CoD Warzone Servers Back Online, Adding Verdansk For The First Time Since 2021

[UPDATE] The server downtime has now ended, and Warzone is back online. The big new addition, of course, is the return of Warzone's OG map, Verdansk. It was removed from Warzone in December 2021 and is coming back today, April 3, for the first time since then.

The original story is below.

If you tried to boot up Call of Duty: Warzone today, only to encounter an error message saying the game is offline and unplayable, there is no cause for panic or alarm. The popular battle royale game was taken offline today, April 2, for a period of 24 hours as Activision prepares to bring back Warzone's OG map, Verdansk.

Warzone's servers were taken offline today, April 2, at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET. The Warzone tile from the menu now displays a "Countdown to Verdansk launch" timer that will run for 24 hours. On April 3 at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET, Verdansk will go live--this assumes the schedule holds and nothing goes awry.

While Warzone may be offline for 24 hours, Black Ops 6's new Season 3 update is available now, ushering in new multiplayer and Zombies content. Any Warzone fans who still want to play Call of Duty during the 24-hour downtime can play Black Ops 6 multiplayer and Zombies for free, and this includes the new Season 3 content that just went live today.

The launch of the free trial didn't go down totally smoothly, as players on Battle.net and Steam were initially blocked from accessing it--but that issue has now been fixed.

Players can also grab the Kilo 131 assault rifle for free right now, and while it's not available for use in Warzone until the game comes back online, it's ready for use in Black Ops 6 multiplayer now.

As mentioned, Warzone will come back online on April 3 at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET, and it brings back Verdansk for the first time since December 2021.

For more Call of Duty news, make sure to check out the highlights for Season 3 of Black Ops 6, which showcase the new Shattered Veil Zombies map, several multiplayer maps, and Jay and Silent Bob operator bundles. Warzone's Season 3 content is showcased here, including the classic features and original Gulag.

Activision has also detailed how Call of Duty will combat cheaters in Season 3 and beyond, including Ricochet anti-cheat updates and more.