Call of Duty: Warzone's worst bugs and exploits, ranked by badness

In 2021, it's impossible to enjoy Call of Duty: Warzone without putting up with a lot of bugs. Warzone is a massive game (and not just in file size)—with multiple modes and frequent updates that guarantee Warzone is being taken apart and put back together every month. Bugs are kinda part of the deal. They run the gamut from harmless comedy to absolutely game-breaking. We're focusing on the latter today. The first year of Warzone has seen no shortage of problematic bugs, but not all are created equal.

Whether it's turning invisible, stimming your way to victory, or diving under the map, these are the worst, most impressively terrible bugs ranked by their lasting impact and general absurdity. We laugh so we don't have to cry.

7. Invisible Attack Helicopter

Status: FIXED December 2020

You'll notice that invisibility is a bit of a pattern with the worst Warzone exploits, and for good reason. Any bug that can reliably turn someone invisible is an instant recipe for victory in Warzone. That was especially true with the attack helicopter exploit that dominated Warzone at the very start of Cold War Season 1. Any squad flying one of the new helicopters could easily crash it into a certain part of the map to make everyone inside disappear. It was so problematic that Activision went with the nuclear option and removed the vehicle entirely. Months later, it still hasn't returned!

6. Vehicle Lobby Crash

Status: FIXED September 2020

I consider this one the older cousin to the invisible helicopter shenanigans. For a single day, players realized that driving any vehicle out of bounds long enough would eventually bug out the lobby and kill the match entirely. It's pretty wild to see in action. Similar to the heli havoc, Infinity Ward acted fast and removed all vehicles from the game until it was fixed. For a minute there, Warzone was for pedestrians only.

5. Invisible Ghillie Suit

Status: ACTIVE

A more recent discovery, this bug doesn't have to be triggered through any complicated series of events. As long as you're wearing the bugged Forest Spirit skin for the operator Grinch, your body will disappear at various distances. At long range enemies can only see a free-floating head and extremely acrobatic gun. It's a little freaky and definitely game-breaking. As far as we can tell, it's caused by some issue with the LOD (level of detail) settings on the player model. The skin is, unfortunately, still in the game.

4. Loadout Freeze

Every damn game. Loadout freeze. Is it so hard to fix? It’s been there for months now from r/CODWarzone

Status: ACTIVE

Freezing in place right as you're about to grab your favorite loadout is one of the most heartbreaking ways to go out in Warzone. Victims of the random loadout prison typically can't regain control no matter what they do, though one Reddit user claims they have a solution that involves entering the Options menu. Thankfully this one appears to mostly affect console players, though some PC players have encountered the freeze. That may indicate the bug is tied to using a controller, but who knows. Back in December Raven claimed to have fixed the Loadout Freeze, but it didn't stick for long.

3. Under the Map

Anyone else get screwed by the helicopter under the map glitch? from r/CODWarzone

Status: DORMANT

Back in November we wrote about the various ways that Warzone players keep worming their way under the map. For a while in 2020, new methods and areas to pierce through the earth's crust kept getting discovered. In every case, those under the map can see and shoot through the floor while staying safe and hidden from view. As you can see in the clip above, it's frustrating to lose an intense match while the cheater watches from below. Infinity Ward/Raven Software have patched these holes each time they're uncovered, but it's impossible to say the exploit is completely fixed. Someone will probably punch a new hole in the earth someday, but we're safe for now.

2. The Loadout Box

Status: FIXED & ACTIVE

File this one under "problematic item." The loadout box is host to several exploits, but the worst came late last year when players could turn invisible by letting the box fall on their head. It seems like that version was fixed, but folks are still finding ways to use the item for evil. Now players are phasing into loadout boxes as they drop. While standing inside the box, players can shoot out of it but can't be shot themselves. That has yet to be fixed.

1. Infinite Stim Glitch

Another Stim Glitch - Thankyou Activision - not only one stim glitcher in the lobby, but three from r/CODWarzone

Status: ACTIVE, always

I think anyone who has played Warzone in the last six months would agree that there is only one winner here. This is the big daddy of Warzone glitches that other, younger glitches hope to grow up to be someday.

The Infinite Stim Glitch (which can better be described as an "infinite tactical" glitch) is a match-ruining exploit that allows players to survive outside of the circle by continuously injecting stims. The exploit first caught fire back in October 2020 and has since returned to the game on five separate occasions. Each time Infinity Ward/Raven fix one method of activating the exploit, another one pops up.

At this point, the Infinite Stim is just something that players live with. It's clear that the stim should be removed from the game until the problem is truly resolved, but who knows if that will ever happen.

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