Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Review: 12 Things That Decide Infinity Ward’s Comeback

Filmoria Review

Screenshot © Activision / Infinity Ward, via Steam.

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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, Infinity Ward’s war thriller set on the Korean Peninsula, launched on 23 October 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC and Nintendo Switch 2, and UK players can buy it now from the PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, Steam, Battle.net and the Nintendo eShop, with a standard price of £69.99. Filmoria gives it 4 out of 5 stars: the campaign is the best Call of Duty has produced in years and DMZ is a genuinely good extraction shooter, but the launch multiplayer maps are forgettable and the matchmaking is punishing. It sits between 86 and 89 on Metacritic depending on platform, the series’ best reviews in well over a decade.

TL;DR: Modern Warfare 4 is the first Call of Duty in a long time where the campaign is the reason to buy it. Six or so hours in Seoul and beyond, with a new squad and a darker Captain Price, land harder than anything since the 2019 reboot. DMZ comes back as a full extraction game. Multiplayer is fine to play and frustrating to live with.

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This is a ranked list of the 12 things that decide our verdict on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, covering its campaign, characters, combat, length, multiplayer maps, matchmaking, DMZ, technical performance, the Switch 2 port, its place in the series and its value.

We ordered the items the way most players will meet the game: campaign first, then multiplayer and DMZ, then the technical side, then the bigger questions of comparison, value and our final score. Review scores quoted come from the outlets named, and our own ratings show where we agree or disagree with them.

1. The Korean Campaign (Infinity Ward, PS5 / Xbox / PC / Switch 2)

What makes it stand out: For once, a Call of Duty campaign feels like it’s about a real place under real threat.

Key data: It’s the first Modern Warfare campaign set primarily on the Korean Peninsula, with Seoul at the heart of a conflict between North and South that spills out across the region.

Why it matters: Modern Warfare’s best campaigns have always been built on a setting that feels close to the news, and this is the closest it has come since 2019.

Let’s get the headline out of the way. This is a very good Call of Duty campaign. Not “good for Call of Duty”, not “a nice surprise after Modern Warfare III”. Just good.

A lot of that comes down to where it’s set. Infinity Ward has swapped the usual tour of generic Middle Eastern compounds and anonymous Eastern European docks for a Korean Peninsula on the brink, and the shift gives everything a sharper edge. Seoul is dense, modern and full of ordinary life, which makes it horribly effective when the war arrives. Inven Global, a Korean outlet, gave the game 8.3 and singled out its depiction of both South and North Korea as a strength. That’s not nothing. Western shooters have a long, embarrassing history of getting this stuff wrong.

The tone is closer to a political thriller than a blockbuster. There are big moments, and they’re very big, but the campaign keeps returning to espionage, bad decisions and the cost of them. COGconnected’s preview called it a campaign of “terrifying Korean conflict, espionage, and dark price”, and the finished game lives up to that.

We’d go further than some critics here. The setting isn’t just set dressing. It’s what lets the story ask a question the series usually dodges: what happens when the people you’re fighting for don’t trust you either? That tension sits under almost every mission, and it’s why the campaign stays with you after the credits.

2. Sierra-1, Captain Price and Ghost (the characters)

Screenshot © Activision / Infinity Ward, via Steam.

What makes it stand out: A mostly new squad finally gives Modern Warfare a human scale again, while the old faces carry real weight.

Key data: The story introduces Sierra-1, a hybrid team of American and Republic of Korea soldiers stationed in Seoul, alongside Captain Price and Simon “Ghost” Riley.

Why it matters: The rebooted trilogy leaned so hard on Task Force 141 that its characters had started to feel like action figures.

Insider Gaming, which gave the campaign a 9, put it neatly: from the opening you start getting attached to a mostly new cast, and yet the game is also a who’s who of the series so far. Both things are true, and the balance is the cleverest thing Infinity Ward has done.

