By Fletcher Wilkinson 
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 arrives with a lot to prove and Infinity Ward has had extra time to close out the rebooted story and build a multiplayer package that can stand alongside the best in the series. The result is a huge game with three very different sides: a cinematic campaign, a surprisingly absorbing return for DMZ and familiar multiplayer with issues to work through.
The shooting feels excellent across the package but not every mode lands equally well. The campaign is the highlight, DMZ is a genuine surprise, and multiplayer is the part I’m least convinced by. Either way, I came away impressed overall, even if one mode made me want to put the controller down more than once but more on that later.
First up, we will start with Modern Warfare 4’s campaign, as it takes the rebooted series back to its familiar mix of rogue states, covert operations and soldiers trying to stop a global crisis. To set the tone, a North Korean ruling family launches an invasion of South Korea and it leaves a small group of Korean and American forces to fight back. This is all going on alongside Captain Price who is also pursuing his own dangerous lead, while Mads Mikkelsen appears as the villain known as The Archer. I will say, Mikkelsen makes a fantastic impression but the story could have given him more time to become a real presence.
I will have to say it right now but the campaign here is still quite short, at around six hours, but it rarely sits still and its thrilling ride that I didn’t put down and completed within 1 whole day. One moment you’re racing through Paris, the next moving across Manhattan rooftops or fighting through a train yard and the final stretch throws everything at you, from sniper encounters to helicopter attacks and so much more. These set pieces are loud, polished and exciting in typical call of duty fashion and of course, adds in the excellent gunplay giving each firefight a satisfying weight from the start to the conclusion.
You don’t have to worry this time around either, as it isn’t all corridor shooting. There is a snowy open area that lets you explore a sort of semi open world area where you can tackle side objectives and improve your equipment without slowing the pace. I was actually quite surprised with how well this translated across as I was a major critic of the awful open design of the Modern Warfare 3 Campaign. Seeing this finally set up as a mission without a lot of bloat was a real joy to see. When you add all of this in though with a few deliberately uncomfortable moments also ask you to cross a line and echo the moral unease of earlier Modern Warfare missions, it’s the gift that keeps on giving.
For me personally, the story is at its strongest when it follows the younger soldiers and the increasingly complicated situation in Korea. Its personal moments ground the action and it feels stronger than the previous three Modern Warfare campaigns. Price’s final arc is the main disappointment though as it kind of falls flat but I don’t want to give any story spoilers here, so you are going to have to check it out for yourself. My only other disappointment with the campaign came in the way of an annoyance and that is to do with friendly fire. There were so many times that a friendly AI teammate would suddenly waltz forward into where I was firing, only for them to take one bullet and it failed the mission. It is pretty egregious right now, so I do hope Infinity Ward patch this in the future so that they at least take a couple rounds to give you some leeway.
Even so and with those shortcomings, this is one of the most enjoyable Call of Duty campaigns in years and although It may not reinvent the series, its variety, pace and spectacle make it an easy highlight and one that I highly recommend playing as soon as possible.
Moving onto DMZ and I will be honest with you all, this is the mode I expected to enjoy least and it has become one of the biggest surprises for this year. DMZ is set around Hajin City and it sends you in with up to two teammates to complete missions, find gear and get out alive while hostile AI and other squads roam the same map.
Honestly, that gives every run a tense edge and each time I loaded up into a new round, I was in awe with how much fun I had here. A routine objective can become a fight for survival and there’s always the temptation to take on one more mission before extraction. You might leave with valuable gear or lose everything by staying too long and DMZ creates such memorable stories from that risk and reward without scripting every encounter. Its like that feeling I got when playing ARC Raiders for the first time but I think it works extremely well within this new Modern Warfare entry.
You may wonder, what do you do with all the equipment and supplies you find in each run? Well before diving into a match, you are positioned at the Forward Operating Base and this location lets you improve weapons, print equipment and prepare for the next deployment. You do get a three-branch skill tree that adds longer-term goals and this contains upgrades for revives, explosive resistance and looting. There is a lot to learn here and I have not touched all of it at all within my game time yet, but each expedition has a clear purpose and DMZ feels substantial rather than like a small bonus.
One aspect I haven’t touched on is the changing weather as they have added in a dynamic system and this affects what you can see and hear. That means there are a ton of elements which can provide some much needed mission variety and when you pit that alongside the deep equipment progression, there are plenty of reasons to return. Ultimately Its future will depend on post-launch content and a healthy player base, especially once the main story objectives are complete as there doesn’t seem to be much after those at this moment in time.
