Call of Duty: Warzone - here's when the game goes live and how to download it

Call of Duty will continue its quest for global gaming domination with the release of long-awaited Warzone.

This free-to-play addition will allow over 100 players to battle it out over a huge map, unlocking all sorts of extras as they go.

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It is basically the same formula that has made pop cultural titans of games like Fortnite and, mixed with Call of Duty’s own vast fanbase, is likely to be a huge success.

Best of all, you don't even need to own Modern Warfare to download Warzone.

Here’s everything you need to know.

How does Warzone work?

Warzone will see the Call of Duty franchise going head to head with the top “battle royale” videogames on the block.

It will allow up to 150 players to take to the battlefield in teams of three, duking it out in a variety of game modes.

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The most straight-forward version of this is the Battle Royale mode where each team simply aims to be the only one left standing, with the battlefield gradually shrinking around them to keep the combat intense as the numbers dwindle.

For a little more complexity, there’s also Plunder – a race to collect the most cash by completing contracts, finding loot and robbing fallen foes. The contacts can involve anything from securing a specific location to finding a particular supply box.

Both modes will take place on the massive “Verdansk” map which Activision boasts as having “over 300 points of interest” and multiple named locations – exactly the kind of wide, varied environment which battle royale games thrive in.

It also features a host of different vehicles, including helicopters and cargo trucks, for those looking to zip across it at a greater speed.

How do I download Warzone?

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Warzone goes live today (Tuesday 10 March) on PS4, Xbox One and PC, and is free to download regardless of whether you already own Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.

However, those who already own the game will gain access to it slightly earlier and won’t have nearly as much data to download – meaning they will be able to get stuck into the fray before anyone else.

If you already own Call of Duty: Modern Warfare:

For Call of Duty: Modern Warfare players, Warzone goes live at 3pm.

You’ll find it in the in-game menu, right where the “Classified” panel used to be. Assuming you’re up to date on your patches, the Warzone file download should come in at somewhere between 18 and 22GB.

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For a smooth ride, 3pm and 7pm would be the best time to grab it – before it becomes available to everybody and the number of people trying to access it soars.

Anything unlocked via Warzone – battle pass item, operators, weapons, customization items – can be carried back into Modern Warfare’s online modes and vice-versa.

If you don’t already own Call of Duty: Modern Warfare:

For those who don’t own Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Warzone will be available from 7pm.

To download it, simply go to you chosen platform’s store (Playstation Store, Xbox Store or Battle.net) and search for “Call of Duty: Warzone” then download it.

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This method does require a heftier download – somewhere in the 83 and 101GB region. Depending on broadband speeds, it could take a few hours. With the huge numbers of players that are likely to be flooding the servers, it’s also possible we will see the odd snag.

However, Activision have been kind enough to include something to keep players busy while they wait – the first 20GB of the Warzone download comes with an offline version of Modern Warfare’s Gunfight mode, giving gamers some AI opponents to murder while the rest of the file downloads.

Warzone players who decide to purchase Modern Warfare at a later date will also be able to carry over anything they have unlocked in the free-to-play game.

This article originally appeared on our sister site, The i.

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