Warzone Evolves with Blackout-Inspired Mode in 2026

Call of Duty: Warzone has announced a "bold new experience" arriving in the battle royale next spring, drawing inspiration from Black Ops 4's original Blackout mode.

In a post on X/Twitter, the Call of Duty team shared an image of operators deploying from the skies along with the caption: "Approaching the drop zone… Call of Duty: Warzone delivers a bold new experience in Spring 2026, inspired by the original Blackout and set on Avalon."

The Blackout battle royale mode launched with Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. In our 2018 review, we noted how Call of Duty’s "responsive and forgiving gunplay, agile movement, and creative yet practical gear translated perfectly into the popular last-player-standing format." Blackout was later succeeded by the standalone battle royale, Call of Duty: Warzone, which itself received a major overhaul in 2022. However, the original mode retains a passionate fanbase, evident from the thousands of replies and likes the teaser post has garnered.

Approaching the drop zone...

Call of Duty: Warzone is bringing a bold new experience in Spring of 2026 inspired by the original Blackout, set on Avalon. #BlackOps7 | #CODNext pic.twitter.com/TenwQesj5W

— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) September 30, 2025

While Activision hasn't formally clarified what precisely it means by the "experience" label, the publisher hinted at the upcoming content: "Here's a first look at what’s dropping into Call of Duty: Warzone:

Bold New Blackout Experience on AvalonRebirth Island RefreshVerdansk UpdatesRanked PlayAnd MORE!

"Stay tuned for more details as we roll out FREE content updates throughout the coming year!"

Regarding the next mainline Call of Duty title? Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 launches officially on November 14, 2025, for PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One. Players eager to try it out early can join an open beta from October 5-8. Those who pre-order gain even earlier access via an early access beta running October 2–5 — check when the closed and open betas begin in your region.

It's worth noting that Activision recently reminded PC players that they must enable TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot to participate in the beta and play at launch. Similar to titles like Battlefield 6, these security requirements are mandatory for Black Ops 7 on PC, serving as strict anti-cheat measures to block modified hardware and unauthorized software.