All the Secrets Unveiled: The Fate of Your Purchases in OG Call of Duty: Warzone

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Old Skins Can Only Be Used in Modern Warfare, Black Ops Cold War, and Vanguard

With the upcoming shutdown of the original Call of Duty: Warzone, changes are being made to the game. The lack of a console FOV slider and the improved graphics of the premium releases necessitated the creation of a new version to align with the next-gen consoles. Additionally, the original Warzone had become bloated with content from three standalone games, prompting the need for a fresh start. As a result, players will not be able to transfer their earned and purchased cosmetics to Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0. This issue was temporarily addressed with Call of Duty: Warzone Caldera, but this workaround will no longer be available in a few months' time.

Call of Duty: Warzone Caldera’s Shutdown Means Cosmetics Are Lost for Battle Royale Fans

Activision has made the decision to shut down Call of Duty: Warzone Caldera on September 21. As a result, the beloved Caldera map and all its content will be permanently removed. The exact reasoning behind this shutdown has not been disclosed, but it is likely that Activision wants to focus all player attention on the current Warzone, which is receiving both paid and free content updates.

The community has expressed their disappointment over losing access to a battle royale game that many considered superior to the newer Warzone. However, the issue extends beyond gameplay as players have invested time and money into acquiring various skins through gameplay challenges and the Call of Duty Battle Passes. Unfortunately, the current version of Warzone will not allow players to access any of their existing cosmetics, just like when Warzone 2.0 was launched. This means that come September 21, there will be no option for Call of Duty fans to use their old skins in a free-to-play battle royale experience.

Modern Warfare, Black Ops Cold War, and Vanguard Are The Last Places to Use Old Skins

Players who are disappointed by the impending shutdown of Call of Duty: Warzone Caldera can take solace in the fact that their purchased skins and weapons are not completely lost. Between 2019 and 2022, all cosmetics released for Call of Duty were usable in two titles: Call of Duty: Warzone Caldera and the specific game that an Operator or gun was associated with.

In practical terms, this means that players still have another Call of Duty game where they can utilize their purchased skins or weapon blueprints. For example, if a player has a skin they like for the Operator Polina, they can load up Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies or multiplayer to make use of it. Similarly, a Frank Woods skin purchased in Warzone can still be used in Black Ops Cold War, and a Ghost attire can be used in Modern Warfare. This same principle applies to weapon blueprints as well; a Vanguard gun blueprint can still be utilized in Vanguard itself, even if it becomes completely unavailable in the current Call of Duty: Warzone.

However, this solution is far from perfect. It is important to note that many players of Call of Duty: Warzone may not own all of the games mentioned, despite having skins for the characters associated with them. There are also players who exclusively play Warzone and have no interest in multiplayer, purchasing cosmetics for a battle royale game with the expectation of using them within that specific game mode. While it is a positive aspect that the cosmetics will still be accessible in multiplayer, it is still a significant blow to lose Warzone Caldera. It becomes difficult to justify buying a Call of Duty game with completely different gameplay and no further post-launch content planned, solely to utilize old skins. As a result, a portion of the community effectively loses access to these cosmetics. Call of Duty: Warzone is currently available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.