Since its launch on Nov. 16, 2022, it seems safe to say that DMZ has made some fans for itself within the Call of Duty community.
A first for the franchise, the mode invites players to engage in an “open-world, narrative-focused extraction” experience where they can complete faction-based missions, take on additional side objectives, search for valuable items, and more, all while fighting both AI and human-controlled soldiers to survive toward exfil.
Given how interconnected Warzone 2 and Modern Warfare 2 have been so far in this “new era” of CoD, it’s perhaps no surprise that many are wondering whether or not DMZ is one of the experiences locked behind a traditional paywall. Here’s what you need to know about accessing DMZ.
Is DMZ free to play in Warzone 2?
Yes, DMZ is a free-to-play experience. More specifically, DMZ is considered a mode within Warzone 2, so you do not need to own Modern Warfare 2 to play it.
Across Al Mazrah, Building 21, and Ashika Island, all players have the ability to hop into DMZ‘s Exclusion Zones and work with practically all of the features that the mode has to offer.
Activision does incentivize DMZ players to purchase MW2 in some ways, however. Owners of the series’ latest flagship title earn Premium XP while playing DMZ, as well as gain access to the mode’s recently added Crown faction, which has its own missions and rewards on top of the core three factions. Additionally, MW2 also has quick ways for DMZ players to level up the game’s plethora of weapons through multiplayer and Special Ops.
With the launch of season three in MW2 and Warzone 2, DMZ is set to receive a pretty hefty wave of new content, including a barter system, its fifth faction, new bosses and missions, Contraband Workbenches, new equipment, a new exfil option, and more.
