Can You Still Play Warzone 1 in 2024? (2024)

Many people miss the old days of gaming when a first-person shooter wasn’t so bogged down by microtransactions and musical artists slinging an AK-47 in a battle royale. I don’t blame anyone for wanting to relive the old era of gaming, but we’re firmly rooted in the new. With that in mind, can you still play Warzone 1 in 2024?

Can You Play Warzone 1 Today?

Sadly, you cannot play Warzone 1 in 2024. Activision shut down the original version of its battle royale game mode in favor of Warzone 2, which everyone plays today. However, in April 2020, they relaunched Warzone 1 as Warzone Caldera, a more compact battle royale version on a single map. It did, of course, become a massive success in the community.

But despite its success, Activision ultimately shut down Warzone Caldera, too. That shutdown occurred on September 21st, 2023. Why? It’s anyone’s guess why they didn’t simply roll the nostalgic map and mode into their Call of Duty hub. Everything else is already bogging down the UI there, anyway!

Related: When is Season 3 of Warzone? – Answered

Why Play Warzone 2 in 2024

Whether you’re a long-time fan of competitive shooters or the battle royale genre, it’s hard to argue against Warzone 2 in 2024. It’s one of the genre’s most polished and entertaining games and massively popular to boot. Here’s why you should consider moving past Warzone 1 to play Warzone 2:

• It’s fun! Isn’t that the entire point of gaming? We’re all here to have fun and enjoy ourselves, and Warzone 2, despite its microtransactions and occasional server issues, taps into their feeling tenfold!
• It provides that dopamine hit you want from competitive shooters! When you’re racing through the map — solo or with teammates — you never know what’s around the corner. It could be high-end loot, a vehicle, or the enemy. But if you come out on top, even in a single engagement, let alone the entire round, it’s such an insanely good feeling.
• You don’t need l33t skills! The overall barrier for entry in Warzone 2 is quite low. You can join the game as a complete newbie and still find success. Of course, some players take the game to the next level, learn the meta, and practice their skills to win each round. But you can still have fun and win firefights as a new player.

For more Insider Gaming guides revolving around Call of Duty, check out How to Use Tac Stance in MW3!