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Finally. We have confirmation that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is the official title for Infinity Ward's next release in the ongoing annual Call of Duty franchise. Infinity Ward has confirmed that Modern Warfare 4, which is expected to launch this fall, has been designed around a "ripped from the headlines" philosophy, with gritty and authentic characters that are intended to feel real and not superhero-like.
Here's a quick breakdown of everything revealed for MW4 so far.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 campaign details
The last Call of Duty players saw of Captain Price, the popular character, had just shot US General Shepherd in his office during a post-credit scene for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023).
At the start of Modern Warfare 4, players will experience the ramifications of that action, as Price is now on the run and running short on allies. But Price and Task Force 141 are not the only squadron we'll see in Modern Warfare 4.
The story will also center on a second team of 18-25-year-old soldiers in a squadron that consists of both Korean soldiers and US Marines. These soldiers will have fully realized stories and names.
The second team allows Infinity Ward to recenter the Modern Warfare story on a team of grunts, as opposed to the spec ops soldiers that have been the central focus of the story in recent entries.
"For us, we wanted to refresh Modern Warfare, and to do that, we needed to go to a new setting," says Infinity Ward co-studio head Jack O'Hara. O'Hara says that choosing South Korea as the setting for MW4 was exciting for the team, as it offered the opportunity to introduce new architecture and cultural influences to the series.
Modern Warfare 4's campaign will feature 13 missions across three acts, taking players to memorable locations like New York City and Paris, as well as new destinations like Mumbai.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 multiplayer details
Gritty, boots-on-the-ground gameplay is the theme for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4. Infinity Ward's studio multiplayer creative directors Joe Cecot and Geoff Smith shared a mantra for Modern Warfare 4's multiplayer experience, describing it as "Slick and sophisticated" with "cinematic firefights" that perfectly balance realism and dynamic worlds for fluid, fun gameplay.
One such way that the studio has pulled off this mantra is by introducing a new shockwave mechanic and adding more interactive items throughout multiplayer levels. If a player shoots at a fire hydrant, for example, enemy players in the blast radius can be impacted by the explosion.
If the explosion is non-lethal to the enemy player, it will still cause them to be knocked back. This shockwave feature expands to grenades, as well.
Infinity Ward has also further expanded on Modern Warfare 4's animations and movement systems. Some movement tech originally introduced with Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's omnimovement has transitioned into Modern Warfare. Features like supine prone have been tweaked to be even more dynamic.
Players will be able to transition smoothly from a slide to descending down a ladder in Modern Warfare 4, making for faster escapes from sketchy situations.
Mantling has also gotten yet another boost, with MW4 allowing players to transition instantly from a mantle into a slide. This mechanic works best when clambering over an object like a vehicle, and then instantly hitting a slide after disembarking.
Dynamic leaning and ledge shimmies round out the new movement tech coming to MW4. One thing that will be missing from Infinity Ward's take on advanced movement is the ability to wall jump. Introduced with Treyarch's Black Ops 7 launch in 2025, the ability to wall jump will be left behind in favor of a more grounded approach to combat.
Create-a-class gets a much-needed makeover for the better in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4. Previous Call of Duty titles only allowed players to edit their base loadout using create-a-class, but now deeper customization gives the player the freedom to create classes tied to specific operator skins. Choose an operator in a ghillie suit for your sniper class, build out your weapon, pick 3 perks, and then choose your preferred killstreaks.
Want to run and gun, instead? Create your second class with your favorite Operator and go for an SMG loadout heavy on perks like Ghost, Ninja, and Cold-Blooded. Pair it with some high-value killstreaks that don't require you to leave your body alone on the battlefield, and watch your Elimination to Death Ratio skyrocket.
In an effort to find and secure its own identity for Modern Warfare, Infinity Ward has eschewed Treyarch's previous weapon prestige system. Instead, the development team has introduced Apex attachments, an unlockable reward for each weapon that only becomes available after hitting that weapon's max level.
