Call Of Duty: Warzone's new map was briefly playable in private lobbies

Call Of Duty: Warzone just nuked Verdansk. But while most of us are still waiting for the battle royale's new map to drop, it seems some players were briefly able to sneak into the new arena via private games.

Eurogamer reports that the new map, dubbed 1984 Verdansk, was playable for a few hours earlier this morning. Raven eventually caught on and closed the loophole, but not before players were able to fully explore the latest iteration of Warzone's, well, warzone.

Verdansk has been pulled back in time in what Warzone describes as a flashback. YouTuber Bartonologist took a tour of the new map (above), finding a Verdansk that's identifiably familiar, but cleaner. Buildings are less decrepit, with some (like the Stadium) still under construction or yet to be built.

New locations include a towering radio array and salt mines, while the gulag has been replaced wholesale by Black Ops 2's Standoff map. The map is generally just a nicer place to visit, looking much brighter, cleaner, and greener all around.

With Raven eventually putting a stop to this early vacation, Warzone players are now stuck on a special variant of Rebirth Island, awaiting the arrival of new Verdansk. The new map should arrive when COD: Warzone Season 3 kicks off tonight at 12pm PT/ 3pm ET/ 8pm BST.

20 years ago, Nat played Jet Set Radio Future for the first time, and she's not stopped thinking about games since. Joining PC Gamer in 2020, she comes from three years of freelance reporting at Rock Paper Shotgun, Waypoint, VG247 and more. Embedded in the European indie scene and a part-time game developer herself, Nat is always looking for a new curiosity to scream about—whether it's the next best indie darling, or simply someone modding a Scotmid into Black Mesa. She also unofficially appears in Apex Legends under the pseudonym Horizon.