Classic Warzone revived after years of work from CoD fans

The original version of Warzone, yes, the most popular era of Verdansk millions are nostalgic for, is once again playable online thanks to years of work from fans.

When Warzone released in early 2020, it reignited the Call of Duty franchise and became a mainstream cultural phenomenon. Paired with a global pandemic and a relatively slow period of game releases, the confluence led to Warzone’s dominance for a number of years.

However, annual releases in the FPS franchise led to drastic overhauls of the Battle Royale experience. The likes of the Warzone Pacific update and the replacement of the original maps divided the community as millions moved on.

Now, after years of working on the project, ‘Classic Warzone’ is back in the spotlight. A small group of independent developers has restored a 2021 build of the game, and it’s playable online.

Most popular era of Warzone is playable again

As highlighted in a video from YouTuber Rara, Verdansk and Rebirth Island are back to their 2021 versions in this fan-made project. Anyone can jump in through the Discord server, register interest, and soon start playing online.

This restored version of Warzone features full matchmaking support across a number of playlists, meaning you can hop into real games and play as though it’s the glory days once again.

You can level up, unlock items in the seasonal Battle Pass, and apply custom weapon skins if you like. It’s all there as you remember it, effectively serving as “a snapshot” of Warzone, “frozen in time,” as a developer put it.

“It kept me sane during that period, I missed it when it went away,” they said.” Moreover, the devs aren’t looking for money, as Rara claimed. They just “want to bring the game back and feel like it’s 2021 again.”

As for future updates, devs have teased that it’s all there in the game’s files, so nothing is outside the realm of possibility. From re-enabling Zombie Royale to releasing a Vanguard-era build down the line, they’re continuing to restore and preserve many of Warzone’s builds from over the years.

Of course, as with many community-driven projects of this nature, there’s always the chance Activision steps in and pulls the plug, but at this stage Classic Warzone is fully playable on PC.