To get bot lobbies in Warzone, queue from a region that is in its quiet hours. Call of Duty's matchmaker weighs your connection first, and when few players are searching it relaxes skill before anything else, so a quiet region builds your lobby from a smaller, more casual pool. The Warzone VPN does that on PC, PS5 and Xbox.
The short version:
- Set up the Warzone VPN: the desktop app on PC, which also connects PS5 and Xbox through a USB-to-ethernet adapter.
- Pick a location that is in its off-peak window. Your dashboard shows the quiet hours for all 75 locations.
- Launch Warzone and queue as normal. Only your matchmaking traffic goes through the VPN, so your game connection stays direct and there is no added lag.
The rest of this guide explains why that works, how to set it up on each platform, and the other habits that help.
What "bot lobbies" means in Warzone
A bot lobby is a match where most of the other players are at a lower skill level than you. They are real people, not computer-controlled bots. Players call them "bots" because the lobby feels easy: slower reactions, fewer sweaty squads, more wins. Our explainer on what bot lobbies are covers the term in more detail.
Warzone does sometimes include genuine AI opponents. When Battle Royale Casual arrived with Verdansk in April 2025, it put 28 human players in with 120 AI-controlled opponents, and the playlist has come and gone from the rotation since. If it is live when you play, it is the easiest match in the game. Everywhere else, "bot lobby" means a softer human lobby, and that is what this guide is about.
Why the region you queue from matters
Activision has published how its matchmaking works. Its January 2024 matchmaking explainer puts connection at the top: "Ping is King. Connection is the most critical and heavily weighted factor in the matchmaking process." Time to match comes second. Skill is one factor among several others, and Activision says it "is not the dominant variable".
The detail that matters for bot lobbies is in Activision's July 2024 white paper, The Role of Skill in Matchmaking. When the matchmaker cannot find a close match quickly, it loosens its targets in a set order, and "skill targets are loosened faster than delta ping (lobby connection quality) targets when forming a lobby".
Put those together:
- The matchmaker builds your lobby mainly from players with a good connection to the same servers as you.
- At prime time in a busy region, there are enough players searching to hold a tight skill band.
- In a region that is in its quiet hours, fewer players are searching, so the skill band widens first and you are more likely to be matched with a casual pool.
Changing the region you queue from is the one lever you control that works with the matchmaker rather than against it. Your opponents are still human players, and nothing about your account or your stats changes. For the full background on skill-based matchmaking, see what SBMM is in Warzone.
The easiest way: queue from a quieter region
The Warzone VPN is the matchmaking VPN we build for exactly this. It routes your Warzone matchmaking through one of 75 locations, so the matchmaker builds your lobby from that region's pool. Only matchmaking traffic goes through it; your game traffic stays on your normal connection, so it does not add lag. It works at the network level, so it applies to every Warzone playlist.
Setting it up takes three steps:
- Connect the route. Install the desktop app on PC. On PS5 and Xbox, the app on your PC connects your console through a USB-to-ethernet adapter. Eazy VPN is our no-install console option.
- Pick a region in its quiet hours. The best location is whichever region is asleep while you play. The best VPN locations for Warzone show which regions are quiet during your evening, and your dashboard shows every location's quiet hours live.
- Queue as normal. Not every lobby will be easy, because matchmaking has many inputs, but softer lobbies come round far more often.
The route never touches Warzone's game files or your Activision account, and it never asks for your Activision login. Locations, plans and the full setup are on the Warzone VPN page.
Setting up on PS5, PS4, Xbox and PC
PS5
Connect your PS5 to the BotLobbies app on your PC with a USB-to-ethernet adapter, or use Eazy VPN if you want no install at all. Both route your PS5's matchmaking through the region you choose. Our guide to VPN lobbies on PS5 walks through the console settings.
PS4 and Xbox One
Warzone is leaving last-generation consoles. Activision's Warzone platform update says Warzone stays playable on PS4 and Xbox One until the end of Black Ops 7 Season 06, and from Modern Warfare 4 Season 1 it is no longer available on those consoles. Your progress carries over to PS5, Xbox Series X|S or PC if you use the same Activision account. If you are moving platform, set up the route on your new console.
