Warzone Mobile review: A flawed shooter with charms of its own

Warzone Mobile had been officially launched globally on March 21, 2024. After being in development for years and the first announcement back in COD Next 2022, the mobile title is now finally available for everyone on supported Android and iOS devices for free. The game promises superb graphics and a seamless integration with current mainstream titles on PC and console, i.e., Warzone and Modern Warfare 3.

Does the game stand up to the promises? In this review, we'll aim to answer this question. Just like with all my previous reviews, we will go over each major component that makes up the game and share my thoughts along the way. This includes gameplay, graphics, and all other major features, such as cross-progression.

So, without any further ado, let's get started with this in-depth review of Warzone Mobile.

Warzone Mobile - Initial impressions

Starting with my first impressions of Warzone Mobile, the graphics instantly stood out to me. I played the game on an iPad Air 5th Gen, and on the Peak Graphics mode, the game looked absolutely stunning. But more on that later as we talk about it in the graphics section below.

As you start the game, you will undergo a training session that will familiarize you with the various basics of the shooter such as aiming, shooting, looting, reloading, and more. Once you are done with that, you are ready for your first match in Warzone Mobile and to be honest I am pretty sure there were some bots in the lobby and felt it was preparing me for the real thing.

Despite the fact that some might not like this, I adore that developers ensured players have enough time to get used to the game mechanics in a real match-like environment without getting annihilated. Needless to say, it was a decent start, and as someone who is completely new to mobile games, it definitely helped me to get started.

With that out of the day, in the sections below, we'll take a look at the gameplay, the controls, the cross-progression system, and more.

Gameplay of Warzone Mobile: A hit and a miss

Warzone Mobile gameplay review (Image via Activision)

In this gameplay section of the Warzone Mobile review, we'll look at several things, such as the mechanics, controls, and all gameplay features worth noting.

Starting off with the gameplay in general, if you are expecting a proper Verdansk or Rebirth Island experience, you are in for disappointment. Sure, the game does its best to create the atmosphere the two maps had back then. However, it fails to do so with accuracy.

The movement feels clunky, and the loot available is abysmal to start with. Slide cancelation, one of the most coveted movement mechanics, can only be perfectly implemented using a controller.

With that said if someone can replicate that same flow of movement using the on-screen touch controls in Warzone Mobile, kudos to them.

Furthermore, if you are expecting to try out the gameplay mechanics that were introduced with Warzone 2 and Modern Warfare 2 such as smooth parkour or aquatic combat experience, they aren't currently possible. Simply put, it is just the original Warzone built for mobile devices that surprisingly fails to be the perfect port. It won't be too harsh to call it a soulless venture.

I expected more from the gameplay section as the developers promised a proper Warzone experience on mobile devices. While it does stand strong as a decent mobile game, it wasn't what Call of Duty promised.

Frankly speaking, the game needs a lot of tweaks, and fortunately, all of these can be done through updates down the line without altering any gameplay element by a huge margin. For instance, if you are simply waiting for a loadout drop on Rebirth Island, you can forget about it until late game. Moreover, there were cases where it dropped on the sea surrounding the island, making the loadout drops inaccessible.

Also, what's up with RPGs in Gulag? Gulags should be simple gunfights and not players trying to blast each other off with RPGs.

These issues can be easily fixed, and I hope that developers have taken note of these problems and aim to resolve them at the earliest.

Skill-based matchmaking (SBMM)

Skill-based matchmaking in Warzone Mobile discussed (Image via Activision)

This is where it all falls apart for me. Every single match after the initial training games is a sweat fest. The developers have yet to state whether SBMM is present in Warzone Mobile but after a match of performing well, I get demolished in the next.

This isn't just limited to the Battle Royale or Resurgence modes. Even the generic Multiplayer modes are full of skilled players, and it can be frustrating to give your best every time in a non-competitive mode.

