Activision officially announces Call of Duty: Warzone for March 10

Activision has officially announced Call of Duty’s free-to-play Warzone battle royale game, following months of media leaks and datamined information.

In a new trailer published on Monday, the publisher confirmed Warzone will release on Tuesday, March 10 as a standalone free game, as first reported by VGC last month.

Warzone will be available from 8am PST / 3pm GMT as a one-time early access for Modern Warfare owners, and launch a few hours later around 12pm PST / 7pm GMT, free for everyone.

The trailer arrives following an in-game countdown that appeared in Modern Warfare earlier today.

The title’s previously greyed-out ‘classified’ menu item, which was introduced as part of its recent Season Two update, now features a countdown set to expire at 3pm UK time (8pm PDT / 11pm EDT) on Tuesday, when Warzone will unlock.

The first full Call of Duty: Warzone gameplay video was published ahead of schedule by a YouTube channel on Monday, revealing new details from a behind closed doors influencer day held by publisher Activision.

Warzone will feature two modes – one with respawns and one without – playable in a trio squad setup, with up to 150 players per match at launch.

As expected, players will be able to use the in-game Plunder currency to purchase respawn tokens, killstreaks and gear from pre-defined Buy Stations. Plunder is the only way players will be able to acquire killstreaks.

Warzone features vehicles such as quad bikes, trucks and choppers, while armour is said to have been simplified since Blackout, with plates replacing the various helmets and body armour available in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4‘s battle royale mode.