Sierra-1 is the heart of it. Mixing US and ROK soldiers in one unit gives the dialogue friction from the start, and it means the Korean characters aren’t just there to be rescued. They argue, they pull rank, they make calls the Americans don’t like. It’s a small change on paper and a big one in practice.

Price is the other half. Windows Central’s review frames the story as the moment his “chickens come home to roost”, and we agree that this is the darkest he’s been. The reboot spent three games making Price a cool, bearded fixer. Here, the consequences of all that fixing catch up with him, and the game is brave enough to let him look bad. Ghost, meanwhile, is used sparingly and to great effect. He’s less a co-star than a presence, and that suits him.

If there’s a weakness, it’s that one or two of the new faces never get the screen time to match their introductions. In a campaign this short, someone was always going to lose out.

3. Grounded Combat and the Grunt’s-Eye View

What makes it stand out: The shooting feels heavier and the missions feel less like a theme-park ride.

Key data: Infinity Ward pitched a return to the “grunt perspective”, focusing on large-scale infantry warfare rather than elite operators, and the campaign earned a 92% Very Positive Steam rating from more than 3,400 user reviews in its early-access window.

Why it matters: Call of Duty is at its best when you feel like one soldier in a war, not a superhero with a radio.

MP1st’s campaign review was titled “Putting the Ground Back Under Our Feet”, and we can’t think of a better summary. After a run of entries where you spent half the time being flung through windows by scripted explosions, Modern Warfare 4 slows down and lets you fight.

The guns have weight. Recoil matters. Moving between cover in a Seoul street under fire feels dangerous in a way the series hasn’t managed for years. There are still big cinematic set pieces, and a couple of them are among the best Infinity Ward has built, but they’re earned by the quieter, scrappier stretches around them.

Player reaction backs this up. A 92% Very Positive score on Steam from over 3,400 reviews was, according to TweakTown, the series’ best Steam rating in more than a decade, and that came from people who’d bought early access purely for the campaign. Call of Duty players are not a forgiving crowd. Push Square’s headline on early user reviews, “campaign is easily top three”, tells you how far expectations had sunk.

Our only reservation is variety. The best missions are the grounded ones, and when the campaign occasionally reaches for a gimmick sequence, it feels like a different, older game butting in.

4. Campaign Length and Pacing (about six hours)

Screenshot © Activision / Infinity Ward, via Steam.

What makes it stand out: It’s short, but it isn’t padded.

Key data: Insider Gaming called it a “six-hour spectacle”, and GamingBolt said it’s on the short side, though longer than the last two entries.

Why it matters: At £69.99, length is the first thing campaign-only players will ask about.

Six hours or so is standard for the series, and honestly we’d rather have six excellent hours than ten average ones. Modern Warfare III’s notorious campaign proved that length isn’t the problem. Quality is.

That said, the pacing isn’t perfect. Inven Global’s 8.3 review criticised it directly, and we see why. The opening act is superb, and the final stretch is the “explosive finale” Windows Central’s headline promised. The middle has a couple of missions that feel like they’re moving pieces into place rather than telling the story, and in a campaign this short you notice every one of them.

There’s also the finale question. OpenCritic’s critic blurbs include at least one reviewer left “with questions narratively”, and another calling the campaign a “tonal Greatest Hits with a few lingering questions”. Without spoiling anything, we’d agree that the ending opens as many doors as it closes. Whether that frustrates you will depend on how much you care about where Price goes next.

So, is six hours enough? For us, yes, because so little of it is wasted. But nobody should buy this expecting a long single-player game, and if the campaign is all you want, waiting for a price drop is a sensible move.

5. The Launch Multiplayer Maps (12 at launch)

Screenshot © Activision / Infinity Ward, via Steam.

What makes it stand out: The gunplay is excellent; the places you use it are not.

Key data: Reviews report 12 launch maps, with named maps including Silkworm, Reactor J92, Rooftop, Mumbai, Lithium and Munition.

