When does Warzone 1 end? Caldera shut down date & what happens to skins

When Warzone 2 launched in November 2022, Activision left the lights on so players could go back and play Caldera. However, that is due to change soon, as the original game is closing its doors for good. Here’s what you need to know about the end of Warzone 1 and the Caldera map entirely.

Caldera was the final full-size Warzone map before Al Mazrah headlined the battle royale sequel. Warzone’s take on a tropical island didn’t quite resonate with everyone, as many preferred the previous stomping grounds of Verdansk.

However, Rebirth Island immediately captivated community members, and the Resurgence map became a hit when the Alcatraz-inspired environment launched during Cold War.

Community members were devastated when the devs removed Rebirth Island but kept Caldera when WZ2 launched. Now, after a three-year-plus run, the original WZ’s time under the sun is officially coming to an end.

Activision

Warzone Caldera entered the fray during COD Vangurd.

When does Warzone 1 shut down?

Activision announced that Warzone Caldera servers will shut down on September 21, 2023. The battle royale included player progression from Modern Warfare (2019), Black Ops Cold War, and Vanguard.

That means the game will be unplayable from almost 2 months before the launch of Modern Warfare III — and 3 months prior to the leaked MW3 Warzone map release.

Will Warzone 1 skins carry over?

While skins and weapons purchased in the original Warzone will still be available in the respective titles they came from (Modern Warfare 2019, Black Ops Cold War, & Vanguard), they will not be transferred to Warzone 2.

This is a decision that has disappointed many, and ruffled some feathers within the Call of Duty community, even if Caldera itself was very few players’ favorite iteration of the game.

After the announcement, Warzone steamer Swagg called the decision “mindblowing,” as all the skins would be left behind.

In March 2023, there was a brief period where Warzone 2 pros flocked back to Caldera amid frustrations with the battle royale sequel. A number of top streamers spoke out about how much fun they had with Warzone Caldera, celebrating the fluid movement and heightened skill gap, among other things.

Their protest didn’t last long, as the subsequent seasons did enough to bring back content creators who previously wrote off Warzone 2.

After the servers shut down on September 21, the game will no longer be playable, and steps have already been taken to make the transition easier, such as Activision now just referring to Warzone 2 simply as ‘Warzone.’

With so many question marks over how the future of Warzone looks with Modern Warfare 3 and beyond, players at least know to expect the COD landscape to change fairly drastically by the time it rolls around.