That said, as it stands, I believe that if SBMM exists, the developers should tone it down for a seamless experience for all. Not all mobile players are there to compete. Some players are there to simply drop into a match with their squads and enjoy a game or two with decent chances of winning. But that is never the case with Warzone Mobile.

Controls

The controls in WZM, for the most part, are well-designed and work seamlessly with a PS4 controller as well. On my first go, I decided to play it using the on-screen touch controls, and they worked well. However, I felt some control elements were unnecessary. For example, I don't feel there is a need for a separate set of buttons that would take you up or down the stairs.

Fortunately, the game comes with ample options that allow you to tweak how you want to play it. This, for me, was a major plus. It gave me the freedom to customize my gameplay experience how I liked it. So, this is where I believe developers did not compromise and provided players the option to customize the experience to their liking.

The same goes for controller support. It connected to my device and worked with the game seamlessly without having to set up anything separately. This was my go-to way of playing the game, as I wasn't covering half of my screen with my fingers. Plus, playing with a controller was way more convenient and gave me a proper console-like experience on a portable device.

That said, please note that you cannot have a controller customization option as you do with the on-screen touch settings. This may be an issue for a few, but I personally didn't have any trouble because of this.

Cross-Progression

As for the cross-progression system, it works flawlessly. It doesn't need much of an explanation. It simply allows you to progress simultaneously across all of the current-gen Call of Duty games, which includes Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone.

Thanks to this system, I had all the weapons unlocked and leveled up, ready for me to equip and join the battlefield as soon as I loaded up Warzone Mobile. This feature is quite useful as well as it creates an ecosystem where almost all of your cosmetics can be shared across titles.

I say most because some items are only designed for the mobile game and cannot be used on the PC and console games. Furthermore, your COD Points, the in-game currency, don't get shared. So if you want to buy something designed for Warzone Mobile, all your COD Points from PC or the console games become useless here, and you must repurchase them in-game.

This, I felt, was unnecessary as the developers wanted to create a seamless and integrated experience across the titles. However, gatekeeping the very thing that can buy you things in-game, to me, is a poor design choice that is in place just to get the player to spend more.

Graphics, audio, and performance - The holy trinity of immersion

Graphics

As mentioned in the Initial impressions section, the first thing that stood out to me was the graphics. The game, especially in the Peak Graphics mode, looks stunning. However, to get this feature, your device must support it and will require you to download an additional 3 GB of files, making the total game around 9 GB in size.

Although the other graphics modes do the job well, they make the game look like a typical mobile shooter. That said, everything mentioned below will be for the Peak Graphics mode in WZM only.

I might be exaggerating here a little, but it does look similar to the PS4 version of the game, minus the sound of a jet engine. Sure, you cannot compare it with a PC or current-gen console game, but for a mobile game, Warzone Mobile looks really good.

Sometimes, the textures might be low resolution, and the smokes and explosions can look a bit weird, but that is all. For a mobile game, it looks superb and stays true to the original design of the maps.

It is Verdansk that stands out the most. It looks complete and exactly how I remember it from back in the day. This is where the game finally surpassed my expectations. I wasn't anticipating the map to look so good and imagined the developers would tone down on foliage or other aspects by a ton to make it run well on mobile devices. Needless to say, if you are playing Verdansk after a long time, it will look exactly like you remember it.

In the case of Rebirth Island, on the other hand, I felt that developers toned down a few aspects, such as water quality and lighting. This was expected, considering it is a more fast-paced and intense mode, requiring a lot of computing power constantly.

The only thing I was disappointed with in the visual department is that the game supports a maximum FOV of up to 90. For PC players who are used to 120 FOV, this made the game feel weird at some points, but then again, you can get used to it pretty quickly.

UI of Warzone Mobile (Image via Activision)

As for the UI, it is okay. I mean, it isn't perfect, but it is much better than the PC version of Modern Warfare 2, and you can navigate the various menus with ease. Is there scope for improvement in this regard? Sure, but I believe currently, the developers should focus on ironing out the gameplay issues and performance problems that I will talk about in the section below.

