What is the new Warzone map Area 99? With each new Call of Duty game, we get a whole new Warzone experience, starting back at season one and usually getting a new main map, as well as new smaller Resurgence maps to boot.
With Black Ops 6, things are a little different. Verdansk is returning to the battle royale game, but not until 2025, meaning we keep the big Warzone map Urzikstan for a little longer. Area 99, a brand-new Resurgence map, has been confirmed though, and it’s one we can’t wait to drop into. Here are all the details ahead of the Black Ops 6 season one release date, alongside the current Warzone map rotation.
New Warzone Area 99 map
Fans of the original Black Ops will be happy to hear the the new Warzone Resurgence map, Area 99, is inspired by the original Nuketown. That iconic map is a fan-favorite – later being remade into other maps and inspiring a Zombies mode – thanks to its fast-paced action. Two clear sides of the long-but-narrow map were spawn locations for each team, forcing most players into extreme close combat in the middle, while snipers made a home for themselves in buildings on either side.
Naturally, Area 99 has been made bigger than one of the smallest ever Call of Duty maps to retain that classic Resurgence feel. Set in a what appears to be larger industrial area in which Nuketown was perhaps created, there are nostalgic easter eggs throughout Area 99 that will please Nuketown fans, while the ’50s aesthetic, classic cars, and muted tones of the environment and buildings are sure to trigger some old memories. If you can’t wait to see them for yourself, we detail some of the key locations below.
Area 99 POIs
- Test Site
- Bunker
- Pods
- Manufacturing
- Warehouse
- Loading Bay
- Nuketown Shipping
- Reactor
- Cooling Towers
- Mannequin Assembly
Loading Bay
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s a Nuketown house! Yep, look above you in the Loading Bay POI and hope that crane chain doesn’t give, as a part made Nuketown house is raised above you. Naturally, the loading bay is also strewn with various vehicles – no longer of much use – including some familiar red trucks.
Nuketown Shipping
Nuketown Shipping is the graveyard for Nuketown homes that were never delivered, and is located on the edge of the map, and features a steep slope of sandy ground, so take care to keep to the higher ground and dart behind and between the ill-fated homes dotted along the map’s edge.
Mannequin Assembly
Those who remember Nuketown might remember the creepy mannequins that called the map home, considering it was a fake town built for nuclear testing, and all. Well, here’s where the sausage is made. And it’s the stuff of nightmares. Once you get past the creepy mannequin parts all over the place, the interior of this POI that should make for some incredible action, given the labyrinthine arrangement of machinery.
Current Warzone Resurgence maps
The Warzone Resurgence maps currently in rotation are:
- Fortune’s Keep
- Rebirth Island
- Vondel
Fortune’s Keep
Fortune’s Keep returned to Warzone in February 2024, bringing the fan-favorite Resurgence mode back with it. Shortly after the re-release of the Mediterranean-inspired map, an explosion rocked the island, creating a series of cracks and crevices throughout while opening up a new underground area. It’s up to you, then, whether to head straight for the high vantage points at Bioweapons or sneak around underground via an underwater pipe at Dock.
Rebirth Island
After the success of Fortune’ Keep, Rebirth Island was also brought back to Warzone in April 2024, and remains in Resurgence rotation right now. There is also a Rebirth Island-only playlist, if this is your favorite map.
Since Rebirth Island’s return, the map has told the story of the Konni take over of the area, with new, clinical, technologically advanced areas such in Industry and a vast new building that’s great for looting at the Chemical Engineering POI.
Vondel
Unlike the other maps above, Vondel is a beautiful historial site, with some incredible gothic architecture to take in. Don’t get too distracted, though, as it could be the death of you. Instead, perhaps try and hide in the spires of the castle roof to get a good view of the whole map.
Alternatively, this is a map with a lot of inside areas, so you can stay stealthy and sneak between buildings, using them as cover, or make the most of the shadows cast by tall buildings while darting down the narrow European-inspired streets.
Warzone Urzikstan map
Urzikstan is currently the main Warzone map featured in the standard mode of the battle royale, and remains unchanged as we head into the Black Ops 6 era of the game. As such, ranked play returns with Season One. Verdansk is set to return later, replacing Urzikstan in 2025.
This large map contains a number of unique POIs, some of which appear in Modern Warfare 3 maps. The huge map was the first to introduce horizontal ziplines to Warzone as a crucial way of getting around fast. If that doesn’t do it for you though, there’s always the train that travels through many of the POIs below.
As a huge battle royale map, there is a perfect mix of close quarters and vast open spaces, areas to take cover, and high points to snipe from. As such, many loadouts can be put to good use in Urzikstan, but you can’t go wrong with the best Warzone ARs and SMGs.
- Urzikstan POIs
- Levin Resort
- Popov Power
- Orlov Military Base
- Seaport District
- Urzikstan Cargo
- Old Town
- Low Town
- Hadida Farms
- Zaravan City
- Zaravan Suburbs
- Shahin Manor
Other Warzone maps
These Warzone maps are not currently playable, but may return in the future:
- Verdansk
- Verdansk ’84
- Ashika Island
- Caldera
- Al Mazrah
Caldera and Al Mazrah were some of the more recent main Warzone maps, while Verdansk remains perhaps the most beloved Warzone map of all time. Following repeated leaks over the last year or so that Verdansk is set to return to Warzone, including this report from Insider Gaming, we now know that the beloved Warzone map returns in 2025.
Ashika Island, meanwhile, is a Resurgence map based in the Asia Pacific region that was most recently removed from playlists in May 2024.
Whichever Warzone map you prefer, there is no denying that these maps are among the most iconic in the history of the FPS game series. As we await the next iteration of Warzone, make sure you make the most of Urzikstan with the best Warzone loadouts or, more specifically, the best Warzone guns for the current meta.