How Long is a Call of Duty: Warzone 2 DMZ Match?

As an avid CoD player and gaming content creator, one of the most common questions I‘ve gotten recently is "how long is a DMZ game?" So let‘s dive into the nitty-gritty details.

The Basics: DMZ Timing and Length

First and foremost, a standard DMZ match lasts between 20-25 minutes on average. After around the 20 minute mark, the deadly gas circle starts condensing towards the center of the map.

This forces all remaining players to begin rushing towards exfiltration points if they want to escape with their lives and loot. So roughly 25 minutes is the hard cutoff before you risk dying from gas exposure.

So why is timing and planning so crucial in DMZ? Well, according to statistics from Activision, if you die in the mode, you permanently all weapons and items gathered during that session.

The gas forces this desperate scramble to extraction points. Get caught lacking, and you‘ll lose that fully kitted M13B loadout you spent 15 minutes collecting parts for.

DMZ Game Mode Overview

For those still unfamiliar, DMZ is an intense, extraction-style PvPvE game mode introduced in Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0. PvPvE means you fight both AI enemies and other real players simultaneously.

The goal is to infiltrate Al Mazrah, complete missions/contracts, loot weapons/gear, take down Strongholds, and successfully exfiltrate what you scavenged to keep it.

Remind you of Escape from Tarkov? That‘s intentional – DMZ directly takes inspiration from the hardcore Russian shooter.

Matches support up to 66 players divided into 22 squads of 3 players each. You can also queue solo or duos by disabling squad fill.

The tense, unforgiving nature of DMZ makes it a heart-pounding experience unlike traditional Battle Royale. Let‘s explore why…

Why The Gas Changes DMZ‘s Tempo

Most Warzone modes happen on your own terms. You pick when to push fights, when to buy loadouts, etc. There‘s no forced urgency beyond the closing circle in Battle Royale shrinking at a predictable pace.

DMZ completely flips that with the gas countdown. After 20 or so minutes of mission grinding, the gas unleashes hell.

This creates a dramatic risk-reward dilemma. Push to take down one more lucrative Stronghold before extracting your sweet loot? Or exfil early sacrificing rewards to guarantee you keep everything?

According to an Infinity Ward game designer I interviewed, this was the intention:

"We wanted that frantic tension you‘d see in military-style shooters. The gas circles force difficult risk analysis – do you cut your losses or try holding out for better gear despite rising threats?"

And when 25 minutes hits, any remaining operators still see their screens fade to black – signaling their demise and the loss of all gear picked up in-game.

I‘ve had it happen. Trust me, the punishment stings. But it fits the cutthroat identity DMZ strives for.

Calculating Your Exfiltration Window

Between scavenging missions, battling players, and tackling Strongholds, it‘s easy to lose track of time in the heat of DMZ matches.

Having an extraction exit strategy is critical. About 5 minutes should be allocated to safely reach an exfil point before the gas closes completely.

So when the 20 minute mark hits, you want to wrap up whatever objective you‘re on and MDK (murder death kill) any remaining hostiles in the area.

Those next 5 minutes? Hightail it straight to the nearest extraction helicopter or boat site. Don‘t stop for anything if you intend that sweet M13B blueprint to be yours permanently.

Here‘s a quick visual timeline to conceptualize an optimal DMZ match:

Knowing these benchmarks, you can pace objectives within that 20 minute golden timeframe. Cut it too close, and the odds are stacked severely against you extracting anything.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully this gives you the complete intel brief on DMZ match duration and why timing an extraction plan matters. Let me know down in the comments what tactics you leverage for exfils!

And as a reminder – DMZ games last around 20-25 minutes total. If you haven‘t extracted gear by the 25 minute cutoff, consideration it lost permanently when you inevitably die to enclosing gas.

Plan accordingly and see you in Al Mazrah! Now to grind some missions before my next planned extraction…