Why it matters: Maps decide whether Call of Duty multiplayer is still being played in March.

The campaign gets the headlines, but most players will spend most of their time here, and this is where Modern Warfare 4 drops a star. Critics broadly agree that the 12 launch maps lack a clear standout, and we’re in the same place.

None of them are disasters. The problem is that none of them have the personality of the series’ classics, the kind of map you can picture from the name alone, like Crash, Shipment or Terminal. A launch line-up of a dozen maps with no obvious favourite is a strange place for a Call of Duty to be, and it’s the main thing holding the multiplayer back.

Push Square reported that feedback on multiplayer was “brutal” when it unlocked early, before launch. Some of that was the usual first-week noise. Some of it was about spawns, with reports of inconsistent spawn behaviour on several maps, and that’s a real issue on maps this compact.

The good news is that the shooting itself is excellent, and even the harshest multiplayer reviews aren’t complaining about how the guns feel. The foundations are right. Infinity Ward just needs better maps to build on them, and Call of Duty seasons usually deliver some. Usually.

6. Matchmaking (the strict skill-based system)

What makes it stand out: It’s the single most criticised part of the game.

Key data: Modern Warfare 4 inherits the stricter skill-based matchmaking introduced with Black Ops 7’s Classic Matchmaking, launches without an open-matchmaking option according to reviews, and Infinity Ward has said it has no plans to discuss matchmaking further.

Why it matters: A great shooter can still feel miserable if every match is a sweat.

We’ll keep this short, because the argument around skill-based matchmaking in Call of Duty is older than some of the people playing it. But it needs saying: in Modern Warfare 4, it’s harsh.

Every match feels tuned to be close, which sounds fair until you realise it means you can never relax. Have a good game and the next lobby punishes you for it. Newcomers in particular get a rough ride, and reviews have flagged the matchmaking as especially punishing for players coming to the series fresh. The missing open-matchmaking playlist makes it worse, because there’s nowhere to go for a looser, more casual game.

Dexerto reported that the developers won’t address the backlash, and that silence isn’t helping. We’re not saying skill-based matchmaking should vanish. Players who are new deserve protection from people who’ve played every day since 2007. But a game this confident in its shooting should be confident enough to offer an open playlist. Until it does, this is the main reason we’d tell multiplayer-only players to temper their expectations.

7. DMZ Returns as a Full Extraction Shooter

Screenshot © Activision / Infinity Ward, via Steam.

What makes it stand out: The mode left in limbo after Modern Warfare II comes back as a proper game in its own right.

Key data: DMZ is set in the Hajin extraction zone in Korea, described in coverage as bigger than Warzone’s Al Mazrah, and adds a stash, vendors and an MIA (Missing in Action) system that softens the blow of losing everything on death.

Why it matters: Infinity Ward calls it the third pillar of the game, and for a lot of players it’ll be the reason to stay.

The original DMZ in Modern Warfare II was a brilliant, broken idea, left to wither when the series moved on. This version feels like what it should have been all along. Squads drop into Hajin, gather loot, complete contracts and try to get out alive, and everything you bring back feeds a proper stash and vendor economy.

Reviewers have been warmer on DMZ than on core multiplayer, and we’re with them. It’s slower and more methodical than the main modes, and it gives the excellent gunplay room to breathe. The tension of an exfil with full pockets and an enemy squad closing in is the best feeling in the whole package.

The MIA system is the smart touch. Extraction games live and die on how they handle loss. Lose too little and nothing matters; lose too much and casual players quit. MIA sits in the middle, and it makes DMZ far more approachable than the genre usually is.

It’s not clean, though. Four of the seven known issues Activision listed on 22 October were DMZ-specific, and some reviews found traversal and progression tedious or punishing over long sessions. One reviewer put it well: the glitches don’t stop the fun, but they’re annoying, to say the least. We’d like to see that fixed before the first season lands.

