- Primary Subject: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4
- Key Update: After playing MW4 for the past few days, I'm finally sharing my opinion on all three major modes in Infinity Ward's latest entry.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: October 28, 2026
- Quick Answer: Campaign and DMZ are the highlights in Call of Duty: MW4, while Multiplayer isn't the most enjoyable mode for several reasons.
After Sledgehammer Games took the reins for the third installment, Infinity Ward has returned to conclude the subfranchise reboot that started back in 2019. Modern Warfare 4 is now out, bringing a campaign, multiplayer mode, and a new iteration of DMZ, giving the Zombies mode a well-deserved rest for now.
Although the game has been in early access for more than a week, I waited to share my thoughts until all modes were released, as it wouldn't be fair to rate the title without the full picture, especially for players who prefer one mode over another.
I'll start with what I think is the game's strongest offering: the campaign. As always, I will keep the review spoiler-free so I don't ruin anyone's experience.
When the game's marketing pivoted to selling this title as the end of the subfranchise, I thought it was just a classic tactic to get more customers interested. After all, the last quarter of 2026 is probably one of the busiest in recent years for game releases, especially with GTA 6's launch. However, after playing the campaign in its entirety, I can say it wasn't a last-minute marketing shift, since the story feels like a conclusion for the group of characters we have been following since 2019.
As someone who enjoyed the original Modern Warfare trilogy, I've played all the campaigns in the rebooted subfranchise. Coming off the lackluster, repetitive campaign of Modern Warfare 3 (2023), I had high expectations for this last chapter and, to my pleasant surprise, they were met.
Right from the start, the game greets you with a refresher, recapping the story with a quick compilation of major cutscenes from previous titles, like a new season of a show. This sets the stage and prepares the player before they dive into the first mission.
Some parts of MW4's campaign aren't presented linearly; instead, they're structured to slowly build up to major events and preserve the shock value of certain moments longer, like the invasion of South Korea. This doesn't make the story harder to comprehend, but it works better because it kept me engaged and wondering what would happen next.
I realized early on in my playthrough that the gloves were off for this "last entry" and was genuinely scared for all Task Force 141 members and allies, because it felt like the plot armor was gone. It's a good thing the developers aren't held back and can tell the story they want, even if it means sacrificing characters people are fond of.
Price and the other well-known characters have to share the spotlight this time, as one part of the campaign focuses on Private Park and the South Korean platoon. The game doesn't give us any of their backstories, but it doesn't need to. These characters are down-to-earth and likable from the start, making it easy for the player to care as they survive and fight during the North Korean invasion.
The North Korean side also has a few key characters, and although we don't learn much about them, one early mission is enough to show their nature, which aligns with what happens as the story progresses. Although it would've been appreciated, adding depth to these characters is difficult considering the amount of new names the game has to juggle. Plus, too much backstory could make the story boring in the end.
One of my biggest complaints with the Modern Warfare 3 (2023) campaign is how monotonous and flat the missions feel. That's not surprising, given that Sledgehammer Games was handed the task of producing a fully fledged game on short notice using content originally intended as DLC for MW2 (2022). As a result, most missions present the same gameplay loop. This is more evident during the Open Combat missions, where you only need to go to Point A and interact with an object while surviving enemy NPCs.
I'm glad to report that the MW4 campaign doesn't have this issue. The campaign has 16 missions, and each one offers good variety. They range from street-level missions to stealth infiltration/escape missions, ground war-style battles, and even car chases. One mission in particular stands out to me because it's reminiscent of the Clean House mission from MW2019, but also because of how it handles a double perspective and its plot relevance (You'll know when you get there).
Surprisingly, the campaign includes one mission in an open-world format. Players need to complete three quests in an open-world area in any order. I thought this part of the campaign would be boring, but the game includes mechanics to prevent that. The mission lets you either free roam to the target or fast travel. Implementing a small fast travel system was the right call, since some players just want to get on with it and aren't interested in exploring this open-world area. Nonetheless, the mission caters to both playstyles, so players who decide to explore the area and loot are also rewarded. Another plus is that each main quest is distinct and doesn't take too long to complete.
I was so eager to see Mads Mikkelsen play The Archer, the story's big baddie. Although the role doesn't make him the franchise's best antagonist, he does a pretty stellar job with what he has. The Casino Royale actor has the gravitas to make this character a real threat, and the game shows it more than once. It doesn't reach the level of original-trilogy Makarov, but his presence is felt every time he's on screen.
Barry Sloane plays a different kind of John Price this time, one we haven't seen in any game before. I'm talking about a rogue ex-special forces soldier who won't stop and will cross any line to complete his objective. You can see how the grief and anger from losing Soap, and years of following orders only to accomplish nothing, still linger and show in his behavior. Sloane shines here, capturing the feelings really well and delivering a compelling performance. I also appreciate how the story follows Price's path and ties it back to comments he made in the first title (MW2019), giving it a full-circle moment.
