New Warzone map: Ural Mountains rumors, 1980s Verdansk leaks, release date, more

With Call of Duty: Warzone’s first year being an unmitigated success, many fans are curious about when a new map is coming. Here’s everything we know so far about a new battle royale map, potential release date, and how it will interact with Black Ops Cold War.

When Rebirth Island was released in Warzone, it’s probably fair to say that some players were slightly disappointed. The map, which is based on the ‘Rebirth’ mission from the original Black Ops, was never intended to be a major new battle royale map, but it still left some players feeling slightly under-changed.

A big map, the size of Verdansk (or slightly larger if recent rumors are to be believed), is expected to come soon. But what can we expect? Let’s jump into the latest leaks.

Ural Mountains Warzone Map leaks

The most prominent rumor surrounding a future Warzone map is that it will take major influence from Black Ops Cold War’s Fireteam: Dirty Bomb maps.

The current maps in Treyarch’s new mode are Alpine, Ruka and Sanatorium, all set in the Ural Mountains in Russia. Ruka has the code name ‘wz_forest’ in the game’s files, while Alpine’s is ‘wz_ski_slopes’. Similarly, fans have noticed that Sanatorium is down as ‘wz_sanatorium’ in the game’s files.

• Read More: 7 best Call of Duty Warzone players to watch

As a 40-player game mode, the maps in FTDB are considerably bigger than a standard 6v6 map. Speculation suggests they would fit together as different POIs in a larger battle royale map. According to speculation, Sanatorium would be in the south-west, Alpine the south-east and Ruka at the heart of it.

This new map would therefore be an easy transition. Fireteam already uses several of Warzone’s mechanics, like parachuting, down-but-not-out states, pings, armor, and looting.

Fireteam maps have vehicles like the T-72 Tanks, Dirt Bikes, Buggies, Snowmobiles and Helicopters, some of which are already available in Warzone. Rumors also state that, like Black Ops 4’s Blackout battle royale, there will be water traversable by boats.

Finally, there are suggestions that some historic CoD maps could feature as POIs. Summit and WMD, for example, are both set in the Ural Mountains. In fact, WMD is set on Mount Yamantau, a mountain specifically name-checked in a recent Rebirth Island easter-egg document. Some fans have taken this as a hint of WMD’s future return.

Ural Mountains actually a Blackout map?

While early information pointed towards a brand new Warzone map set in the Ural Mountains, new reports suggest that isn’t quite the case. A leaked image of the supposed map was shared online on April 5. However, this version appeared with HUD elements from Blackout.

With Warzone’s potential unclear in the early stages, a follow-up to Treyarch’s Blackout was reportedly in the works. This new iteration led to the development of an entirely unique map: what we know now as the Ural Mountains.

• Read more: 10 most popular weapons in Warzone: Gun tier list

From Sanatorium to Ruka, plenty of previously leaked locations are all crammed into the giant battlefield. However, there’s no guarantee it’ll ever see the light of day in Warzone.

1980s Verdansk leaks in unfished trailer

Rather than an entirely new map, a reskin of Verdansk could be next instead. An early version of a trailer featuring the likes of Jack Harlow and Gunna spilled online on March 31. Throughout this unfinished video, celebrities can be seen flying through an alternate version of Warzone’s original map.

Taking players back to the 1980s, this rendition of Verdansk retains much of the same layout, though with different features. The Stadium is still under construction at this point in time, the Dam is nowhere to be seen, and various other POIs differ from what we know today.

There’s currently no telling whether this will replace the current version of Verdansk entirely, or serve as a separate playlist.

Warzone new map release date & Zombie outbreak

Leaks suggested that zombies would be returning to Warzone, and that has now proved to be true. The undead are slowly spreading across Verdansk, leading to many rumors that the map will be nuked in order to end the outbreak.

• Read More: Best Warzone Assault Rifle loadouts in Season 2

This nuke appears set to completely destroy Verdansk, with many believing it will pave the way to the new Ural Mountains map. It is expected in April 2021, by which point the zombies are expected to have spread to all areas of Verdansk.

These remain leaks for now, but look increasingly likely given easter eggs. One such teaser has been identified in a hut by the TV Station POI. On the wall of the hut is a map of Verdansk which, for some players, has been exploding. Many fans have taken this as a hint of the upcoming nuke event, which will see Verdansk make way for a new environment.

All the above leaks fit with Activision’s advertising of Season 2 using the slogan ‘The End Begins’. The end of Verdansk, perhaps?

Whatever Activision and Raven have in store, it looks like we’re building to something massive.