A Gripe that I do have with DMZ which has occurred over the last 24 hours is the amount of campers at exfil locations and this has been a pretty widespread issue which I have seen numerous posts about online. Like any Extraction shooter, PVP will always be a part of the main game but players are now not searching for loot and already third partying teams at Exfils instead of playing the game. This also happens with the story missions and you will find yourself being ganged up on by various teams as your an easy target. I always believe a PVE mode should be added as some players don’t like PVP but again, you kind of know what you are getting into when it’s marketed as an extraction shooter. It is a pain, I don’t like it but I do struggle to find a way in which Infinity Ward could help some players. For now, DMZ is compelling and a welcome change of pace from the campaign and traditional multiplayer but watch this space as always as changes could arise.
The core of any call of duty game is its multiplayer suite and Modern Warfare 4’s multiplayer is satisfying although it does leave a bit to be desired. The guns feel powerful, movement is smooth and updated mantling lets you clear obstacles without interrupting a fight and helps with some flanks that other players aren’t yet aware of. Infinity Ward has brought the experience back towards a grounded style after the faster movement of recent Black Ops games and while you can still slide and move quickly, combat feels more readable and the gunplay remains a highlight.
It is worth noting that there are 12 maps at launch, alongside familiar modes and several new additions. One new additional mode called collateral is the standout surprise as it’s a one-life mode where teams spend a limited budget on weapons and equipment before trying to plant or stop a bomb. It borrows from Counter-Strike but works fairly well with Call of Duty’s shooting and I spent way too much time myself playing this mode in particular. Another highlight was Kill Block as this mode adds a ton of variety by changing its layout and weapon loadouts and then gives you one life in 10v10 matches. When you factor in that the map rotates its shape and theming in 3 sections every 2 rounds, it makes for some interesting match-ups and it never gets old. When Infinity Ward have said there are over 500 possibilities, that is a boat load to try out and its just such a highlight for what is a pretty average multiplayer offering at best.
Like I said, New modes can only do so much when the maps aren’t working and I found most standard maps bland, with poor spawns making matches frustrating. There were only a couple I looked forward to playing and when the majority are already skipped or frowned upon by the call of duty crowd, you know its going to be a pretty long year. It is just such a let-down and I’m disappointed when the rest of the package is pretty phenomenal.
Matchmaking is another frustration for me at this moment in time as Skill-based matchmaking regularly puts me in lobbies packed with competitive players, making casual matches hard to enjoy. I understand why the system is debated and always will be but I’d like an option for a less restrictive playlist. It became my biggest reason to step away, despite the strong weapons and movement and Im still a bit baffled as to why open playlists aren’t a thing when it worked well in Black Ops 7.
I won’t lie, there’s plenty to enjoy for dedicated Call of Duty players and the new modes bring welcome ideas. But if you mainly play 6v6, the maps and matchmaking may wear you down. This is a solid foundation, though not a major leap forward and I would be keen to see how well the multiplayer fares in 3-6 months time with all the seasonal updates.
Overall Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is a compelling return to form, not because it reinvents the series, but because it rediscovers how effectively its best qualities can reinforce one another. Spectacle, responsive gunplay and a satisfying sense of progression give the experience a strong central identity, while shifts between tightly directed action, unpredictable high-stakes encounters and competitive replayability keep its considerable scope from feeling monotonous.
The result feels more cohesive than a collection of familiar modes: each part adds a different rhythm to the same polished, propulsive whole. That confidence is occasionally undermined by hurried storytelling, uninspired map design and matchmaking that can make play feel more exhausting than exhilarating; the game’s lasting value will also depend on sustained support.
Still, these shortcomings do not diminish the quality and variety of its strongest moments. Modern Warfare 4 may stop short of reinvention but its accomplished presentation, excellent shooting and unusual breadth restore much of the franchise’s appeal. It is a substantial, highly entertaining package and I highly recommend you play it right now!
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Review – Campaign, DMZ & MP
+ What works
- Gripping campaign with memorable set pieces
- DMZ offers tense, rewarding runs and strong progression
- Excellent gunplay and movement
- Good variety across the overall package
− What holds it back
- Multiplayer maps feel bland, with frustrating spawns
- Skill-based matchmaking can make matches exhausting
- The campaign is brief, and Price’s story arc feels rushed
- Available on
- Xbox Series X|S · Xbox PC · Windows PC · Cloud Gaming
- Developer
- Infinity Ward
- Publisher
- Activision Publishing Inc.
- Release date
- 23/10/2026
- Age rating
- PEGI 18
- Price
- £69.99 / $69.99
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