beyond just a map.
Warzone doesn’t just get new maps. The game has to shift to stay up to date with the Call of Duty series. We had the initial Warzone, released with Modern Warfare. However, this was essentially replaced with a 2022 version of the game with Modern Warfare 2, and more recently Black Ops 6.
The game having to keep pace with the overall Call of Duty series means it swerves away from its core gameplay every few years. Good for keeping things fresh. But Warzone doesn’t just develop and build on what came before like other live service games. it completely resets itself and throws the good out with the bad. Just like Call of Duty games themselves, it’s difficult for player snot to view them as something with a clear lifespan. One much shorter than most live service titles. Who wants to put time into a free to play game if you know it has such a short shelf life?
At the start of 2022, Activision published financial information that revealed damning statistics related to Call of Duty: Warzone. Between March 2021 and March 2022, Activision (including Call of Duty, of course) reported a loss of more than 50 million players. These were captured as ‘monthly active users’, meaning that within a year, Activision bid farewell to more than a third of its user base.
Image credit: Activision
There was no denying the fact that with Caldera, Warzone became something of a ghost town. We’ve seen numerous outcries regarding the integration of SBMM in Call of Duty: Warzone. Which has toughened up since Al Mazrah was introduced in 2022. Even with Ranked Play surfacing in Warzone for the first time, SBMM was still present, punishing, and causing dissent among the players.
With SBMM, Raven Software has effectively removed the casual aspect of the game, forcing every player to sweat for each victory. This is just one area that has directly impacted the number of players currently in Warzone, and it worsened as time has gone on.
When the Caldera Warzone map was brought into play, it pushed many creators away from the platform. However, there was an exodus taking place long before the arrival of Caldera. With many creators abandoning Warzone because of a string of issues. Once upon a time (and today, to a lesser extent, thanks to Activision’s efforts), Call of Duty: Warzone was plagued by hackers and cheaters. Several game-breaking exploits kept resurfacing. As well as blunders with skins and weapons caused by Raven Software directly.
It was a tough time for a creator trying to stay connected to the game and ultimately enjoy it, and it showed.
Live on stream, world-famous streamer, Dr Disrespect, uninstalled Call of Duty: Warzone in favour of other, competing titles. At the end of 2021, NICKMERCS, arguably one of the biggest streamers in the world, completely disappeared from Warzone, instead opting to play other games. For a brief time, TimTheTatman left Warzone, as did Cloakzy, and CouRage.
While some of these streamers would eventually return to Warzone – following further controversies – it never seemed like the old days. In some cases, it felt like they were simply playing for the sake of playing or to secure a bag.
While some of these streamers would eventually return to Warzone – following further controversies – it never seemed like the old days. In some cases, it felt like they were simply playing for the sake of playing or to secure a bag.
According to platforms like TwitchTracker, the viewership for Call of Duty: Warzone has been on a downward trend since May 2021. There have been a few spikes over the years. But the general trend has been clear for years. Even its spikes get lower. Viewership has trended down since the game’s first year.
The World Series of Warzone, which is the ultimate esports tournament in the Warzone space. It has pulled in in some strong viewership. However, the broadcast that took place in 2023 wasn’t without its issues and technical difficulties. There are plenty of esports tournaments. But for the most part, they’re backed by esports organisations or grassroots teams. Warzone is a far cry from the Call of Duty League.
And in the content creation space, even a cursory glance at YouTube shows a string of creators re-using the same content over and over again. There’s a veritable plague of ‘best loadout’ videos to digest. With each creator often bringing to light the same weapon builds over and over again.
So, is Warzone dying?
Despite these failings and the numbers being inconsistent across the board, we can’t see Warzone dying in 2025. Not entirely. Despite its problems and dwindling players, it does still have some players.
As a series, Call of Duty still boasts remarkable numbers with each new instalment released. It’s a free-to-play battle royale game, it’ll always be accessible to those who want to play it. As time goes on, each new game seems to become the best-selling Call of Duty ever. Clearly the desire for the franchise is still there – and that extends to Warzone. But increasingly Warzone fails to maintain players outside of launches.
It’s believed by some that a dash of innovation may save Warzone, but nobody knows what that looks like. There’s only so much that can be done, especially with the title getting replaced every few years to tie into a new CoD release. It’s likely that even without innovation, Warzone will stay alive for several years to come. The inertia of the Call of Duty series might be enough to keep it running.
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