CoD: Season 3 Release Date Moved Up, Warzone Going Offline, And Everyone Gets Free Gun

Activision has announced that Call of Duty's big Season 3 update has brought forward its release date, while the studio has confirmed that Warzone will go offline for 24 hours prior to the return of Verdansk.

Season 3 was previously announced to kick off on April 3, but now it's starting on April 2, Activision revealed in a video podcast today (below). There will be a free 24-hour Black Ops 6 trial available at this time.

Additionally, Activision confirmed that Warzone will go offline for a period of 24 hours leading to the highly anticipated release of Warzone's OG map, Verdansk, on April 3. As a special bonus, everyone who simply opens the Warzone menu during the 24 hours that Warzone is offline will receive the Kilo weapon for free.

More specifically, Activision said players who have Warzone currently downloaded can click on the Warzone tile while the game is offline to receive the weapon. Anyone who doesn't have Warzone downloaded should do that now or soon if they want the free Kilo weapon when Verdansk launches.

Call of Duty seems to be banking on nostalgia to revive Warzone's player count. A recent insider report said if the arrival of Verdansk fails to retain existing players and/or bring back lapsed players, there will be no "Warzone 3." It's not clear what this means, though.

Beyond Warzone, a new Call of Duty game is expected to release in 2025, and it could be a Black Ops 2 sequel. It'll face stiff competition in the market, as Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto 6 is coming this fall.