Warzone 2 Ranked Play: Release date, SR System, rewards & more

Jacob Hale
Operators in a Warzone 2 Ranked Play match.

Call of Duty battle royale hit Warzone 2 finally received a ranked mode in Season in Season 3 Reloaded. Here’s everything you need to know about the competitive game mode.

In the Season 2 patch notes, it was confirmed that Season 3 would finally bring a long-awaited ranked mode to Warzone 2 after years of calls from fans to give them a more competitive experience.

In fact, many streamers, including the likes of Nick ‘NICKMERCS’ Kolcheff, cited the lack of ranked play as their reason for leaving the game behind them and switching to competitors such as Apex Legends.

The wait is finally over, and players can start climbing the ranks. Before diving into the deep end, let’s jump right into what you need to know.

Contents

Ranked Play ruleset

Here is a list of the Warzone 2 Ranked Play rules.

  • Map
    • Al Mazrah
  • Mode
    • Battle Royale
  • Squad Size
    • Trios
  • Max Player Count
    • 150
  • General Gameplay
    • Disabled
      • Gulag Entry Kit
      • Redeploy Pack
      • Squad Assimilation
      • Multi-Circles
    • Adjusted
      • Spawn Protection
      • Reduced to 2.5 seconds, down from 10 seconds in standard Battle Royale
  • Weapons/Equipment
    • Disabled
      • Riot Shield
  • Events
    • Disabled
      • Fire Sale
      • Jailbreak
      • Restock
  • Vehicles
    • Disabled
      • Turreted Land Vehicles
      • Turreted Water Vehicles
      • Heavy Chopper
  • Weapons/Attachments
    • Restricted
      • Specific Thermal Optics
        • SZ Holotherm
        • VX350 Thermal Optic
        • Teplo-op3 Scope
        • Thermo-Optic X9
        • Teplo Clear Shot
        • Drexsom Prime-90
      • These Optics attachments will appear unrestricted in custom loadouts menus until a future update but will be restricted in-game and show as restricted in loadouts once you’re in a match.
  • Killstreaks
    • Restricted
      • Cluster Mines
      • Bomb Drones
  • Social Features
    • Restricted
      • Global Text Chat

SR system explained

Like the MW2 ranked system, Warzone 2’s iteration features seven skill divisions, in which players must rank from Bronze to Iridescent by gaining Skill Rating points.

All players start in Brozne I with no SR. Each division except for Ireidiscent has three division tiers. For example, a player must progress through Bronze I, II, and III before reaching Silver.

Players earn SR based on the following requirements.

  • Placement (e.g., 1st, 2nd, 20th)
  • Kills
  • Assists
  • Kills by your squad

SR values change throughout the match based on the number of teams remaining

  • 21+ Squads Remaining: +5 SR per Elimination/Assist, +2 SR per Squadmate Elimination
  • 3–20 Squads Remaining: +7 SR per Elimination/Assist, +3 SR per Squadmate Elimination
  • 1–3 Squads Remaining: +15 SR per Elimination/Assist, +7 SR per Squadmate Elimination

Players also earn different amounts of SR based on the final placement of their team.

  • Top 40: +10 SR
  • Top 30: +20 SR
  • Top 20: +30 SR
  • Top 10: +40 SR
  • Top 5: +50 SR
  • 3rd: +60 SR
  • 2nd: +80 SR
  • 1st: +100 SR
Operators wearing Warzone 2 Ranked Play skins.

Here is a full list of the Skill Rating ranks and how much SR is required for each placement.

  • Bronze: 0–899 SR
  • Silver: 900–2,099 SR
  • Gold: 2,100–3,599 SR
  • Platinum: 3,600–5,399 SR
  • Diamond: 5,400–7,499 SR
  • Crimson: 7,500–9,999 SR
  • Iridescent: 10,000 SR minimum
  • Top 250: 10,000+ SR

The battle royale’s best players earn a spot in the Top 250 Skill Division and a public leaderboard that’s visible to every player.

Players can see, and track SR earned throughout a match on a visible tracker in-game. Your final earned SR will be shown in the after-action report.

A Deployment Fee deducts SR from a player before the start of every match, and the fee increases as you level up.

  • Bronze I–III: No Deployment Fee
  • Silver I: –10 SR
  • Silver II: –14 SR
  • Silver III: –18 SR
  • Gold I: –23 SR
  • Gold II: –28 SR
  • Gold III: –33 SR
  • Platinum I: –39 SR
  • Platinum II: –45 SR
  • Platinum III: –51 SR
  • Diamond I: –58 SR
  • Diamond II: –65 SR
  • Diamond III: –72 SR
  • Crimson I: –80 SR
  • Crimson II: –90 SR
  • Crimson III: –100 SR
  • Iridescent and Top 250: –110 SR + 10 SR every 250 SR above 10,000 up to a max Deployment Fee of –210 SR

After a season, Players move back one Division based on where they finished in the previous season. For example, a Gold III player would begin the next season at Silver I.