All in all, when it comes to visuals, the developers of Warzone Mobile have nailed it, and the game truly delivers on looks.

Audio

This is an area in which I never expected Warzone Mobile to perform so well. Considering that PC versions are plagued with audio issues and complaints about it online aren't rare, the mobile game, surprisingly, boasted brilliant audio. The guns sound great, and I can assure you that if you have a decent pair of headphones, you won't miss out on any audio cues.

Footsteps are clear and crisp, allowing you to track the location of your enemies with ease. Players dropping nearby, opening up their parachutes, opening caches, everything sounds great. Although the vertical audio can be a little messy at times, it gets the job done.

Needless to say, the sound and music are inspired by the mainstream titles on PC and console. But the developers surely did a great job at making them work seamlessly on mobile devices.

That said, please note that some players are reporting issues with audio. But for me, they worked just fine, and Warzone Mobile surpassed my expectations.

Performance

This is a gray area. I played the game on my iPad Air 5th Gen equipped with an M1 chip. Although I could play it on Peak Graphics mode, the framerate never felt great. Don't get me wrong, it doesn't stutter or lag for me, but the overall framerate seemed to remain below 60 mostly, even on the Multiplayer maps.

Android users, on the other hand, even on the best of the best devices, complained about issues. Based on what the team at Sportskeeda had to say, the performance is abysmal on Android devices, even those that support the Peak Graphics mode.

A low framerate combined with micro stutters throughout is apparently the case for them. Plus, they do not benefit from the Peak Graphics mode and have reported that their game looks worse, irrespective of the settings they use. Hence, although it was decent for me, Android users were not at all satisfied with the performance of WZM.

As for the game crashes, bugs, glitches, or other technical issues, I have yet to encounter any problems. However, that doesn't mean they don't exist. But, since this review is based only on my experience, I won't be discussing those.

Conclusion

Warzone Mobile summed up (Image via Activision)

All in all, Warzone Mobile is a pretty decent title, provided you have the hardware to run it properly. It delivers on numerous areas, with graphics being the one that takes the spotlight. As for the gameplay, it's nothing great. The shooter was missing many current-gen mechanics, which I believe limited the ability to enjoy the game as much as a proper current-gen Call of Duty title.

The maps and modes at launch were, in my opinion, enough to start with. Needless to say, the inclusion of classic fan-favorite maps Verdansk and Rebirth Island has become Warzone Mobile's main selling point. Many fans who will be getting the game will primarily do so to set foot on these maps, and I must say the developers did a pretty good job at remaking them for mobile devices. It stays true to the original framework and design, albeit the gameplay makes it a little wonky.

Apart from that, these maps play exactly how you want them to. However, veteran fans might feel slightly disappointed if they were expecting a proper console-quality experience. It is nearly there and will definitely require more optimization and a lot of balances and tweaks from the developer's end to get it to the "perfect" stage.

The audio was another banger that made it stand out. Furthermore, the plethora of customization options was welcome. For mobile shooters, it is something that a few games allow for.

Warzone Mobile developers went above and beyond to ensure players can tweak the experience to their liking, especially regarding controls, gameplay settings, and the HUD. Moreover, the cross-progression system is a fantastic feature that allows you to progress your account and Battle Pass across devices. This is fantastic for people who are always on the go. But then again, not allowing the player to share their COD Points across games is a major bummer.

Despite what the developers have accomplished here, the SBMM is annoying. It prevents players from unwinding. Every game will need you to give your best, and this can become frustrating down the line. A little tweak to make it more lenient will be highly appreciated.

So, is Warzone Mobile worth your time? To put it simply, yes, it is worth your time. Despite a few setbacks here and there, it is a solid mobile shooter that stands true to its core and has huge potential up its sleeves.

Hopefully, developers will address the issues it is currently suffering from as it can be a good, if not great, battle royale game on mobile devices.