Warzone's New Realism Battle Royale Mode Explained

"Call of Duty: Warzone" is one of the most popular battle royale games, only being beaten out by "Fortnite" in a recent survey. The free-to-play game recently added in a new type of game mode recently — Realism Battle Royale.

For many battle royale games, it's hard to introduce new game modes. "Apex Legends" recently attempted to integrate lore chapters into its Battle Royale mode with Bloodhound's white raven making appearances across the map, but gamers have yet to see how the community feels about the new mode of play. Adding in new ways to play a battle royale game isn't as easy as it sounds, and game developers always face harsh criticism from players that don't want the game to change.

Realism Battle Royale is new to "Warzone," but the Realism concept isn't so unfamiliar to the "Call of Duty" series. In fact, it's been around since 2019 in "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare." The mode plays similarly to Hardcore "Call of Duty" modes, and it's a new way to enjoy the game for players who are starting to get a little bored. Here's how Realism Battle Royale mode will work in "Warzone."

In "Warzone," Realism Battle Royale changes a couple of things to make the game feel as if the player is being dropped into a battlefield with a small squad. It's very similar to previous Realism modes, according to a brief summary of the changes on the homepage of "Warzone" (via Reddit). Essentially, the HUD is gone. For "Call of Duty" players who enjoy Hardcore matches, this doesn't sound like anything new. Players will be forced to rely on their own senses in order to know what's going on.

Realism Battle Royale also amps up the damage of headshots to keep up with the realism theme. Additionally, there's no loadout information or other on-screen notifications that help players keep up with their gear or team. It's definitely a challenging game mode that's fun for a certain niche of players.

Who knows, the new game mode may bring back players like NickMercs, who quit "Warzone," or other players that have stopped playing the game because of a lack of challenge. Regardless, Realism Battle Royale offers a new way for gamers to play one of the biggest competitive games on the market.