It's an exciting time for Call of Duty fans. The Last Hours of Verdansk Warzone event is over, the CoD servers have been through some extensive downtime, and the new Warzone map release date is finally here!

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That's right, folks, today is the day that the Pacific Caldera map becomes available to everyone in Warzone, and the new map is actually available right now, as is Call of Duty: Vanguard Season 1.

Players who purchased Call of Duty: Vanguard got first dibs on the new Warzone map, with these paying customers getting 24 hours of early access before everyone else in the world could visit Caldera for free. That early access period is over now, though, so you can jump in as soon as you like!

But what are the exact dates and times that CoD fans need to be aware of? When did the new Warzone map come out? When did the servers be back online? We've got the answers for you below.

What is the new Warzone Caldera map?

Ahead of the new Warzone map release date, Activision shared this official image.
Ahead of the new Warzone map release date, Activision shared this official image. Activision

Will there be a new Warzone map in 2021? Yes, there will. The new Warzone map goes by the name of Caldera. Previously it was thought to be called Pacific, and even now many think of it as Pacific Caldera - any variation of those will work but Caldera is the official name.

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Whatever you decide to call it, its arrival means the end of the road for Verdansk which has now been removed from the game, and Caldera is our new action-filled home.

The Call of Duty Blog says: "Visually, Warzone’s Pacific map will be a change of pace from the war-torn environment of Verdansk to something that is more vibrant and alive... and something with plenty of secrets hidden within its beauty.

"There are also plans for continuous and fresh experiences throughout your time in the Pacific. [...] The result is a fun and incredibly compelling gameplay space with numerous points of interest to explore and an exceptional depth of combat potential." Sounds pretty good, right?

New Warzone map release date

Is a new Warzone map coming out? Yes, it is. When is the Warzone new map coming out? It's actually out now, folks!

The new Warzone map release date is Thursday 9th December 2021 - today's the day when the new map becomes available for free, meaning that you can jump into it now.

New Warzone map launch time

What time will the new Warzone map come out? It already has! Here in the UK, the new Warzone map Caldera launched for free at 5pm GMT on 9th December.

In a handful of other regions, these are the new Warzone map unlock times to look out for:

  • UK: 5pm GMT
  • Europe: 6pm CEST
  • USA: 12pm ET or 9am PT

New Warzone map early access time

There was 24-hour early access period for the new Warzone map, but only for paying customers that forked out for Call of Duty: Vanguard.

Those who bought Call of Duty: Vanguard got access to the map one day ahead of everyone else, basically, which wa a great way to get an advantage by learning the lay of the land early.

The new Warzone map early access launch date was Wednesday 8th December 2021, then, as long as you have paid for a copy of CoD Vanguard!

As for the new Warzone map early access time, we know that Activision unlocked the new Warzone map for Vanguard owners at 9am PT on 8th December.

Here in the UK, that means the new Warzone map was available in early access for Vanguard owners from 5pm GMT on 8th December.

New Warzone map images

These images dropped ahead of the Caldera release date.
These images dropped ahead of the Caldera release date. Activision

Activision has now shared a full blog post about the Caldera map, and it's stuffed with eye-catching images like the sun-soaked seaside snap above this paragraph. You can see more pictures in the full Activision blog post, which also revealed some tantalising new details.

The blog post teases: "Warzone Pacific marks a new era of pulse-pounding tactical combat on a massive scale. Featuring a dedicated Playlist with new vehicles and Vanguard weapons, Warzone Pacific’s first season kicks off another year of free content, all based in your own grand epic of stamping out the last of the Axis resistance."

New Warzone map size

If you're wondering about the new Warzone map's size, we know that it won't be much bigger or much smaller than the Verdansk map we already know and love.

In a previous blog post, Activision confirmed that the new Warzone Pacific Caldera map is contained on island that is "roughly the size of Verdansk and built based on learnings from the community over nearly two years".

New Warzone map points of interest

Activision's CCO Pelle Sjoenell revealed the new Warzone map in a tweet, with a patch on a jacket being the unusual way in which he chose to present the information. Take a look below and see if you can wrap your brain around this first-look image of the new Warzone map.

Behold, our first image of the new Warzone map!
Behold, our first image of the new Warzone map! Activision

This new Warzone map image displays the title 'Operation Alpha', implying that this is only the alpha version of the map, so we wouldn't be surprised to see more additions and changes in future. (After all, Verdansk went through plenty of facelifts during its tenure!)

This image of the Pacific Caldera map also reveals a number of points of interest, which we're just going to list for you now. Who knows which of these POIs will become our future favourites?

  • Ancient Structures
  • Beach Defences
  • City Capital
  • Fishing Village
  • Naval Shipward
  • Ore Processing Docks
  • Phosphor Mines
  • Submarine Base
  • Taro Farms
  • Volcano

New Warzone map drop zones

Activision has, more recently, revealed the official map picture below, which breaks the map up into a number of key areas. Which one of these will be your drop zone of choice?

The key Caldera locations listed in that map have all been designated a letter, and here's the full list for you:

  • A: Arsenal
  • B: Docks
  • C: Runway
  • D: Ruins
  • E: Mines
  • F: Peak
  • G: Beachhead
  • H: Village
  • I. Lagoon
  • J: Airfield
  • K: Fields
  • L: Sub Pen
  • M: Power Plant
  • N: Capital
  • O: Resort

New Warzone map gameplay footage

Want to see the new Warzone map gameplay footage? Well here is quite a bit of it courtesy of CoD YouTuber JackFrags - who, by the way, is well worth subscribing to if you want some great Call of Duty content.

Will Verdansk be removed from Warzone?

If you're wondering whether Verdansk will be removed from Warzone when the Pacific Caldera map arrives, the answer to that question is yes! The developers have confirmed that Caldera is an all-out replacement for Verdansk, so that much-loved map will be disappearing from the game for the foreseeable future.

Will Verdansk ever come back? That's a trickier question to answer - we know that it will be removed when Caldera arrives, but only time will tell if Verdansk is added back into Warzone later. Who knows, perhaps there could be a nostalgic return to Verdansk planned at some point in the future?

Will Rebirth Island stay forever? It looks like it! The developers have confirmed that Rebirth Island and Resurgence will be staying in Warzone when the Caldera map arrives, so don't worry on that front.

New Warzone map trailer

Want a Warzone Pacific trailer? Have a cinematic one that shows off how great it looks with style, courtesy of this below tweet!

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