I can't finish talking about the campaign without mentioning the great work of composer Stephen Barton, who returns to the franchise after writing the score for the original Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare around 20 years ago. The score has always been a big deal for me, and it can substantially improve my experience with a game.
Barton has spent the last few years scoring titles at Respawn Entertainment, and his work on Apex Legends and the Star Wars Jedi games has stood out to me. So when they announced he would compose the score for this game, my expectations were fairly high, especially since it's been hard to find someone who can match what Sarah Schachner did on MW2019.
Fortunately, the score met my expectations and delivered tracks that not only fit the campaign's narrative but also elevated each situation and deepened the player's immersion. One track even homages the original Call of Duty 4 theme, and it couldn't have played at a better time than during a cutscene.
Jumping to the other two modes, I also consider DMZ a win here. A few years ago, when the DMZ beta launched with Warzone 2, the name the game had back then, I found the mode in a weird position. I could clearly see the developers trying to peek into the extraction shooter genre and create a new, original third mode, distancing it from Zombies, but it didn't quite click.
The mode felt like an extension of Warzone, and most of the time, it played like a Warzone match. From my perspective, the approach didn't differ, which made it unappealing in the end. This new iteration of DMZ is different. It doesn't feel like another arm of Warzone. Instead, it feels like the mode finally has its own identity and offers unique experiences.
Players are greeted with an introductory mission, something I didn't expect but appreciated. After that, we are introduced to the new Forward Operating Base (FOB), a feature I really enjoy. Think of it as the headquarters from Call of Duty: WW2, but this time you can do more to prepare for a match instead of treating it like a social space. Players can build items with the 3D printer (one of my favorite features here), prepare loadouts at the gunsmith, use the practice range, and more. All of this could've easily been done in a menu screen, but this implementation is a hundred times better and gives the mode more life.
The launch map, Hajin, features areas with multiple architectural designs because parts of Russia, North Korea, and South Korea are bunched together, creating variety across the different points of interest. Multiple NPCs populate this map, and like in the first DMZ, mini bosses called Lieutenants let players eliminate them to get their tags and rewards. What stands out most is the number of secrets, easter eggs, and story missions this map has.
All of that creates a rich experience, where you can follow the story, uncover a secret reward, or even complete an easter egg. The mode offers plenty to do, no matter your playstyle. PvP fanatics can still find fun by looking for other players, but PvE fans also get some love with lore and mysteries ready to be uncovered. With the story already hinting at a Season 1 continuation, I hope more of this gets implemented in this and future maps.
Last but not least, the bread and butter of the franchise: Multiplayer. Weirdly enough, I think Multiplayer is the weakest of the three major modes, and it's probably the only thing holding the game back from being an outstanding entry.
Multiplayer is usually the mode I enjoy most in a Call of Duty, but a few things are not convincing me in this entry. Although most maps adopt the 3-lane design philosophy, sometimes it feels like I'm walking in a maze. Some maps are pretty bad, and I try to avoid them whenever they show up in the voting pool. Transit 213 was supposed to be the new "Shipment," and I haven't had any kind of fun on this small map. Some are salvageable thanks to their design choices, but it feels like the game is also working against them, with the spawn system being a complete disaster. It's been impossible to read spawns in most of my games, even in Domination, which is the easiest mode to do that.
Coming off the omnimovement from Black Ops 6 and 7, MW4's movement feels way slower and clunkier. This isn't a negative point, as old-school players will probably appreciate a movement system that is not over the top. Besides, the game offers a few movement options with the new pipe-climbing system, and tac sprint is still there; this time, you have to spend a perk slot to access it.
My biggest criticism of this year's Multiplayer will be SBMM. Black Ops 7 improved a lot by adding a new set of open playlists where skill isn't a priority when matching players. It's unclear whether this same system has been brought over to MW4 or if another version is in place. Players don't know for sure, and Infinity Ward hasn't been clear on this topic. Some have theorized that searching for a game using the mode-specific playlists is less strict on SBMM, but this hasn't been confirmed.
Another annoying factor ruining people's experiences is the inconsistency with what each player sees. I have seen numerous cases online where a player sees something on their screen, but from the opponent's perspective, things don't happen the same way, with positioning differing or the bullet-hit registration system missing. Many are attributing these altercations to the new server culling feature, meant to prevent cheat software from enabling wallhacks, but there's no clear answer.
Now that the game is out for everyone, I'm waiting to see how the post-launch content for both DMZ and Multiplayer will turn out. It will be hard to match the amount of content MW3 and Black Ops 7 received after launch, but MW4 should at least come close if the studio wants a successful post-launch tenure.
All in all, Multiplayer still needs work to meet standards, but that doesn't change the fact that MW4 delivered one of the best campaigns in years and created an engaging, interesting third mode with the new iteration of DMZ.
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