From a new map to a more competitive meta, here's our wishlist for Season 3 of Call of Duty: Warzone

Change has been a long time coming in Call of Duty Warzone. Verdansk is reportedly preparing to undergo a widespread renovation at the hands of developer Raven Software and publisher Activision, with Warzone Season 3 set to usher in the largest alteration to play since the battle royale was integrated with Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War late last year. With our Call of Duty Warzone Season 3 wishlist, the GamesRadar team is tracking some of the most anticipated changes – from the heavily rumoured new map to smaller quality of life fixes that we think would make the game more fun for all as it enters its second year of life.

It's worth remembering that our Warzone Season 3 wishlist is exactly that – a wishlist. However, the biggest ticket item, a Warzone nuke event leveling Verdansk as we know it, seems all but certain. Still, we won't find out for certain until the new season launches on April 22. Below you'll find our wishlist for Season 3 of Warzone, but if you have anything you'd like to see that we didn't cover, be sure to drop a comment below, or hit us up on Twitter and Facebook. Otherwise, we'll see you out there on April 22 – just remember to pack a hazmat suit before your drop.

Verdansk, but not as we know it

Everyone loves Verdansk. It's a masterfully built space of great urban and natural diversity that caters to all Call of Duty play styles; yes, even camping, though that ever shrinking arena ensures you can never stay in one place for too long. But it's time for a change. And not just the minor, piecemeal changes that we've seen Activision make to Verdansk so far; blowing up the stadium here, adding in a subway network there, and so on. Over a year into Warzone's lifespan, the state of play is in a dire need of a refresh, something that can level out the playing field and throw every soldier back into the unknown. What we've seen so far from leaked trailers suggests Warzone season 3 will be re-envisioning Verdansk, rather than replacing it entirely. My only hope is that this new vision feels radically different from the map that we're so used to playing on, and not a retread of familiar ground.

– Alex Avard, Features Writer

A more competitive meta

I'm getting pretty tired of being killed by the same two weapons. There have always been popular weapons and loadout configurations in Warzone that players naturally gravitate towards – that's to be expected, and it's true in normal Call of Duty multiplayer too. Following the Black Ops Cold War integration, however, it feels as if the competitive weapon pool has been limited to just a handful of viable options. Through Season 1, it was the DMR and Mac-10; in Season 2, it's been the FFAR and AUG; and if the latest hotfixes are any indication, the game is about to be dominated by burst-fire rifles like the M16. Whatever Raven does with Season 3, I just hope it is able to rebalance the entire loot pool and bring some variety back to Warzone. Using, and getting killed by, different weapons keeps the gunplay fun and fresh. Warzone will need a healthy meta if it wants to stay competitive in the battle royale space.

– Josh West, Features Editor

Big beats for being beaten

Warzone, for me, doesn’t need too much tweaking right now. The new modes that have been introduced in recent months, such as Rebirth and King Slayer Trios, have kept me engaged, while the main Battle Royale is still capable of generating moments of palm-sweating intensity. Sure, the meta needs a bit more maintenance and I could do without the Roze skins, but those are small gripes. So with that in mind, the thing that has really kept me tickled over the few months has been the ever expanding library of War Tracks, songs as varied as Run-DMC’s It’s Tricky to A-Ha’s Take On Me. Outrunning bullets while drums rattle and synths blare is one of Verdansk’s minor joys, but I’d love for Warzone to expand the playlist and give us even more. Imagine using Big Bertha to mow down foes with Fleetwood Mac blasting through the radio? Or how about some Run The Jewels to get the energy up? Season 3 should get the tunes blaring and lean into its more ridiculous side.

– Ben Tyrer, News Editor

A bigger variety of Operator skins

Call of Duty: Warzone skins — (Image credit: Activision)

My number one Season 3 request is for even more playful, vibrant, and flamboyant skins. I love my '80s glam Park skin, especially when I'm the only one in pastel pink in the back of the airplane before the squad drops, but I think we need an even larger variety of out-there cosmetics. No, I don't want this to end up like Fortnite, with officially licensed Batman skins, but I love how several of the best Warzone skins are obvious nods to pop culture icons like Alien's Ripley, Kill Bill's The Bride, and Fight Club's Tyler Durden. Give me more of those, but only do '80s movies so that it ties in with the Black Ops Cold War makeover that Verdansk is probably getting. Fun skins add some much-needed levity to Warzone, especially in its tenser moments. You can't get mad if you get assassinated by someone decked out in a pink leather jacket and green leg warmers… Well, you can get mad, but I bet it would beat being assassinated by another Rook wearing a Roze skin for the upteenth time.

– Alyssa Mercante, Editor

Smooth out the rough edges

I feel so passionately about this that I'm going again. While there are plenty of big ticket changes expected in Season 3 of Warzone, there's also a host of quality-of-life fixes that need to be introduced to help smooth out the rough edges. The prevalence of jump-shotting and quick-scoping needs to be addressed, as it's been a scourge on the game since the Black Ops Cold War integration. The parts of street-level terrain on Verdansk and Rebirth Island that can't be traversed need to be fixed, and whatever it is that's causing them recurring Stim Glitch needs to finally be dealt with once and for all. There's also a persistent problem with cheaters that I'd like to see the studios address; Raven can't ban cheaters fast enough, locking out over 100,000 accounts in the last three months alone, reportedly bringing the total north of half a million. In a game mode where life and death constantly hangs in the balance, it is incumbent on Activision to ensure that the game is as fair and balanced as it can be.

– Josh West, Features Editor