What is stacking in Warzone? Controversial strategy explained

At the highest level, Warzone is not just about getting wins. Whether creating content or playing in competitions, racking up kills matters, and some competitors believe it is harder than ever in Modern Warfare 3’s iteration. That leads many players to stack.

In August 2023, Raven Software made the bold design choice to reduce Warzone 2‘s player count from 150 to 100. Community members slammed the “boring” change of pace, as players ran into enemies at a much lower rate, making the experience less enjoyable.

Instead of reverting the decision, the devs doubled down and also made the player count on Warzone 3‘s map 100. Fortunately for players who love fast-paced action, Warzone’s newest map, Urzikstan, is 20 percent smaller than Al Mazrah, and matches are nine minutes shorter as the zones close in faster.

Competitors haven’t complained about the decreased player count for hindering their ability to get high-kill matches. Instead, community members have shifted the blame to “stacking,” which has taken over heated debates.

What is stacking in Warzone?

Stacking refers to all four members of a quad sticking extremely close to one another. As a team, players will stay relatively near their allies, but community members have an issue when they are so close that it’s nearly impossible to win a gunfight when they are outnumbered.

For example, players complain when a full team sits on a roof or in a room and waits for an unfortunate soul to fall into their trap. 

It makes it especially difficult for players attempting to put up record-breaking numbers while playing trios or quads solo. Stacking also throws a wrench in the popular competitive format, kill races. In this system, a quad loads into a match, but it’s actually a two-vs-two, and whoever gets more kills wins. 

If that team of two goes up against a full team of four, there isn’t much they can do. Community members can’t reach a consensus on if stacking is nothing more than just a team working together or a coordinated plan that makes the experience less fun for everyone else. 

But the devs can’t patch the ability to play near your teammates, so don’t expect a change anytime soon.