Apex attachments can be added to your weapon without taking away any of the five standard-issue slots available for attachments, and have significant advantages that can change your experience on the battlefield. An underbarrel attachment that launches a trio of throwing knives, a heartbeat monitor built into your weapon's sight, and more can be equipped to your weapons — that is, if you can earn them.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 will launch with 24 weapons, hundreds of attachment combinations, 11 lethals, 9 tacticals, 17 killstreaks, and 11 field upgrade options for your loadout. If you're feeling overwhelmed about how to choose your next weapon, the Gunny feature can be found in the Gunsmith. Gunny will generate a viable weapon build from the player's list of available attachments and weapons at the press of a button.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 will launch with 12 game modes for multiplayer, including fan favorites like Team Deathmatch, Domination, and Hardpoint. New modes like Inflation and Counterattack will also be available at launch. Gun Game and Drop Zone will return as party offerings, with more modes planned for after launch.
Launch maps include:
- Silkworm
- Reactor J92
- Rooftop
- Mumbai
- Caschette
- Nautical
- Lotus
- Sentry
- Coal
- Transit 23
- Korean Nuclear Reactor (KNR)
All the maps for Modern Warfare 4 are brand new, so fans of Shipment and Shoothouse may initially feel left out. Fear not, Infinity Ward isn't leaving us small map junkies out of the rotation — the brand new dynamic map, Kill Block, will provide a Shoothouse-sized playground that changes dynamically throughout the match.
Inspired by sports stadiums with retractable flooring systems that allow them to rotate between football fields, basketball stadiums, and hockey rinks all in one, Kill Block is a live fire training facility with three slabs that shift throughout the rounds of the match. There are over 500 combinations for Kill Block, ensuring plenty of small map variety, and some map slabs may even be reminiscent of locations seen in Modern Warfare's past.
Prestige will return in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, but with a significant change. Infinity Ward has offered two new tracks for Prestige. Classic Prestige allows players to give up their unlocks for XP boosts and additional rewards, while the second option for prestige allows players to keep their unlocks while continuing to progress through the level track — albeit without receiving prestige-only unlocks.
Hands-on impressions of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 multiplayer
Activision and Infinity Ward gave content creators and press a brief preview window during which we had the opportunity to play through a few matches of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4's multiplayer modes.
After two years with the Call of Duty: Black Ops series, Modern Warfare 4's movement system is decidedly slower. Even with improved mechanics for sliding and mantling, the boots-on-the-ground experience Infinity Ward was aiming for is very present. There were still plenty of players attempting to wall jump, and there were some rogue instances of players trying to revive the long-lost art of bunny hopping around corners, but weapon balance and dynamic lean mechanics managed to bridge the gap.
Bunny hopping in multiplayer has long been a pet peeve of mine, and I'm not surprised to see that become the go-to strat for players who are looking for advanced movement in a more grounded environment, but I'm still going to hope that Infinity Ward adds in some deterrents for it somewhere down the line. Loss of aim accuracy, slower recovery from the jump to sprinting, or some other limitation on the player coming out of the hop can help a lot.
I do feel as though Infinity Ward's grounded movement has led to better map design, as well. Black Ops 7's maps feel almost comically large at times, especially as they're designed to allow for wall jumps and extreme slides. Modern Warfare 4's corridors feel more imposing, as you can run up on an enemy with a close-range weapon and truly find yourself without an out. It adds more tension to encounters and movement, and makes successful gunfights feel rewarding.
I was surprised and genuinely impressed by the design of Kill Block, the dynamic Shoothouse-sized map. It's easy to get lost in the details of a map's design when it does something as unusual as shift layouts every round. From the description alone, I was expecting a mode that was a little more gimmicky, but instead I found myself thoroughly enjoying the chaos and challenge of an ever-evolving battleground.
There's still so much we have yet to see from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, and I have no doubt that the shock of going from BO7 to MW4 movement is going to throw the community into a bit of a tailspin. But for those of us craving a little bit of nostalgia and more thoughtful, tactical gameplay engagements, Modern Warfare 4 certainly looks promising.
For more on my time at Infinity Ward's studio, check out my interview with the Modern Warfare 4 multiplayer team.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 third mode: DMZ is back!
As part of today's reveal for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, Infinity Ward has confirmed that the DMZ will return as MW4's third mode this fall. Infinity Ward has declared DMZ the 'definitive Call of Duty extraction experience", taking place within a living combat sandbox that is always shifting, with changing weather, dynamic military objectives, and hostile forces.
Every run is a risk as you loot, fight, negotiate, and betray in order to extract whatever you can carry. Infinity Ward was light on any additional details pertaining to the DMZ, so we'll likely have to wait for either a Call of Duty Direct sometime in the future or for this year's Call of Duty Next event to learn more.
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