Since its release in 2022, Call of Duty’s Warzone 2 has been completely free to play. There, that’s all you wanted, you can go home now and enjoy some biscuits 😉

Or, you could stay a while and find out why Warzone is free, what’s not free, and if there’s any of those pesky pay-to-win shenanigans going on behind the scenes.

But hey, we won’t force you. If all you want to know is if you can play Warzone 2 for free, whether on PS4, PS5, Xbox, or PC, the answer is a big honkin’ elephant-sized yes! Just like the first Warzone, COD’s sequel battle royale game is free to play.

No, you don’t have to buy any of the game’s premium features, and no, you don’t need to buy Modern Warfare 2 OR Modern Warfare 3, either. We can’t say it any plainer – Warzone 2 is entirely free to play. The only thing this game will cost you is about 125GB of storage space.

Why is Warzone free to play?

Free-to-play games are all the rage, or haven’t you heard? Honestly, if you’ve missed the likes of VALORANT, CS:GO, League of Legends, and Fortnite… what dark corner of the world have you been hiding in since 2015?

By making games like this free to play, the developers supercharge their pool of active players.

“But what about making money?” – oh, they still make money. But it all comes from those premium micro-transactions in the game. Yes, they’re entirely optional, but the more people playing the otherwise free-to-play game, the higher the chances are that at least a percentage of those players will make purchases.

It’s a win-win. You get an epic new game to play for free, and they get to keep making epic new games for you to play for free. See how that works?

(P.S. Spoiler alert, it’s also an excellent way to drum up interest in their other releases, like Modern Warfare 2. And no, once again, you don’t need to buy MW2 to play Warzone 2!)

“Free for everyone. Drop in, armor up, loot for rewards and battle your way to the top.”
– Warzone’s official description on BattleNet
 

Is there any benefit to having Modern Warfare 2 as well?

Players who owned MW2 before Warzone 2 came out enjoyed a few weeks of exclusive playtime on Activision’s free-to-play battle royale before the rest of the world. Other than that, the two games really are standalone Call of Duty experiences.
 

What’s not free in Warzone 2?

Paid features of Warzone 2 include the Battle Pass, and various cosmetic items. Those are entirely optional though. When you land in Warzone 2, you can be sure of an even fight between you and your opponents, whether they pay anything or not.

That said, the Battle Pass is definitely worth it if you can stray off the beaten path of fully free gaming.

You’ll receive rewards throughout each season that really will make your Warzone 2 experience more enjoyable (just don’t expect paying to give you any kind of edge on those who play completely free).
 

Do you need PlayStation Plus or Xbox Live to play Warzone 2.0?

That’s a big ol’ no there, friend – just like on PC, Warzone 2.0 is entirely free to play on console. You don’t need a subscription to PlayStation Plus or Xbox Live to play Warzone 2’s battle royale.
 

Is it really free to play… or pay to win?

Players of the first Warzone game used to grumble that certain weapon blueprints were impossible to create without paying, but Activision has done away with that entirely in Warzone 2.

This genuinely is a free-to-play game through and through. Sure, you can pay for stuff, but it won’t give you a leg-up on those who don’t cough up any dough.
 

When did Warzone 2 come out?

Activision released Warzone 2.0 across all platforms (PlayStation, Xbox, and PC) on November 16, 2022.