Anyone in Crimson, Iridescent, or Top 250 will be brought down to Diamond I at the start of a new season.

Anti-cheat and other security measures

Warzone Ranked 2 Play will use RICOCHET Anti-cheat, including the newly implemented innovations. The latest update finally enables the system to detect cheaters using controllers with a third-party device attached, such as a Cronus Zen.

Taking a page from MW2 Ranked Play, Warzone 2’s competitive mode will also have SR Forgiveness, Demotion protection, squad back out and match canceling, and suspensions.

Skill Rating Forgiveness is a new feature that prevents team members from losing any Skill Rating if a teammate disconnects or quits in the middle of the match. Demotion protection prevents players from losing SR within the first three games of a new skill division.

Additional features

If players don’t have two other friends to load into a match, Activision introduced an alternative way to meet teammates with Find a Party. The feature finds squadmates of a similar skill before searching for a match. Players can even filter in-game communication preferences like voice, ping only, or text.

Winning a Ranked Play match earns victory streak flames that appear behind your Rank icon in the lobby and in-game. Players can progress the flames by going on a prolonged win streak. The flames expire when you get eliminated or after 72 hours without playing a match.

Rank system

Separate from skill divisions, players also progress through a Rank system. Players progress their rank by earning stars and can earn up to three per match. All players start at Rank 1 and can go all the way up to 50.

  • Top 25: 1 Star
  • Top 10: 2 Star
  • 1st Place: 3 Stars

Ranked Play rewards

Here are all of the rewards in Warzone 2 Ranked Play.

Rank rewards

  • Rank 5: ‘Ranked and Reckless’ Vehicle Skin for use with the GMC Hummer EV.
  • Rank 10: ‘Good Sweat’ Emblem 
  • Rank 15: ‘Lost Full’ Sticker
  • Rank 20: ‘Bot Collector’ Weapon Charm
  • Rank 25: ‘Hot Drop’ Animated Emblem
  • Rank 30: ‘Ranked Play Win Tracker’ Gun Screen that displays the player’s lifetime Warzone Ranked Play win total. 
  • Rank 35: ‘Bot Patrol’ Sticker 
  • Rank 40: ‘Ranked Demon’ Large Decal
  • Rank 45: ‘Frying’ Weapon Charm
  • Rank 50: ‘Ranked Veteran’ Emblem & Skin for use with both CDL Male & Female Operators on both Factions.

Each Rank milestone also unlocks an exclusive calling card.

Season 3 Reloaded Ranked Play rewards

  • Placement Challenges
    • Finish ‘Top 15’ 25 Times: ‘Salty’ Large Decal
    • Finish ‘Top 5’ 10 Times: Pro Issue Chimera Blueprint
    • Finish 1st Place: ‘Crowned’ Weapon Charm
  • Kill & AssistChallenges
    • Get 25 Kills or Assists: ‘Season 03 Competitor’ Sticker
    • Get 100 Killsor Assists: ‘Ranked Play Season 03’ Loading Screen
    • Get 500 Kills or Assists: ‘Season 03 Ranked Veteran’ Camo

Seasonal Division rewards

Players earn rewards that represent their highest attained Division that season.

  • Top 250: ‘Season 03 Top 250’ Weapon Charm, Emblem, and Calling Card
  • Iridescent: ‘Season 03 Iridescent’ Weapon Charm, Emblem, and Calling Card
  • Crimson: ‘Season 03 Crimson’ Weapon Charm and Emblem
  • Diamond: ‘Season 03 Diamond’ Weapon Charm and Emblem
  • Platinum: ‘Season 03 Platinum’ Weapon Charm and Emblem
  • Gold: ‘Season 03 Gold’ Weapon Charm and Emblem
  • Silver: Emblem
  • Bronze: Emblem
  • Ranked Play First Place: The player who finishes Season 03 in the #1 position on the Top 250 Leaderboard will receive a unique, one-of-a-kind Calling Card and Emblem for the ultimate bragging rights.

About The Author

Jacob is Dexerto’s UK Editor and Call of Duty esports specialist. With a BA (Hons) in English Literature and Creative Writing, he previously worked as an Editor at Ginx TV. Jacob was nominated for Journalist of the Year at the 2023 Esports Awards. Contact: jacob.hale@dexerto.com.