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How can I download Call of Duty for free on my laptop?

I‘m glad you asked! With the right steps, you can absolutely download and play Call of Duty without spending a dime. In this guide, I‘ll walk you through everything you need to know to get CoD running on your Windows laptop, 100% free.

Overview of Free Call of Duty Games

First, let‘s look at the Call of Duty games that are free-to-play on PC:

  • Call of Duty: Warzone – This is a free standalone battle royale experience set in the Modern Warfare universe. Up to 150 players battle to be the last squad standing on a massive map with CONTRACTS and loot. Warzone supports solo, duos, trios, and quads matchmaking. Over 125 million players have dropped into Verdansk and the new Pacific map so far, making it extremely popular.

  • Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 – This is the recently launched sequel to Warzone, built on a brand new engine. It introduces the new massive map Al Mazrah, revamped 2.0 gameplay mechanics, DMZ mode, proximity chat, and much more. Over 25 million players have joined Warzone 2.0 already as of November 2022.

Both Warzone and Warzone 2.0 are completely free on PC. No purchase required! They can be downloaded through the Battle.net app. More on that soon.

Now let‘s look at some data on the premium Call of Duty titles:

Call of Duty GameLaunch DateUnits Sold
Call of Duty: Modern WarfareOctober 2019Over 30 million
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold WarNovember 2020Over 30 million
Call of Duty: VanguardNovember 2021Over 15 million
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare IIOctober 2022TBA

As you can see from the table above, the paid Call of Duty games sell tens of millions of copies annually and are some of the best-selling games year after year according to industry-tracking firm The NPD Group.

But unless Activision is running a special free trial event, the only way to download these premium Call of Duty games on PC is by purchasing them. Currently, there are no permanently free versions.

That‘s why if you want to enjoy CoD on your laptop without paying, your best and only options are the free-to-play Warzone and Warzone 2.0 titles!

Minimum System Requirements for CoD

Now before you download, you need to make sure your laptop meets the minimum system requirements for a smooth Call of Duty experience:

OS: Windows 10 64-bit or newer

CPU: Intel Core i3-4340 or AMD FX-6300

RAM: 8GB

GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 or AMD Radeon HD 7950

Storage: 175GB of free space

These are the official minimum specs according to Activision. However, gaming industry experts actually recommend 16GB RAM and a more powerful GPU like an RTX 2060 or GTX 1660 Ti to maintain 60+ FPS and competitive play.

Anecdotally, my brother tried playing Warzone on his older office laptop with integrated graphics, and it was a stuttery, laggy mess with frequent crashing. So a dedicated gaming laptop with discrete graphics is really required.

Here are some of the top pre-built gaming laptops I recommend that will run CoD flawlessly:

  • Razer Blade 15 – RTX 3070 GPU, Intel Core i7-12800H, 16GB DDR5 RAM
  • ASUS ROG Strix G15 – RTX 3060 GPU, AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX, 16GB DDR4 RAM
  • Alienware x15 R2 – RTX 3070 Ti GPU, Intel Core i7-12700H, 16GB DDR5 RAM

Any modern gaming laptop with at least a GTX 1660 Ti or RTX 2060 GPU paired with a newer i7 or Ryzen 7 CPU and 16GB RAM will perform very well.

Step-by-Step Guide to Downloading Warzone on PC

Alright, now that you know which free CoD games are available and the minimum laptop specs, let‘s walk through how to actually download and install Warzone:

Step 1 – Download the Battle.net desktop app for PC if you don‘t already have it. This is the platform by Blizzard that hosts Call of Duty.

Step 2 – Once Battle.net is installed, open it up and create a free Battle.net account if you don‘t have one already. This will allow you to install games.

Step 3 – Log into Battle.net with your account credentials.

Step 4 – On the Battle.net home screen, locate Call of Duty: Warzone and click on it. This will pull up the Warzone page.

Step 5 – Click the large Install button on the Warzone page. This will automatically begin the download and installation process.

Step 6 – Wait for the installation to fully complete. The total download size is around 75-100GB. So make sure you have enough free disk space!

Step 7 – Once the install finishes, Warzone will appear in your Battle.net games library ready to launch. Click Play to start and enjoy! Warzone is completely free.

The process is exactly the same for downloading Warzone 2.0 – just select Warzone 2.0 instead in Battle.net, click Install, and you are good to go. I hope these steps help you get CoD running on your laptop!

Tips for Running CoD Smoothly on Laptop

Based on my experience gaming on laptops, here are some tips to help Call of Duty run optimally:

  • Before launching, close any other open programs – This allows CoD to access maximum RAM and VRAM for best performance. Chrome, Discord etc. eat up memory in background.

  • Connect your laptop to a power source – For peak CPU/GPU power, avoid gaming on battery mode which throttles hardware.

  • Use a laptop cooling pad – Added airflow prevents your laptop from thermal throttling during long CoD sessions.

  • Set in-game video settings to Medium or Low at first – Gradually increase quality if your system can handle Higher/Ultra.

  • Update your NVIDIA or AMD drivers – This provides optimization for new game releases like Warzone 2.0.

  • Set Windows Power Plan to "High Performance" – This ensures your CPU and GPU operate at max clock speeds for extra FPS.

  • Clean dust buildup inside laptop – This improves airflow and cooling to maintain higher performance when gaming.

  • Close unused background apps – Freeing up RAM can resolve stuttering issues and crashes in Warzone.

Following these tips will give you the best shot at a smooth, fluid Call of Duty experience on a gaming laptop! Let me know if you have any other questions.

Common Questions about Free CoD Downloads

Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about downloading Call of Duty games:

Is Warzone completely free to play?

Yes! CoD: Warzone can be downloaded and played for free without any purchases. All game modes and maps are available at no cost.

Can I unlock all the weapons in Warzone without paying?

Absolutely. Any functional weapons, attachments, and equipment can be unlocked for free just by playing Warzone and leveling up your account and weapons. No payments needed.

Do I need PlayStation Plus or Xbox Live Gold subscriptions?

Nope. Warzone does not require any console subscription memberships to download and play for free on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, or Xbox Series X|S.

How big is the Warzone install size?

The full install is between 75-100GB depending on platform. So make sure your laptop has enough available storage before installing. An external SSD can help if internal space is limited.

Does Warzone support crossplay with friends?

Yes! Warzone fully supports crossplay across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox. You can squad up with friends on any platform.

Can I unlink my Activision account from Battle.net?

You can fully unlink accounts in the Battle.net account settings. This lets you switch your Activision profile over to Steam or other platforms while keeping progression.

I hope these answers help explain the whole free-to-play aspect. Let me know if you have any other CoD questions!

Final Summary

To recap, here are the key points:

  • The only free Call of Duty games are the Warzone and Warzone 2.0 battle royale titles, available on PC through Battle.net.

  • Premium CoD releases like Modern Warfare 2 require purchase to download and play.

  • A gaming laptop with a discrete GPU, 8GB RAM minimum, and 75GB of storage is recommended to play smoothly.

  • Follow the install steps for either Warzone or Warzone 2.0 in Battle.net to download on your laptop.

  • Use cooling pads, update drivers, and reduce graphics for optimal performance.

So in summary, while paid Call of Duty titles need to be purchased, you can enjoy exciting free CoD gameplay on your laptop by downloading Warzone or Warzone 2.0 from Battle.net! Let me know if any part of the install process gives you trouble. Enjoy!

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Michael

Michael Reddy is a tech enthusiast, entertainment buff, and avid traveler who loves exploring Linux and sharing unique insights with readers.