Why Modern Warfare 3’s Urzikstan Map Has a Smaller Player Count

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (CoD: MW3) will be introducing Urzikstan as the new Warzone map next season, but due to a few key factors, it will house a smaller player count.

Why Modern Warfare 3’s Urzikstan Map Has a Smaller Player Count

The new Warzone map Urzikstan will have a max player count of 100, a significant decrease from 150. As detailed by Raven Software in a post on X, one of the main reasons for this change is the map size, which is smaller than Al Mazrah but closer to Caldera. A variety of other metrics factored into this decision, including time-to-action, new circle timings and sizes, total match time, and more. While Raven Software is confident this is the right decision, they will still listen to the community sentiment upon launch and adjust accordingly.

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With the departure of Al Mazrah, Urzikstan serves as the biggest map for Warzone, while Vondel and Ashika Island return as the smaller offerings. The decrease in player count from game to game may be disappointing to some, but due to the map size change, it seems like a logical step. As long as the pacing of the match remains familiar, it should be hard to notice any major differences. However, it would not be the first time Warzone undid a major change, especially in player count.

Call of Duty: Warzone will get a major overhaul in MW3‘s Season One. In addition to the all-new map, the gameplay mechanics from MW3 will be carried over to Warzone. The update will bring back the fan-favorite feature of slide-cancelling, which has been absent since the release of Warzone 2.0. Additionally, Tactical Stance arrives to the battle royale, a new feature from MW3.

Season One of Call of Duty: MW3 and Warzone goes live on December 6.

P.S. Don’t forget to check out our MW3 Zombies Camo Challenges article for a gory good time blasting zombies across MW3’s best maps.