How to fix “purchase Modern Warfare 2” error in Warzone 2

Nathan Warby
Warzone Operators

Warzone 2 players are reporting an error message asking them to buy Modern Warfare 2 in order to play battle royale matches. Here’s how to fix the ‘purchase Modern Warfare 2 to have access to everything’ bug in Warzone 2.

Warzone 2 is finally upon us, and millions of players have dropped in to see what Infinity Ward has created. But, as is the case with many major new releases, Warzone 2 has seen its fair share of bugs and glitches since its launch on November 16.

Fans have been unable to invite their friends to matches, while more bizarre issues have seen them instantly killed in the Gulag or falling through the floor mid-match.

The latest issue being reported is an error message asking players to “purchase Modern Warfare 2 to have access to everything” when trying to start a Warzone 2 match. We’ve got tips on how to get around the issue below.

How to fix “purchase Modern Warfare 2” bug in Warzone 2

If you’re playing Warzone 2 with friends that aren’t having trouble accessing the game, having them invite you to a lobby seems to prevent the error from appearing. You can do this from the ‘Friends’ tab of your console’s menu or in-game on PC.

Sadly, for solo players, there is no surefire way to solve this issue but there are a few methods that have worked for other players. They are:

  1. Ensure that you have the latest version of Warzone 2 installed.
  2. Restart the game and load back in.
  3. Reboot your console or PC and try again.
  4. Restart your internet connection.

The “purchase Modern Warfare 2” message appears to be caused by a glitch that tries to load players into Modern Warfare 2’s menus, even though they are looking for Warzone 2 matches. Other users that own both games have reported being randomly moved into MW2 when looking for a match.

It’s likely that this bizarre message is a result of the heavy strain that Warzone 2’s servers are under in the days after launch. We’d expect the issue to resolve itself or Infinity Ward to release a fix very soon.

In the meantime, players can rest assured that Warzone 2 is a strictly free-to-play title that doesn’t require Modern Warfare 2 to play. So, there’s no need to purchase MW2 if you’re just looking for a battle royale experience.

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About The Author

Nathan is a Games Writer at Dexerto and Charlie INTEL, primarily covering FIFA and Call of Duty, as well as general gaming news and guides. After leaving university with a degree in Sports Studies and a master's degree in Magazine Journalism, he took on a role as a local news reporter before moving into games media. You can contact Nathan by email at nathan.warby@dexerto.com.