Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4's full launch is imminent, but it's suddenly hit a technical roadblock that may hurt its chances of success with console gamers.
The developers of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 have announced on X that its Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 versions must run on monitors with Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) enabled for Performance Mode support while players engage with its campaign and DMZ modes.
This requirement for VRR monitors will also be in effect for Call of Duty: Warzone with Season 1. If you do not have a monitor with VRR enabled and with least 120Hz refresh rates, the game's framerates in Performance Mode will be locked at 60Hz.
📢 Call of Duty: #ModernWarfare4 | #DMZ Early Access Players on PS5 and XBOX Series X|S must have Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) enabled for Performance Mode support in #MW4 Campaign and DMZ. This will also be required for Performance Mode in Call of Duty: Warzone with Season 1. If you're encountering issues being locked at 60 Hz in these modes, make sure your display supports 120 Hz and VRR, and check your settings to ensure VRR is enabled.October 20, 2026
Asking players to get a different monitor days before launching your AAA game is certainly a "choice", and a very wrong one at that
This last-minute change won't affect you as much if you don't mind playing the single-player campaign at 60fps in Performance Mode or Resolution Mode for 4K resolutions to achieve greater cinematic immersion.
However, hardcore competitive Call of Duty fans who need as many frames as possible to reduce input lag during intense multiplayer matches or just smoother gameplay in general are beyond angry in the replies to this announcement on X.
I can hardly blame them for getting angry. Asking console players to get a different and expensive monitor if their current one (even if it has a 240Hz refresh rate) doesn't have VRR to achieve optimal performance just days before Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 launches on October 23, 2026, is just ridiculous, and they should've warned people months in advance.
What makes this worse is that gaming monitors have become more costly and rarer to find for gamers on a tight budget these days thanks to the worsening RAM Crisis.
Nonetheless, we're not going to leave our fellow console players hanging. So we've scoured the internet for some of the best gaming monitors with VRR to help you circumvent this last-minute requirement and enjoy this AAA blockbuster at its best on Xbox.
Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.
