To enhance player control and flexibility, Call of Duty is introducing a significant change: separating the download of Call of Duty: Warzone from other annual titles. When purchasing an annual title, players will now only download the files specific to that game by default, without the need to include Warzone. This update ensures that your storage is used more efficiently, and you only get the content you want.
For those who enjoy the free-to-play experience, the choice is yours. You can “opt-in” to download Call of Duty: Warzone while getting a new annual title or simply choose to download it separately at any time. This change underlines our commitment to giving players the flexibility to customize their Call of Duty experience according to their preferences.
Flexibility and Choice with Call of Duty Warzone Download
The decoupling of Call of Duty: Warzone from annual titles reflects our dedication to providing players with more control over their gaming experience. Now, you can decide when and how you want to download Warzone, ensuring that your gaming environment is tailored to your specific needs. By allowing separate downloads, we are reducing unnecessary storage usage and making it easier for players to manage their game files.
Expanded Texture Streaming Technologies
In conjunction with separating the Warzone download, we’re also enhancing our texture streaming technologies to further reduce file and download sizes. Beginning with the Season 5 Reloaded update, we’re expanding the use of texture streaming, allowing content that is less frequently used to be cycled to a streaming cache. This process avoids the need to download it directly onto your device, conserving storage space.
This change means that you may encounter older content appearing at a lower quality until the streaming cache is fully loaded. The resolution of the content streamed from the cache will depend on your selected setting. To accommodate this change, we’re updating the “On-Demand Texture Streaming” setting to “On-Demand High-Quality Streaming,” offering two options:
- Optimized (Default): Content appears at high-fidelity graphical quality, requiring increased internet bandwidth usage.
- Minimal: Content appears at reduced graphical quality, using lower internet bandwidth.
This development not only enhances the gaming experience by improving graphics quality on demand but also contributes to the overall goal of reducing download and storage sizes.
Download Sizes and Experience: What to Expect
The transition to this new system begins with a significant initial download. However, this download is a necessary step towards optimizing your future Call of Duty experience, particularly with the upcoming launch of Black Ops 6. Although the initial download may seem large, it is important to note that it will not permanently add to the storage space occupied by Call of Duty on your device. This update is reorganizing game files and adding new technologies that will ultimately reduce the overall footprint of the game on your storage.
For PlayStation® 5 players, the update will be delivered through four separate downloads. The first download will be similar to previous updates required before launching Call of Duty. The second download will be triggered within the Call of Duty experience, specifically when first accessing Modern Warfare III or Call of Duty: Warzone. Subsequent downloads will be initiated when accessing Modern Warfare III and Warzone, respectively.
The reason for the split downloads on PS5 is due to differences in file organization compared to other platforms. Players who have Modern Warfare II content installed may experience a larger initial download size.
Players on other platforms will receive the entire update through a single download, similar to previous updates. This process ensures that you are prepared for the full player interface arriving in October, with file optimizations leading to a better overall experience.
