Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Warzone gameplay leaks, all but confirming a battle royale drop is imminent

(Image credit: Activision)

***UPDATE***

More leaks have surfaced for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare's incoming battle royale mode, Call of Duty Warzone, this time in the form of direct gameplay of its opening tutorial. 

Players have reportedly been thrown into Warzone from the main menu via an unexplained bug, and someone has manage to upload the footage of their initial moments with the new addition to Infinity Ward's shooter remake. Check it out below. 

As you can see, it looks like Warzone's tutorial will take place in the firing range that many Modern Warfare players are already familiar with, but this gameplay does confirm a number of things that previous leaks have alluded to until now. 

As in keeping with the genre, Warzone features loot boxes (in the form of supply crates), a tiered armour and weapon system, an in-game currency called plunder ("used to buy killstreaks and other special items"), and even seems to utilise Call of Duty's famous loadout system. 

Original story below:

More evidence for Warzone, the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare battle royale mode, has leaked today. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s battle royale is video gaming’s worst-kept secret. No really, everybody knows this by now. Seriously. Joining this recent tradition is a trio of new leaks: one audio file, one screenshot, and one lengthy gameplay video.

Let’s start with the audio. Twitter user @TheGamingRevolutionYT shared a short clip of what sounds like Captain Price introducing some of the mode’s exclusive mechanics. “Locate more Plunder,” says the mustachioed man in charge, “Plunder can be used at Supply Stations to buy Killstreaks and other special items. Get to the Supply Station.”

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And what is a Supply Station? This allegedly leaked screenshot addresses that. It seems Warzone players will be able to scavenge for Plunder and resupply themselves at these shops. Highlighted in the image is a gas mask, which is described as providing “circle defense,” likely meaning it gives players partial or total immunity to the caustic gas seen outside the safe zone in the ever-shrinking map. 

Other items and killstreaks can be seen too, like a UAV, shield turret and even something called a “Squad Buyback,” which may imply you can recover dropped ally items for a fee. That said, the name under that option also looks to have an experience level tied to it, so it may be that you’re reviving your squadmates, which has become a popular feature in battle royales since Apex Legends introduced it at launch last year.

(Image credit: The Gaming Revolution)

Of course, none of this is confirmed, and even what we’ve seen is subject to change - we could be looking at old builds of the game mode here. Still, it would be a very elaborate hoax if that’s the case. We've reached out to the Call of Duty team regarding this matter and will update this story should they provide comment.

We’re still not sure when Warzone is going to make its official debut, but it’s had about five unofficial debuts this week and we’re still excited to see the real thing. When are we dropping, boys?

Here’s everything else you need to know about Modern Warfare season 2.

Freelance Journalist

Mark Delaney is a prolific copywriter and journalist. Having contributed to publications like GamesRadar+ and Official Xbox Magazine, writing news, features, reviews, and guides, he has since turned his eye to other adventures in the industry. In 2019, Mark became OpenCritic's first in-house staff writer, and in 2021 he became the guides editor over at GameSpot.