// PC GAMER — GAMING
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 review
Modern Warfare 4 is the bar that this series should regularly aspire to, and a reminder that Call of Duty benefits when it actually tries to change.
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There is a new game titled "Call of Duty" every year, but it's not every year that Call of Duty is really back.
What is it The next Call of Duty from the original creators of Call of DutyRelease date October 23, 2026Expect to pay $70/£60Publisher Activision BlizzardDeveloper Infinity WardReviewed on RTX 5090, Ryzen 7 9800X3D 4.7 GHz, 64GB RAMMultiplayer Up to 60 playersSteam Deck UnsupportedLink Official site
The tireless schedule of Activision's load-bearing FPS has resulted in more bad games than good as of late—Modern Warfare 3 was an expansion-sized sequel rushed out the door, Black Ops 6 was a step back for multiplayer, and its immediate followup Black Ops 7 was clocked as superfluous and uninteresting even by rain-or-shine fans. These back-to-back games, shouldered by Treyarch, Sledgehammer, and Raven, had cracks and compromises that suggested the Call of Duty machine just can't keep up with both "good" and "fast" anymore.
Modern Warfare 4's greatness shows how right that is. This is an extravagant package on all fronts: A kinetic 6v6 FPS with truly excellent gunplay, a fun campaign that doesn't just play the hits, and an expansive extraction "mode" that would be its own game if any other name were on the box.
I have complaints, but this is what it looks like when Call of Duty is in the pocket. The best Call of Duty studio got to take its time (four years, tied with the longest in series history) and it shows.
These days, whether or not a Call of Duty clicks with me begins and ends with the guns—how they look, sound, animate, and change with attachments—and Infinity Ward is simply unmatched on those details. Modern Warfare 4's guns spit out layered, cacophonous blasts that will overpower your voice chat by default (as they should). They shake your world as you shoot them without getting in the way of aim. They reload with personality and flair without wasting time. They're loud and metallic without sounding tinny or plastic, like Treyarch guns always do.
Modern Warfare 4 has some of the easiest guns to control in the genre, yet in action, they feel substantial and weighty like a milsim. This is the magic trick that Call of Duty studios regularly attempt, but only this one has mastered.
Infinity Ward just loves being extra about guns in ways that make them memorable.