All battle royale games have that iconic map, and Verdansk was just that for Call of Duty: Warzone—the cityscape battlefield was the title’s only major map until Call of Duty: Vanguard came along in 2021.
With the release of Vanguard, Verdansk was replaced by Caldera. And with Modern Warfare 2 in 2022, Warzone 2.0 came out and released Al Mazrah, which was only replaced by Modern Warfare 3’s Urzikstan in 2023.
These changes meant adaptation for players, and with time, Warzone fans also grew to get used to Caldera and its tropical POIs, Al Mazrah and its desert setting, and Urzikstan’s big map. But truly, there’s been no real replacement for Verdansk. The nostalgia for the map and the vibes around the game’s 2020 release hit hard and never could be replicated.
Though having multiple big maps in the game sounds ideal, the massive file size of Warzone makes it infeasible. Bringing back the map would mean a gigantic patch for the players, a sore sight for fans with a slower internet connection.
But thankfully, there is finally good news to report on the Verdansk front in 2025.
Is Verdansk coming back to Warzone?
The original Warzone map, Verdansk, will officially be returning to the game in in BO6 season three on April 3. Activision announced that the OG map would be coming back at Call of Duty Next in August 2024, but only just recently confirmed its final, official release date on March 10, which is the five year anniversary of the OG Warzone’s launch.
This means all of BO6’s weapons and operators, omnimovement, Perks, and other features are joining the free-to-play BR map for the first time, with Verdansk replacing Urzikstan as the battle royale map in the newest iteration of the game.
Other BO6 changes to Warzone not in the original Verdansk map include infinite tactical sprint, new perks, new streaks, and everything else that is now in the BO6 version of BR. But all of the official info about what else is coming to Verdansk, including the return of classic weapons, will be detailed in the weeks leading up to April 3.
The classic map has been playable in Warzone Mobile since its release in March 2024, but this is the first time the map has been back in the full Warzone game since before Caldera released in 2022. That was the Verdansk ’84 version that came along with Black Ops Cold War.
Urzikstan has definitely worn out its welcome with Warzone players, especially since it’s been the only big BR map since MW3 launched in the fall of 2023. And now, with nostalgia heavy on everyone’s minds as Warzone continues to struggle with hackers and cheaters, Verdansk is still near the top of gamers’ wishlists.
Thankfully, season three should also come with some improvements to the RICOCHET Anti-Cheat system that CoD has in place. It remains to be seen if the updates will have any effect on the ongoing problems with wallhackers, aimbotters, and more, but that will be yet another thing to keep an eye on as CoD’s BR takes shape throughout the year.
Make sure to check out or Warzone weapon tier list before dropping in to any matches, and stay tuned for more new info about Verdansk’s return in the coming weeks ahead of season three launching on April 3.
We’re almost home, Warzone gamers. Get ready to drop back in.
Published: Mar 10, 2025 03:52 pm