Why You Can‘t Play Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 on PS4 or Xbox One

I‘ve received many questions from fans asking why PS4 and Xbox One players can‘t join their friends on the highly anticipated Warzone 2.0. As an avid gamer myself still clinging to my trusty base PS4, I totally get the frustration.

Unfortunately, Activision made the decision to leave the last generation consoles behind and focus Warzone 2.0 exclusively on current hardware like PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and gaming PCs.

The Raw Technical Limitations

This difficult decision boiled down to raw processing power. Take a look at this comparison between the GPUs:

With over 5X times the graphical capability, you can see why PS5 blows PS4 out of the water. When you factor in the CPU, RAM, and storage differences too, there‘s just no way around the hardware gap.

Building Next-Gen Only Experiences

In a September interview, Infinity Ward studio head Patrick Kelly explained:

"We wanted to build a new Warzone from the ground-up using new technology to drive the best player experience possible. Using new hardware to their full potential allows us to create more immersive, interactive, and dynamic environments to fight in."

While disappointing for over 100 million PS4 owners globally, focusing purely on new technology does push gaming forward. We‘ve already seen stunning graphical leaps in titles like God of War: Ragnarok thanks to this PS5/Series X focus.

The Upgrade Struggle is Real

But that fact is little comfort to dedicated fans unable to secure one of the rare, expensive new consoles. Despite being available for over two years now, supply chain issues stemming from COVID-19 severely limited production. Here are some statistics about the ongoing scarcity:

With those totals spread across the entire globe, many eager Call of Duty players simply haven‘t been able to upgrade in time for the Warzone 2.0 launch.

As someone still gaming on PS4 myself, I definitely empathize with this struggle. Short of paying outrageous markups to resellers, all we can do is remain patient and keep entering lotteries and waitlists while supplies continue ramping up over 2023/2024.

Alternatives to Play With Friends Who Upgraded

If your squad left you behind on PS4 while they leaped into Warzone 2.0 Caldera, all hope isn‘t lost! Here are two creative ways you can still game with them:

• Rotate Playing on Their Consoles: Schedule virtual hangout sessions where you take turns streaming your gameplay to each other. While not as fluid as playing together directly, it‘s better than nothing!
• Stick to Warzone Caldera Together: The original Warzone still exists for backwards compatibility. While missing DMZ and other new modes, there‘s no shame returning to Fortune‘s Keep for some onboarding!

Hopefully these tips help you make the best of the situation while await your chance to procure Sony and Microsoft‘s ultra hot new offerings! Let me know on Twitter if you have any other creative ideas for bridging the #GenerationGap when it comes to gaming.

— Max "G4M35T3R_422" Siegel