It's officially happening. Battle royale is coming to Call of Duty, and we already know what the CoD: Warzone map looks like. With the launch of a brand new season behind now well underway, there's only one thing fans of Infinity Ward's gritty FPS are thinking about: a Modern Warfare battle royale mode.

After hints, leaks, and more, CoD: MW battle royale has been confirmed, and with that the launch date, player count, modes, and more. So, now that the evolution of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4's Blackout mode is on its way, let's break down everything you need to know.

CoD: Warzone download: how to get it
CoD: MW Warzone is free to play
Unlike last year's Blackout, Warzone will be free to play. Competing with free rivals like Fortnite and Apex Legends, the Modern Warfare battle royale mode won't cost a thing. It's also standalone, so that's even if you don't own the game—you'll just have to wait a little longer than those that do.

This runs counter to Black Ops 4's Blackout: this mode was only available to those who owned the main game, or the smaller package that didn't include Zombies. While it didn't hurt for players at the beginning, it did suffer and lose players to similar experiences in the end. Perhaps going free to play is a means of Infinity Ward avoiding that this year.


CoD: MW Warzone trailer
The Warzone trailer is pretty much what you'd expect. Lots of people are brutally killing each other, but the two modes are confirmed. We also see plenty of the Verdansk map, which seem to tally up with the leaks we've been seeing in recent weeks.

CoD MW Warzone modes: what is Plunder?
In Warzone there will be two modes: Battle Royale and Plunder. The former is as you'd expect, with 150 players in trios fighting to the death amid an ever-closing circle of death.

However, in Plunder, the aim of the game is to collect the most in-game money by looting the map, killing enemies, and completing in-game contracts (mid-game objectives you can find and activate across the map. Expect this mode to be much more aggressive and high stakes. Camping certainly won't work in this one.

Here's the full Call of Duty: Warzone map
We finally have a good look at Call of Duty: Warzone's flagship map: Verdansk. Early leaks suggest that the map is fairly massive, which makes sense now that we know it has to support up to 150 players. It's hard to tell how the map will feel until we get our hands on it, but the high density of buildings suggest that most fighting will happen at close-to-mid range. Though, snipers can surely post up at high vantage points to pick off squads crossing a clearing.

CoD: MW battle royale map locations
The setting for Warzone is Verdansk, a city with over 300 points of interest. It looks like the map leaks on Reddit that preceded the official announcement were pretty accurate. You can see what appears to be map here, too.

For instance, one of the leaked locations was 'Dam', and we know now that one area is called Gora Dam. The other confirmed location is Gorengard Lumber Yard. The following area names are leaks, so they may not be final:

Verdanks International Airport
Crash Site
Gorengard Lumber Yard
Karst River Quarry
Layover
BCH TV Station
Atlas Superstore
Storage Town
Zhokov Boneyard
Verdansk Train Station
Verdansk Hospital
Downtown Tavorsk District
City of Verdansk Port
Verdansk Stadium
Krovnik Farmland
The Gulag
Tavorsk Park
Barakett Promenade East/West
Kart Racing Track
Speaking of leaks, Activision has not taken the leaks lightly, and since the end of February, has begun filing copyright takedowns. This allegedly includes a subpoena from a US court for Reddit to disclose the details of a user who started a thread, stating "I found this image online. Not sure what it is. Possibly Battle Royale." 

Redditor, Assyrian2410, linked to an image depicting CoD characters standing underneath text that read 'Call of Duty Warzone'. The redditor has since removed their post and has deleted their account. Takedown notices for those sharing the image, and videos relating to a Warzone tutorial, posted by TheGamingRevolution, have also been issued. 

Call of Duty: Warzone gameplay overview
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What're the biggest changes to Warzone from vanilla Modern Warfare and other battle royale games? We can likely expect much of Warzone to feel familiar to Blackout fans, but there are some key additions that could help it stand out.

Gulag (Battle Royale mode only)
The Gulag is a built-in chance at a second life in Call of Duty: Warzone's battle royale mode. After dying your first time, you'll be sent to the Gulag, where other dead players fight it out in 1v1 duels to win a redeployment back into the match. It sounds like a mini version of Modern Warfare's Gunfight mode. You're back in for free if you win, but if you lose, you'll have to spectate until your squad can buy a Respawn Token mid-match.

Buy Stations
Everything in Warzone earns you cash that can be spent mid-match and designated Buy Stations on the map. In the Battle Royale mode, cash is only used to buy killstreaks, upgrades, and tokens to respawn squadmates. In Plunder, Buy Stations are also deposit boxes used to safely secure cash.

Contracts
Contracts are like small side missions that squad's can take on in the middle of a match. Objectives range from capturing a specific location (similar to a standard match of Domination) to raiding supply boxes, but the goal of them all is clear: to drive squads toward contested areas to fight each other. Completing contracts rewards cash and loot that can be used to grab a significant advantage for the rest of the match.

CoD: MW vehicles: how will we escape the circle at speed?
We're no stranger to vehicles in battle royale games, but Warzone will have them, too. Here they are:

ATV: Two seater, provides minimal protection, good at offroading, fast.
Tactical Rover: Four seater, provides minimal protection, solidly fast, solid at off-roading.
SUV: Four seater, provides good protection, medium speed, not ideal for off-roading.
Cargo Truck: Holds the squad plus equipment, excellent protection, not for off-roading, slowest.
Helicopter: Four seater, decent coverage, flies.