Best Battle Royale Maps in Warzone

Call of Duty: Warzone launched back in the spring of 2020, arriving during the post-launch of Modern Warfare (2019) to massive acclaim. Warzone allows players to jump in for free, descending onto a large-scale battlefield to fight until only one player or team remains. Of course, over its long lifespan, Warzone has gone through numerous changes, including the very maps that players compete on.

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Warzone has featured a fair share of different maps throughout the years. While its Resurgence playlists have seen a decent amount of variety, Battle Royale has only featured a handful of different locales. Each of these maps corresponds to different eras of Warzone, and while some share similarities, others manage to stand out from the crowd. Here is every Battle Royale map in Warzone, ranked.

4

Urzikstan

A Familiar Map That Blends In With The Crowd

First up is Urzikstan, a more recent Battle Royale map, arriving with the Modern Warfare 3 era of the title and carrying into the Black Ops 6 integration. Diving in, players might notice that Urzikstan looks rather similar to Verdansk in some areas, sporting large metropolitan city areas that provide plenty of high ground, along with military bases and cargo areas reminiscent of the very first Battle Royale map. The map itself is also roughly the same size as Verdansk, with a tightly packed roster of POIs for players to uncover.

As for the locations featured, each provides a unique draw. For instance, the center of the map houses Old Town, Seatown, and Opal Palace, with the latter two providing a mix of close-quarters combat and open areas, often attracting a lot of attention. Areas like Zaravan City are also contested, featuring skyscraper buildings for thrilling rooftop battles, high ground for quick rotations, along with plenty of vantage points for players to make use of. The only major criticism Urzikstan receives is its lack of map changes and unique features. While the bunkers added during the Modern Warfare 3 era of Warzone shook things up a bit, these changes were reverted with the integration into Black Ops 6, making the map itself feel pretty bland.

3

Caldera

Large-Scale World War II Map With Unique Visuals

Right off the bat, Caldera is one of the best-looking Battle Royale maps to debut in Warzone, and while it arrived during the rather controversial Vanguard era, the map itself and the features it brought led to some of the most unique and fun Warzone experiences yet. To date, Caldera is the largest Battle Royale map Warzone has had, providing a wide range of colorful and vibrant locations, each with its own unique flair. From war-torn areas of the Pacific, like Beachhead and River Village, to the treacherous mountaintops of Peak, each location is both unique and immersive to the World War II setting.

The amount of vegetation on the map was also a great change of pace, and while this particular feature was the subject of criticism, leading to its amount being reduced in the Season 4 update, it definitely enhanced the visuals quite a bit. Caldera also received a hefty amount of map changes throughout its lifecycle, such as the debut of micro points of interest and the arrival of Mercenary Vaults that players could break into. Pair this with the roster of events the map had—such as the Monarch event for the Godzilla vs. Kong crossover in Call of Duty—and Caldera cements itself as one of the most gameplay-rich Warzone maps to date.

2

Al Mazrah

Grand-Sized Map With Diverse Locations

Next up is Al Mazrah, the map that served as the standard Battle Royale experience for the Modern Warfare 2 era of Warzone. Al Mazrah seems to be a mixed bag when it comes to fan reception, but the map itself received quite a bit of praise, even despite the general criticism regarding the gameplay changes Warzone had at the time. Al Mazrah is arguably second only to Caldera in terms of visuals, boasting scenic coastal areas and deserts outfitted with oases, in addition to the urban and metropolitan areas that have been a staple of every Warzone map.

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When it comes to locations, Al Mazrah offers a wide variety, each wildly different from the last. If players wanted to battle at the highest peak of the map in a hot drop, before parachuting across the map, Zaya Observatory was a great pick. Another standout location was Al Mazrah City, featuring the fan-favorite layout of Skyrise at its center and various skyscrapers for players looking to snipe opponents from afar. While the map is often criticized for the large gaps between POIs and the general lack of major map changes outside The Haunting event and the Shadow Siege Operation, Al Mazrah may just be remembered as one of the greats.

1

Verdansk

The Birthplace of Call Of Duty: Warzone

Coming in at the number one spot is good old Verdansk, the very first Call of Duty: Warzone Battle Royale map. It’s safe to say that players hold this map in high regard, and while much of the player base looks back on this map with nostalgia, Warzone at this point was definitely a different game entirely. Verdansk as a map sets a precedent for what a good Warzone experience should be, offering various diverse locations, each providing a unique experience. For instance, Superstore was the go-to drop for players looking to get into close-quarters mayhem, featuring claustrophobic spaces. On the other hand, locations like Downtown, Military Base, and Airport provide a mix of open spaces, key vantage points for sniping at long ranges, and engaging hectic rooftop battles.

Looking back, players may remember just how dangerous rotating toward the circle was, thanks to the wide-open spaces between most POIs, which provided little cover. This tension, while it may have led to an early trip to the lobby for some, heightened the action, especially for those rushing through the forests scattered across various portions of the map. Pair all this with the roster of map changes and events that debuted throughout the map’s lifecycle, and Verdansk may just be one of the best Battle Royale maps in Warzone history—one that makes its highly anticipated return for Black Ops 6’s era of Warzone Season 3.

First-Person Shooter

Battle Royale

Released

March 10, 2020

OpenCritic Rating

Strong