8. Performance and Launch Issues on PS5, Xbox and PC

What makes it stand out: It’s one of the more stable Call of Duty launches in recent memory, with a few rough edges.

Key data: Activision and Infinity Ward listed seven known issues as of 22 October 2026, three global and four specific to DMZ; Metacritic’s PS5 score of 89 is the highest of any platform.

Why it matters: Call of Duty launches have a habit of being remembered for their servers rather than their games.

On PS5 and PC, the game has run well for most critics, and performance barely features among the complaints in the reviews we read. That’s unusual for a Call of Duty launch, and it matters: a smooth, responsive game counts for more than resolution in a shooter like this.

The known issues list is short by Call of Duty standards. Seven issues, three of them global, isn’t a disaster, and none were the kind of game-breaking server meltdown that has dogged some past launches. The spawn complaints in multiplayer are more a design problem than a technical one.

The Xbox question is odd. As of MP1st’s report on 27 October, the game still didn’t have an official Metacritic score on Xbox Series X|S, which led to some eye-rolling given that Microsoft owns Activision. That’s about review timing, not quality, and we’ve seen nothing to suggest the Series X version is any weaker than PS5.

Our advice: if you’re on PC, check your specs and install size before buying, because Call of Duty is never small. On console, you shouldn’t have any major worries.

9. The Nintendo Switch 2 Port (Digital Legends)

Screenshot © Activision / Infinity Ward, via Steam.

What makes it stand out: It’s a full, day-one Call of Duty on a Nintendo handheld, which is a genuine technical achievement.

Key data: According to Digital Foundry’s analysis as reported, the campaign runs at 30fps, multiplayer targets 60fps with occasional drops and noticeable input latency, and DMZ locks to 40fps on a 120Hz display.

Why it matters: It’s the first big test of whether modern Call of Duty belongs on Nintendo hardware at all.

Opinion on this one is split right down the middle, and both sides have a point. IGN called the Switch 2 version “thoroughly serviceable” and said the campaign doesn’t feel like a “lite” version, praising Digital Legends’ work. Kotaku went the other way, with a headline saying it “runs on Switch 2 and that’s the nicest thing I can say about it”.

The numbers explain the split. A 30fps campaign is perfectly playable, especially in handheld mode, and the port keeps several major rendering features. But Digital Foundry reportedly found aiming and driving noticeably harder at 30fps and 40fps than on other consoles, and said stick latency was still noticeable even at 60fps in multiplayer, particularly in handheld. In a competitive shooter, that’s a real disadvantage.

Metacritic’s Switch 2 score of 87 as of 27 October suggests critics broadly liked the game itself on the hardware. We’d put it like this: if Switch 2 is your only console, or you want to play the campaign on a train, this is a perfectly good way to do it. If you care about multiplayer rankings, play on PS5, Xbox or PC.

10. How It Compares to Modern Warfare 2019, MWII, MWIII and Black Ops 7

Key art © Activision / Infinity Ward, via Steam.

What makes it stand out: It’s the best-reviewed Call of Duty in roughly 15 years.

Key data: Reports from launch week described its Metacritic scores, up to 89 on PS5, as the series’ best in around 15 years, and Dexerto called it the best Call of Duty campaign since Modern Warfare (2019).

Why it matters: After Modern Warfare III’s rushed campaign, the rebooted series needed a proper ending.

Windows Central’s review headline says Infinity Ward “closes out the subseries with the explosive finale it deserves”, and that’s the right lens. The reboot started brilliantly with Modern Warfare in 2019, which was grim, grounded and genuinely bold. Modern Warfare II in 2022 was bigger and slicker but lost some of that edge. Modern Warfare III in 2023 had a campaign that was widely panned as thin and unfinished, and it dragged the whole subseries down with it.

Modern Warfare 4 feels like a deliberate return to the 2019 game’s approach. Grounded combat, a setting with real-world weight and characters who make hard choices. It’s not quite as shocking as the 2019 campaign, which had the advantage of surprise, but it’s better paced than MWII and in a different league to MWIII.