Xbox Series X|S
Xbox works the same way: the app on your PC and a USB-to-ethernet adapter, or Eazy VPN. See how to get a VPN on Xbox for the console steps.
PC
Install the desktop app, pick a location in its quiet hours and play.
Resurgence, Rebirth Island and Black Ops Royale
Region routing works for every Warzone playlist, so the steps above apply in each mode:
- Resurgence and Rebirth Island: smaller maps and faster respawns mean more fights per match, so a softer lobby makes an even bigger difference. See our guide to Rebirth Island bot lobbies.
- Black Ops Royale: the Blackout-style mode added with Black Ops 7. Activision says Season 06 is the last chance to play it, and our Black Ops Royale guide covers what to expect.
- Zodiac: the Resurgence map coming to Warzone with Modern Warfare 4's Season 1 update, expected on 6 November 2026.
Running the current meta weapons helps in any lobby. Our live Warzone meta tier list shows what is strongest this week.
Other habits that help
A matchmaking VPN is the biggest lever, but these help too, with or without one:
- Play at off-peak hours. Late at night or early in the morning, your own region's pool is smaller too. The catch is that you have to play at those hours; a VPN lets you use another region's quiet hours during your evening.
- Play Casual when it is available. Battle Royale Casual, when it is in rotation, mixes in AI opponents.
- Mix up your squad. Who you queue with changes who you are matched against, though Activision has not published exactly how parties are weighted.
- Reverse boosting, with care. Deliberately tanking your stats lowers your rating for a while, and it unwinds as soon as you play properly. Done by hand in squads it also ruins the match for your team-mates. RankRocket automates it on PC in Warzone Solos; read the caveats on its page first, because it can breach a game's terms and results vary.
What doesn't work
- There is no "SBMM off" setting. Activision has said that splitting players with an opt-in or opt-out system "will have negative consequences on the overall player pool". Softer lobbies come from where and when you queue.
- Free VPNs. They rarely offer the right locations, add a lot of latency and come with privacy trade-offs. Our breakdown of free VPNs for Warzone bot lobbies explains why.
- Anything that asks for your Activision login. Some "bot lobby" services want access to your account. A matchmaking VPN never does.
Warzone bot lobby FAQ
Can you still get bot lobbies in Warzone in 2026?
Yes. Warzone's matchmaker still weighs connection first and relaxes skill first when the pool is thin, so queueing from a region in its quiet hours still produces softer lobbies. Results vary by region and time of day.
How do you get bot lobbies in Warzone on PS4?
Warzone is playable on PS4 until the end of Black Ops 7 Season 06, and from Modern Warfare 4 Season 1 it is no longer available on PS4 or Xbox One. Until then, the same network-profile route works. After that, move to PS5, Xbox Series X|S or PC with the same Activision account and your progress carries over.
How do you get bot lobbies in Warzone on Xbox?
Connect your Xbox to the BotLobbies app on your PC with a USB-to-ethernet adapter (or use Eazy VPN's DNS setting), pick a location in its quiet hours, and queue as normal. Nothing is installed on the console.
How do you get bot lobbies in Rebirth Island?
The same way as the rest of Warzone: route your matchmaking through a region in its quiet hours before you queue for Resurgence. Smaller maps mean more fights, so a softer lobby makes a big difference.
Are Warzone bot lobbies actually full of bots?
Mostly no. "Bot lobby" usually means a lobby of real players at a lower skill level than you. The exception is Battle Royale Casual, which mixes human players with AI-controlled opponents when it is in the playlist rotation.
Can you get bot lobbies in Warzone without a VPN?
Sometimes. Playing late at night or early in the morning in your own region, and playing Casual when it is available, both help. The catch is that you have to play at those hours. The Warzone VPN lets you use another region's quiet hours during your own evening instead.
Sources
- Call of Duty, An inside look at matchmaking (January 2024)
- Activision Research, The Role of Skill in Matchmaking (July 2024)
- Activision Support, Call of Duty: Warzone platform update (2026)