
But it also welcomes new players - not just because it's standalone and free, but also through features such as the ability to purchase killstreak bonuses such as drones and heavy weapon strikes normally earned through skilled play. Many players will find it both familiar and empowering. In many ways, Warzone plays very similarly to the game it expands upon, allowing players to do things like mount weapons for increased stability and create easily accessible gear loadouts. Call of Duty: Warzone has the advantage of being based on a popular game with which many are already familiar - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) - and which has some of the tightest and most refined first-person shooter mechanics around. Players looking for a polished and distinctive alternative to current battle royale heavyweights like Fortnite and Player Unknown's Battlegrounds may find it in this gritty standalone expansion. Rookies to battle royale-style games can get their bearings in a mandatory training mode, followed by an optional practice mode that pits humans against bots. A secondary mode called Plunder switches the focus from killing other teams (avatars simply respawn) to quickly collecting and banking cash, with the squad that grabs the most money declared victors. But Warzone's take on battle royale adds a few twists, including the ability to take on side contracts that encourage movement and exploration, money stashes that can be used to purchase powerful battlefield abilities normally earned through skilled play, and a one-on-one Gulag match that players enter upon being defeated, with the winner being sent back to the battlefield for one last chance to help his or her squad.

As with other such games, players begin with little in the way of gear, and must forage for better weapons and armor as they go. It's a battle royale-style game, meaning the primary mode sees up to 150 players dropped into an enormous map where they work in squads to systematically kill all enemies while gradually being pushed into closer quarters via an approaching poison gas cloud.

CALL OF DUTY: WARZONE is a free-to-play and standalone addition to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019), meaning anyone with a PlayStation 4, Xbox One, or Windows PC can begin playing without spending a penny.