Against last year’s Black Ops 7, the comparison is more about multiplayer. MW4 shares Black Ops 7’s matchmaking system and, with it, the same complaints. It feels slower and more tactical to play, which you’ll love or hate depending on what you want from Call of Duty.

We’d disagree slightly with AltChar, which called this the best campaign Call of Duty has ever produced. That’s a big claim in a series that includes Call of Duty 4 in 2007. Best since 2019? Absolutely. Best ever? Not quite. But it’s close enough to make the argument fun.

11. Who It’s For: Price, Editions and the Game Pass Question

What makes it stand out: It’s a full-price game with no subscription shortcut at launch, so the value case has to stand on its own.

Key data: The Standard Edition costs £69.99 in the UK, the Vault Edition adds the Hostile Alliance Operator Pack, and the game isn’t on Game Pass at launch, though eligible Game Pass members get a discount on the Vault Edition.

Why it matters: For a series this expensive every year, how you buy it really changes whether it’s worth it.

This is the awkward bit. Microsoft owns Activision, and yet the biggest Call of Duty in years isn’t on Game Pass at launch. Activision has offered eligible members a discount on the pricier Vault Edition instead, which is not quite the same thing. Reports on when it will join Game Pass differ, so we wouldn’t plan around it.

At £69.99, the Standard Edition is the one to buy. The Vault Edition’s Hostile Alliance Operator Pack is cosmetic. And if you’re not in a rush, UK retailers are already selling the disc version below full price.

Play it if you’ve missed a Call of Duty campaign worth talking about, you liked Modern Warfare 2019, you want an extraction shooter that’s easier to get into than most, or you’ve wanted to play a real Call of Duty on Switch 2.

Skip it if you only play ranked multiplayer and hate strict skill-based matchmaking, you need a long single-player campaign for the money, you’re waiting for it to land on Game Pass, or you want competitive-grade responsiveness on Switch 2.

12. Final Verdict: 4 Stars (PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Switch 2)

What makes it stand out: It puts the campaign back at the centre of Call of Duty and pulls off DMZ at the same time.

Key data: Filmoria rating 4/5, against Metacritic 86 to 89, Insider Gaming 9/10 (campaign), Inven Global 8.3/10, GameSpot 8/10 and GamesBeat 4.5/5 (campaign).

Why it matters: It’s proof that Infinity Ward can still make the series feel like an event.

Filmoria’s verdict: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 has the best campaign the series has managed since 2019 and a DMZ worth sticking around for, held back only by bland launch maps and matchmaking that punishes you for playing well.

The spread of scores tells you most of what you need to know. The highest marks are for the campaign, and they’re deserved. The lower ones, and almost all of the player complaints, are about multiplayer. We sit in the middle. GameSpot’s 8/10 feels about right to us for the package as a whole; the very top scores some outlets handed out are reacting to the campaign and nothing else.

Four stars, then. If you play Call of Duty for its story, this is the best one in years and an easy recommendation. If you play only for multiplayer, wait a season and see what the maps and matchmaking look like by Christmas.

The Bottom Line on Modern Warfare 4

Modern Warfare 4 is the Call of Duty that remembered why people used to buy these games for the campaign. Seoul, Sierra-1 and a Captain Price with nowhere left to hide make for six of the best hours the series has had in years, and DMZ finally gets the respect it deserved in 2022. If Infinity Ward can fix the matchmaking and add a couple of maps with real character, this could end up as one of the great entries. For more on what’s coming next in games, see our guide to the biggest upcoming games, and for the business backdrop, our 12 takeaways from Microsoft’s latest Xbox results.

Sources: Xbox Wire, Steam store page, OpenCritic, Insider Gaming, Insider Gaming (known issues), Nintendo Everything (Digital Foundry analysis).

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