Weekend surprise: Call of Duty: Warzone is now available on the Nintendo eShop for the Switch 2. The battle royale shooter is free-to-play and launched without much prior announcement. If you want to jump in, you don't need Modern Warfare 4 on your shelf. You can find details about the new season in the official Call of Duty Season 1 announcement.
According to Nintendo Life, Warzone is a standalone experience, separate from Modern Warfare 4's campaign, multiplayer, and DMZ mode. You'll need an Activision account to play. The launch coincides with Season 1 of Modern Warfare 4 and Warzone. Nintendo Life quotes the official announcement, stating that you'll drop into Hajin, Zodiac, and all other maps and playlists, for the first time on a handheld device.
How large is the Warzone download on Switch 2?
Plan for storage space: Nintendo Life reports a total size of 122 GB. That's a hefty chunk for the Switch 2. If your storage is tight, you should clear some space or swap your card beforehand, otherwise the download will be a test of patience. Whether the size will be identical for you is uncertain; the figure comes from Nintendo Life.
Call of Duty returns to Nintendo hardware
According to Insider Gaming, Modern Warfare 4 was the first title in the series on Nintendo hardware since Call of Duty: Ghosts on the Wii U. Warzone now follows as a free entry point. This is a smart move: players who don't want to buy the full version can still try out the battle royale. How good the graphics and performance truly are on the handheld remains to be seen. Community feedback will be crucial here.
If you're interested in the new season's content: everything about rewards and the premium path is in our overview of the Battle Pass and BlackCell for Modern Warfare 4 Season 1. And if you want to try out the rest of the series: the DMZ mode is free to play until November 11.
What happens to Warzone on PS4 and Xbox One?
Parallel to the Switch 2 launch, there's a farewell message: according to Insider Gaming, Warzone will no longer support PlayStation 4 and Xbox One starting with Season 1. The servers for these consoles were reportedly permanently shut down on November 6. You will retain your progress as long as you use the same Activision account on supported hardware. This also applies to switching to the Switch 2.
Our assessment: The timing is no coincidence. With the end of the last-gen version and the Switch 2 release, Activision is consolidating Warzone on current hardware. This is unfortunate for players with older devices, but a plus for Switch 2 owners, as they should now be in lobbies with the rest of the community. Whether matchmaking will actually run smoothly there will only become clear in the coming days.
Source: Nintendo Life, Insider Gaming
Will you be getting Warzone on the Switch 2, or is 122 GB of storage consumption enough to deter you?
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