Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was fully revealed today, and it’s set to debut a new city-themed Warzone 2 map with drivable trains, zip lines, and quite a few points of interest.
During today’s COD Next showcase, Activision revealed Urzikstan, an “urban battleground” map coming to Battle Royale and Plunder at launch. As GamesRadar pointed out, Urzikstan was first featured as a country (and a key part of the campaign) in the 2019 game Modern Warfare, and now it’s finally getting its own map.
Filled with apartments and industrial areas, Urzikstan seems fairly dense in comparison to other Warzone maps. Still, it features quite a few new ways to get across the map, including the franchise’s first train with player-controllable direction and speed (which can also be stopped by opposing teams). It also has several horizontal zip lines and brings the eerily dark Urzikstan Gulag with 3 lanes for combat.
Get the squad back together – here’s your first look at Urzikstan, an urban battleground and the latest Call of Duty #Warzone map coming with Season 01 of #MW3 in December 🏙️🏝️⛰️ #CODNext pic.twitter.com/ZCqrLo7N69
— Call of Duty @ #CODNext (@CallofDuty) October 5, 2023
These new methods of transportation seem fit for a map packed with points of interest — as revealed in today’s showcase, this list includes the apartment-filled Zaravan City, the luxurious Shahin Manor, and the dilapidated Old Town.
In addition to the new map, Activision also revealed a few new and revamped mechanics, including ADS while sliding, slide cancelling, and the revival of the classic red dots on the minimap, and announced the return of the Vondel and Ashika Island maps for Resurgence.
Familiar gameplay mechanics, new twists 👇
💥 NEW: ADS while sliding
🎯 NEW: Tac-Stance
🙅♂️ Slide Canceling
🩸 150 Base Health
🔴 Classic Red Dot Mini Map
🪂 Plus more QoL and Perk updates— Call of Duty @ #CODNext (@CallofDuty) October 5, 2023
Urzikstan will join a roster filled with classic maps and new modes when Modern Warfare III is released on November 10. It goes into a slightly less feature-packed open beta this weekend, and players on all platforms will have access. If that’s not early enough, some gameplay footage has leaked ahead of the game’s beta, although Activision has tried to take it down.
Amelia Zollner is a freelance writer at IGN who loves all things indie and Nintendo. Outside of IGN, they’ve contributed to sites like Polygon and Rock Paper Shotgun. Find them on Twitter: @ameliazollner.