Call of Duty: Warzone Review: Great Gunplay, Shaky Tech

Call of Duty: Warzone has been Activision’s battle royale for years, and it doesn’t cost a cent. I dropped into the maps, fought for a second chance in the Gulag, and in this review I’ll tell you why the gunplay from Infinity Ward still delivers while the tech ruins the fun for a lot of players.

At PlayInsider we rate every game individually and always against the expectations of its genre. We judge the story of an action game or adventure by its narrative quality. In a simulation or management game, on the other hand, what counts is what the genre typically offers. This keeps our ratings fair and comparable within a genre.

Our rating in detail

Graphics

Warzone goes for a realistic look with large, detailed maps full of towns, industrial sites and forests. Up close, though, you’ll spot muddy textures and pop-in, and the visuals vary a lot from map to map. Good, but no longer on par with current full-price shooters.

Gameplay

Shooting feels punchy and precise, just like in Modern Warfare 4 and Black Ops 7. The Gulag, loadout drops and Resurgence make for tense matches. Many players, however, are put off by the very short time-to-kill, strong controller aim assist and strict matchmaking, which make plenty of fights feel unfair.

Story

Warzone doesn’t really tell a story. You get seasonal events and some light backstory for the operators. That’s normal for a battle royale, but it never rises above okay.

Depth

Battle Royale, Resurgence, rotating maps, weapon attachments, operators and a battle pass every season give you plenty to do. Much of it revolves around cosmetics and the store, though, and the meta shifts often.

Technical performance

This is the biggest problem. Many Steam reviews complain about stutters, lag, crashes and cheaters. On top of that, the game needs 125 GB of storage and gets big updates regularly. For an online shooter where every millisecond matters, that’s a real deal breaker for many.

Sound

Guns sound heavy and footsteps are usually easy to place, which is gold in a battle royale. Every now and then enemies are still hard to hear, and according to players, voice chat with randoms is more noise than help.

How Call of Duty: Warzone plays

In Call of Duty: Warzone you drop onto a big map alongside dozens of other squads, grab weapons, cash and gear, and fight against an ever-shrinking zone. Die and you land in the Gulag, where you can win a duel to get back in. In Resurgence you keep respawning as long as your teammates are alive, which keeps matches fast.

Warzone is free-to-play, so you don’t need any of the full-price games. It does share progression, weapons and operators with the current Call of Duty, right now Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4. According to Activision, Season 1 brings the new maps Hajin and Zodiac.

The end on PS4 and Xbox One

Warzone still runs on PS4 and Xbox One for now, although it hasn't been available to download there since June 4. Once Season 1 of Modern Warfare 4 kicks off on November 6, 2026, you can no longer play Warzone on PS4 and Xbox One, according to Activision. From then on, Call of Duty: Warzone only runs on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Your progress carries over through your Activision account.

What Steam players say

Only 28% of more than 21,600 Steam reviews are positive, which earns it a "Mostly Negative" rating. Players praise the gunplay. The main complaints are stutters and lag, skill-based matchmaking, the short time-to-kill, aim assist and voice chat moderation. Recent reviews aren't much better at 35% positive.

Trailer

For more shooters from Infinity Ward and Activision, check out our Modern Warfare 4 review.