Modern Warfare 4 review: The best Call of Duty in years?

Since October 23, 2026, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 has been available worldwide for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC and Nintendo Switch 2. I took a look at the campaign, multiplayer and DMZ, and in my Modern Warfare 4 review I’ll tell you why the new entry from Infinity Ward is among the best in the series, but doesn’t come without quirks.

The campaign: Korea, Price and Stranded

The setup is grim: North Korea launches an invasion of the Korean peninsula, and among others you fight as Private Park Hyun Jun with a young South Korean squad on a crumbling front. In parallel, after the death of General Shepherd, Captain Price wages a campaign of revenge from the shadows while Ghost and Gaz hunt him. Of all people, he gets help from Valeria Garza. These uncomfortable alliances carry the story across 16 missions.

The locations range from trench warfare in Korea and close-quarters combat in New York to chases through Paris and nighttime SAS operations in Mumbai. My highlight is the mission „Stranded“ about halfway through the campaign: it’s open in design, with side objectives in the snowy North Korean landscape. According to Polygon , the campaign takes around 8 to 10 hours; if you do everything in Stranded, you’ll end up closer to 12 to 13 hours.

The press largely agrees here: TechRadar calls it the best campaign in a decade, while Game Informer finds the execution of the plot somewhat shaky. I see it similarly: the staging and pacing are great, but some twists come too abruptly.

Multiplayer: Strong gunplay, tough lobbies

In multiplayer, Infinity Ward relies on precise, grounded firefights. The new „Ballistic Authority“ system removes bloom, and recoil and weapon handling feel more direct. On top of that come climbing, hanging and pulling yourself up on ledges. According to Call of Duty , there are 20 maps at launch: twelve new 6v6 maps, four Gunfight maps, three Ground War maps and the Kill Block training facility, which reconfigures itself between rounds.

As good as the shooting feels, everyday play is mixed. Many players, and Press Start too, criticize strict skill-based matchmaking with sweaty lobbies and long wait times, plus complaints about maps and spawns. Game Informer finds the multiplayer somewhat repetitive in the long run. Kill Block, on the other hand, is a genuinely fresh idea that GameSpot explicitly praises.

DMZ: Hajin is the highlight

With DMZ, the extraction mode from Modern Warfare II returns. You go alone or in a squad as an unofficial operative into the contested Hajin area, loot, fight and decide when to get out. With the base (FOB) and its own progression, there are many more reasons to keep going back this time. Vandal calls Hajin the crown jewel of the game, and I can easily understand why.

The unlockable „Possum“ trait, which lets you revive yourself once per match but costs you your loot, is controversially discussed. According to Eurogamer, many players are annoyed by it.

Modern Warfare 4 on Switch 2

For the first time in more than ten years, a Modern Warfare is also coming to a Nintendo console. The native version by Infinity Ward and Digital Legends launched at the same time as the other versions and supports TV, tabletop and handheld modes. Nintendo Life gives it 9 out of 10 points and praises how well the game runs on the hardware. You need Nintendo Switch Online for online play.

Graphics and tech

Visually, Modern Warfare 4 is one of the most beautiful Call of Duty games yet. Explosions, smoke and lighting look great, and because the game only comes out for current platforms, the maps feel bigger and denser. On PC, thanks to Beenox, there’s DLSS 4.5, several upscaling and frame generation options as well as ray tracing.

The downside: on PC, TPM 2.0, Secure Boot and an SSD with 115 GB are mandatory, and multiplayer and DMZ require a permanent internet connection. Steam players also criticize the Call of Duty launcher and the anti-cheat requirements. On Steam, the Standard Edition costs €69.99 and the Vault Edition €99.99. The game won’t land in Game Pass until the 2027 holiday season. The publisher is Activision.

What Steam players say

The Steam reviews tell an interesting story. During the campaign early access, according to AFK Journal , the rating was at times over 90 percent positive. With the launch of DMZ and especially multiplayer on October 23, it dropped significantly. According to Steam Ranker , 80 percent of around 9,300 reviews are currently positive; among reviews from the last few days, it’s only about two thirds.

• Praise mainly goes to the campaign, graphics and presentation, as well as the fun in DMZ.
• Criticism targets multiplayer problems such as spawns and matchmaking, the Call of Duty launcher and the anti-cheat requirements.

Scores at a glance

You can find more about the studio in our profile of Infinity Ward.