Call of Duty: Warzone launches free on Switch 2 eShop

Call of Duty: Warzone launched on Nintendo Switch 2 on Nov. 6, 2026 as a free-to-play standalone download through the Nintendo eShop.

The game installs apart from Modern Warfare 4‘s campaign, multiplayer, and DMZ modes, and players need an Activision account to play. Nintendo Life and ROCKSTARmedia reported both the standalone installation and the account requirement.

Modern Warfare 4 launched on Switch 2 on Oct. 23, 2026, and also released that day on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam, Battle.net, and Microsoft Store. It marks the first Call of Duty release on Nintendo hardware since Ghosts appeared on Wii U in 2013. GamingBolt described the release as Call of Duty leaving the previous generation behind on current platforms and Switch 2.

Warzone arrives with Season 1, which adds the Hajin and Zodiac maps and brings back Verdansk and Rebirth Island. Season 1 for Modern Warfare 4 and Warzone also launched on Nov. 6, adding multiplayer maps including Backstab, Canyon, and Shoot House. Nintendo Life said the Season 1 announcement invites players to drop into Hajin, Zodiac, and other maps and playlists as Warzone arrives on handheld for the first time. Hajin is a new battle royale map set in South Korea and narratively linked to the Modern Warfare 4 campaign.

Zodiac is a compact resurgence map built around drone assembly and manufacturing headquarters for DRC Advanced Systems.

Players need at least 122GB of storage, and the client can grow to 155GB after post-launch seasonal patches. ROCKSTARmedia explains the client has an immediate footprint of at least 122GB, expands up to 155GB after patches, and requires modern MicroSD Express cards because original Switch microSD media are incompatible with Switch 2’s high-speed data architecture.

Warzone on Switch 2 supports cross-play across all platforms and Joy-Con 2 mouse controls. The version also offers gyro controls and handheld play, plus two distinct upscaling profiles to manage graphical output on handheld hardware. Content parity is maintained with Season 1 maps including Hajin, Zodiac, Shoot House, Canyon, and Backstab.

Physical retail copies of Modern Warfare 4 on Switch 2 are code-in-a-box vouchers with no game cartridge, and Warzone has no physical cartridge at launch. Play-Asia imported boxed copies contain only download vouchers with no physical ROM media.

Warzone is free to download. Modern Warfare 4 costs $69.99 for the Standard Edition and $99.99 for the Vault Edition on all platforms. ROCKSTARmedia gives the price for Malaysian and Southeast Asian buyers as $69.99 / £69.99, approximately RM315 for import conversion.

Infinity Ward and Digital Legends Entertainment developed Warzone on Switch 2, with Activision as publisher. Digital Legends is co-developing the Switch 2 version with Infinity Ward following work on canceled Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile and support for the last two Black Ops games.

Digital Legends studio head Xavier Carrillo-Costa said the goal was to bring the authentic Call of Duty experience to Switch 2. “Our goal has been simple from day one: deliver the genuine Call of Duty experience on Nintendo Switch 2.”

Infinity Ward said Modern Warfare 4 would launch only on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC before coming to Switch 2. The Switch 2 version is native, not cloud-based, and pre-orders were not available until later in summer 2026.

A free beta for Modern Warfare 4 on Switch 2 started Aug. 28, 2026 at 10 AM PDT, including campaign, multiplayer, and Warzone access with Vault Edition content. IGN reports Nintendo Switch 2 players could try the game free that weekend, play a campaign level, multiplayer, and Warzone, with gyro controls, Joy-Con mouse controls, handheld play, and free Vault Edition content during the beta. More details on DMZ were scheduled to be revealed on June 7, 2026.

Modern Warfare 4 supports Xbox Play Anywhere but is not available on Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass on day one. Beenox supports DLSS 4.5 and Frame Generation on PC, with expanded graphics settings and ray tracing for reflections, volumetrics, ambient occlusion, and shadows across all modes.

A 2023 deal between Microsoft and Nintendo commits to bringing Call of Duty games to Nintendo platforms for a decade with full feature parity. IGN notes it is unclear whether Nintendo fans will show up.