At the time, Call of Duty Warzone was synonymous with Verdansk. Despite the Eastern European-inspired arena of death receiving a significant update with Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War, it was still nonetheless the original map. However, with Call of Duty Vanguard, Warzone got its first ever completely new map, the WW2-inspired Caldera.
While it’s sadly no longer available in Warzone due to Vanguard’s integration with the battle royale being done and dusted, it’s possible that it could return in the future. After all, other removed maps have returned in the past. So, whether it’s a trip down memory lane for Warzone’s WW2 map Caldera or you’re looking to get ahead if it ever returns, you’ll find what you need here.
Warzone WW2 map setting
The Warzone WW2 map, known as Caldera, was set on a remote island in the Pacific Ocean to tie into Call of Duty Vanguard’s World War 2 setting. According to the lore, the Germans invaded Caldera Island in 1939 and occupied it, where it was used in the fictional Project Phoenix for testing chemical weapons.
Coincidentally, this came at the same time that Call of Duty’s main competitor, Battlefield, switched from a historical to a futuristic setting with Battlefield 2042.
Warzone WW2 map release date
The Warzone WW2 map, Caldera, was released on Wednesday, December 8, 2021. This coincided with the release of Call of Duty Vanguard Season 1, which officially began integration with the mainline CoD game.
Caldera replaced the iconic Verdansk as the main map for Warzone, much to the dismay of many long-time fans.
Caldera remained playable all the way up until September 21, 2023. This is when the original version of Warzone was shut down.
Warzone WW2 map size
Warzone’s Caldera WW2 map size was actually almost identical to its Verdansk, which was to be expected given it was built for 150 players – just like its predecessor. However, with fewer buildings and more open plains, Caldera did feel bigger at times – and demanded a fresh look at the best Warzone guns.
While we have gotten both bigger and smaller maps since Caldera, having it follow Verdansk set a clear standard of what a ‘normal’ Warzone map would be.
That’s a quick primer on Warzone’s first WW2 map, Caldera. With Vanguard now far in the rearview mirror, it’s unfortunately not possible to explore it for yourself, though it’s fun to reflect on this unique map for the battle royale game mode.