in one place, including info on its release date, multiplayer, story, gameplay, and much more.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Release Date
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will be released globally on October 25 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. The PC version is “fully optimized” for the platform and will be released through Blizzard’s Battle.net.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Story
Single-player campaign returns in Modern Warfare, following its absence from last year’s Black Ops 4. Set between Europe and the Middle East, the story is told through multiple perspectives, including highly trained Tier 1 Operators and rebel freedom fighters. Missions will range from close quarters and stealth to long-range combat.
Infinity Ward is aiming to capture the tone of warfare in 2019, which the developer says is teeming with moral gray areas. “Modern warfare, in 2019, means the theater of war is even less defined now than it was back when those first games were made,” said Infinity Ward narrative director Taylor Kurosaki. “It’s more complex. It’s more grey. It less mimics what traditional warfare meant.”
The story will exist independently from the first three Modern Warfare games — a decision the developer says was necessary to bring “today’s zeitgeist into a story that feels authentic and gritty.”
Despite the reset, some existing characters will return, including fan-favorite Captain Price. While the events of the first three Modern Warfares have been discarded for the reboot, Kurosaki says the returning characters will be largely unchanged. “It needs to feel like the same guy who’s governed by the same principles,” he said of Price.
You can check out IGN’s Modern Warfare single-player preview of two missions for more on the story.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Multiplayer – Maps, Modes, Gunsmith, Gameplay
Modern Warfare’s multiplayer maps have been separated into three distinct categories: Flash Maps, Tactical Maps, and Battle Maps.
Flash Maps promote close-quarter combat and are home to Modern Warfare’s new 2v2 mode, Gunfight. Tactical Maps are more traditional, medium-sized Call of Duty battlegrounds. They’ll host 6v6 and 10v10 game modes, such as Team Deathmatch and Domination. Battle Maps are the largest of the trio. These maps are where Ground War, Modern Warfare’s large-scale combat mode, will be played.
Another new game type is Cyber Attack. IGN’s Miranda Sanchez describes it as “an updated version of Search and Destroy,” with the ability to revive teammates.
Modern Warfare also introduces a new weapon customization system called Gunsmith. Weapons can be equipped with up to five custom parts, though players will have to tactfully choose from a wider pool of attachments. For example, assault rifles “usually have nine areas” to augment —a muzzle, laser, optic, stock, rear grip, magazine, underbarrel, barrel, and a perk — but only five can be selected.
Other notable multiplayer features include:
- The ability to mount your weapon on edges of objects and walls.
- Doors that can be ran through (loudly), peeked through, opened with the press of a button, or destroyed with an explosive.
- The ability to reload while aiming down sights.
- More realistic bullet travel and penetration.
- The removal of classes. The differences between Operators in Modern Warfare are strictly cosmetic.
- The ability to, with the press of a button, equip a copy of the loadout you were most recently killed by. (Think Modern Warfare 2’s Copycat deathstreak.)
- Night mode: Players, equipped with night vision goggles, deploy on near-pitch-black versions of maps.
- A realism mode that removes UI and hit markers.
- New visual effects (sparks, smoke) and animations (gun movement, reloading).
Check out IGN’s Modern Warfare multiplayer hands-on impressions for more.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Cross-Play, Season Pass
For the first time in franchise history, Modern Warfare will feature cross-play support between all platforms (PS4, Xbox One, and PC). The input-based system will separate players using controllers from those using mouse and keyboard (even if the keyboard is plugged into a console), with one exception: If a controller-based player is in a party with a mouse and keyboard player, they’ll mostly be sorted into mouse and keyboard lobbies.
Another big change in Modern Warfare is the elimination of a traditional season pass. The move is in an effort to “deliver more free maps and content as well as post-launch events to all players,” according to Activision. The publisher has yet to announce the shooter’s alternate post-launch monetization plan.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Killstreaks
Killstreaks return in Modern Warfare, replacing the scorestreak system that has become prevalent since Black Ops 2. Activision has revealed three so far: Juggernaut, Infantry Assault Vehicle, and White Phosphorus.
The reveal of White Phosphorus as a killstreak has proven controversial within the Call of Duty community, due to it’s real-life applications in war. Infinity Ward responded to the controversy by saying multiplayer is a separate “playground” from the realistic single-player campaign, and therefore it makes no comment on real-life weaponry.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Spec Ops
Spec Ops, the co-op mode from Modern Warfare 2 and 3, returns in this year’s Call of Duty. The co-op mode includes “a collection of elite operations accessible to all skill levels,” according to Activision.
Further details have not yet been revealed, though Infinity Ward art director Joel Emslie told GameSpot players can expect characters and stories from the campaign to carry over into Spec Ops.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Battle Royale
Call of Duty’s battle royale mode, introduced in Black Ops 4 as Blackout, is not returning for Modern Warfare.
“We really focused on Modern Warfare, authentic and gritty, realistic weapons, and it’s a different experience,” multiplayer design director Joe Cecot told IGN. “It’s really… just about pulling back to Modern Warfare and keeping that pure.”
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Beta
Below are the platform-specific dates for each of Modern Warfare’s two betas. The early access dates are reserved for those who preorder.
PS4
- Early Access: September 12-13
- Open Beta 1: September 14-16
- Open Beta 2: September 19-23 (cross-play enabled)
Xbox One
- Early Access: September 19-20 (cross-play enabled)
- Open Beta: September 21-23 (cross-play enabled)
PC
- Early Access: September 19-20 (cross-play enabled)
- Open Beta: September 21-23 (cross-play enabled)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Special Editions and Preorders
Four special editions of Modern Warfare have been announced beyond the standard package:
- Operator Edition ($80 USD, digital only): Includes a custom in-game tactical knife and three Operator Packs. (Operator Packs include “a themed Operator skin, cosmetic weapon variant, and additional bonus content.”)
- Operator Enhanced Edition ($100 USD, digital only): Includes all the content from the Operator Edition, plus 3,000 Call of Duty points.
- Precision Edition ($100 USD, physical): Includes a custom in-game tactical knife, three Operator Packs, a steelbook case, Modern Warfare-branded thumbsticks and controller skin, and an animated Calling Card.
- Dark Edition ($200 USD, physical): Includes functional night vision goggles, a display stand for the goggles, steelbook case, custom in-game tactical knife, three Operator Packs, and an animated Calling Card.
You can find additional details and purchase links through our Modern Warfare preorder guide.
