I get it. You are a CoD God. An absolute demon in Verdansk. No other game compares to the joys that you’ve had playing Warzone with the boys. It’s brought back your childhood, reunited gamers from long ago, strengthened the bonds of your squadmates, and maybe, even elevated you into streaming stardom.
But it’s time. This game has run its course and needs to die. There is no hope coming for this game. It is solely a money funnel for the greedy overlords at Activision.
Sure, they’re going to nuke Verdansk and we’re getting a new map sometime next month, but really quick: when was the last time a battle royale released a new map and it was better or even on par with the original? Fortnite, Apex Legends, PUBG; the list goes on and on. Sometimes they get it on the 3rd or 4th try like Apex’s new map Olympus or PUBG’s Sanhok, but rarely is the new map ever good.
So…what should you play instead? What can replace the Warzone-shaped hole? Well, that can be tricky because it really depends on WHY you play Warzone. Because it’s your favorite battle royale? Because you love being able to play with your friends? Because you enjoy crushing other players’ will to live?
Regardless of the reason, let me give you some suggestions for your next gaming obssesion.
For The Battle Royalers – Apex Legends
I know, I know, you’ve probably heard this before. Hell, you probably came from Apex Legends to play Warzone and I know just as well as you do that these games don’t really compare. Warzone has a lot more going on for the entire duration of the game with the bounties and objectives, as well as more players on the map but it’s the closest thing you’re gonna get at the moment if you’re strictly looking for another battle royale. Fortnite is all build wars now and PUBG is somehow still buggy and inconsistent.
Apex really has gotten better in the meantime with the new map and characters. The battle pass is still garbage but let’s be honest, the CoD battle pass has been trash for a couple of seasons now. Give it a shot.
For The Competitive Grinders – Valorant
I can say with confidence that there is not a better competitive shooter out right now than Valorant. It has a high skill ceiling, a wide variety of characters and playstyles, and some of the best servers in gaming (I regularly play at less than 10 ping vs. 30-40 ping on Warzone).
On top of all of that, it has that perfect ELO-based ranking system found in multiplayer masterpieces like Halo and Overwatch. You are only paired with players at or near your skill level and you have to truly grind your way up the ranks. Be warned though: if you thought that CoD was toxic, you’re about to enter a whole new level of it in this game. Best to play with 1-2 of your buds.
For The Social Slayers – Outriders
Maybe you’re not a demon in Warzone. Maybe you’re that guy that just enjoys logging on every night to play something with your boys. Well, I have a brand new game for you: Outriders. Made by the team that developed the original Gears of War trilogy at Epic Games, this is a 3rd person “cover-based” 1-3 player shooter that looks like a mashup of Gears and Destiny.
Now I don’t know about you, but I was never a huge fan of the whole “cover-based” thing. I’m more of a run-and-gun-DOOM-slayer-pedal-to-the-metal-surprise-motha-fucka kinda guy. And luckily, that’s what Outriders is trying to do. You don’t heal behind cover; you heal by damaging and killing enemies like in the DOOM reboots, which means you have to go balls to the wall 24/7. I think it’s an interesting combination of game mechanics and I’m excited to play this with a bunch of my buds this Friday when it releases.
Oh, and if you’re a Game Pass subscriber, it’s included Day 1 for free.
For The Hardcore Soul Vultures: Escape From Tarkov
You don’t play Warzone cause it’s easy. You play because every day you get to reap the souls of shitters and stomp them back into the dirt they came from. Well, this is the game for you then. I’m sure you’ve heard all about Escape from Tarkov and how boring and complicated it is, but once you get past that mindset and see it for what it is, you’ll be addicted. TL;DR: Tarkov is a raid-based hardcore shooter where if you die in the game, you die in real life (kinda). Before each raid, you load your player up with gear, heavily customizable guns, and anything else you need. But here’s the twist: if you die in the raid, you lose it all. On the other hand, if you kill other players or bosses, you get to loot them and take all their shit.
And let me tell you, there is no better feeling in gaming than knowing that you just destroyed someone and are taking all their gear. That feeling of crushing another man’s will to live and taking his high-tier loot is what keeps people coming back to this game. Every gun in my inventory has a memory behind it, like the nasty M4A1 and Vector I got from winning an insane 1v4v3. I will warn you though: this game is punishing as hell to learn and does have a bunch of bugs since it’s still in beta. But it’s worth it, I promise you.
