Call of Duty is urgently chasing the kind of success it needs. Black Ops 7 was the high point of mounting frustration with the familiar formula. It didn’t deliver that satisfying punch, among other shortcomings. Many players felt let down, particularly when set beside earlier releases.
Activision clearly had to put in the work to win back player trust, and after getting a quick taste of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4’s multiplayer earlier this month, it’s starting to look like a strong answer to that growing disappointment.
That said, it’s hard to draw sweeping conclusions from roughly two hours of multiplayer. Every weapon was available, and all attachments were ready to try. There was no need to grind your way toward a perfect setup, and the session wasn’t long enough for any major imbalances to show up. Still, even in that brief preview, a number of notable strengths stand out.
At its core, Modern Warfare 4 is a faster, more intense shooter. Fresh movement options let you burst across maps with ease, vaulting over obstacles to get into skirmishes or to explore the environment in more interesting ways. One example is the Supine Slide, a new move that lets you sprint into a slide while ending up on your back. It not only sends you farther, but also helps you sweep through tight spaces at speed.
For some, “new movement capabilities” could sound worrying. For years, Call of Duty veterans have often been annoyed by the franchise’s sci-fi leanings — things like double jumps and wall-running. Yet at its best, Modern Warfare 4 feels closer to Hardcore Henry or The Expendables (in a good way) than it does to anything overly wild.
This isn’t entirely surprising. Infinity Ward, the long-established studio behind it, said in the preview event that the game drew “inspiration from the film industry.” That same mindset has also led to a range of interactive bits placed across the multiplayer maps. For example, firing a shot at a fire extinguisher makes it burst, releasing a cloud of white smoke.
As for how much these details will affect the day-to-day multiplayer experience, I’m not sure they’ll do much more than add some visual flair. On the bright side, these moments are a clear step away from the infamous exploding vehicles from old Modern Warfare 2. It may even make the game feel more engaging on a subconscious level, but with so little time played, I can’t really claim that with confidence.
Even though those interactables didn’t completely wow me, the movie-style direction has brought in a bold—and frequently funny—new twist. When an explosion happens nearby, but not close enough to finish you, Modern Warfare 4 doesn’t wash your screen in red. Instead, the new Shockwave mechanic knocks you down.
At first, that might seem like it would be annoying. However, Infinity Ward has tuned it so it lasts just long enough to keep the game’s thrilling momentum from being interrupted. The result is those tense near-misses: a brief beat where you can wipe the sweat from your palms and scramble to safety fast.
It has also brought back the riot shield. Once a controversial and often mocked weapon, it no longer drops you instantly when slammed into your head. Now it knocks you down, and when combined with the new built-in destructibility, it feels less like an unbreakable wall. There’s also a new juggernaut-style Killstreak that lets you don a heavy suit of armor and punch opponents to the ground, while using a large grenade launcher—something that got a chuckle out of me more than once.
Modern Warfare 4 has even reshaped several fundamental parts of its gunplay, and many of those appear to be meaningful changes. To begin with, weapon bloom has been removed. In lots of first-person shooters, bloom randomly shifts bullet paths unless you’re aiming down sights with a precision weapon. In Modern Warfare 4, bullets always leave the barrel in the direction it’s aimed, which cuts down on that randomness.
I didn’t spend my time shooting at walls during the short session—something I regret. Even so, after using SMGs and relying on hip-fire for a big portion of my time with Modern Warfare 4, I can say the accuracy felt right. To me, any tweak that reduces the odds of bullets streaking past your target for reasons outside the player’s control is a clear win.
Infinity Ward has also created what they call “Enhanced FOV,” designed to help preserve visibility while aiming down sights. They’ve refined muzzle flashes as well, so they’re less likely to block the players you’re trying to hit. Of course, you’d need to sink in several hours and compare it against earlier Call of Duty games to judge how well it all comes together. What I can say today, though, is that I had no trouble tracking enemy players during my matches. If nothing else, Infinity Ward seems to have done a strong job here.
Overall, I’d call these changes smart updates to the Call of Duty formula. Everything about it feels sensible. But want to hear something offbeat the developers cooked up? Apex Attachments. These are distinctive, exaggerated attachments players can unlock across the full lineup of Modern Warfare 4 weapons.
They include, but are not limited to:
- A single-shot shotgun mounted on a pistol
- An under-barrel guided missile launcher
- An alternate ammo type that tracks the enemies you hit.
- A strobing flashlight attached to a double-barreled shotgun
When these were shown to the press in a montage-style walkthrough before the gameplay session, the room slowly filled with laughter. Not in a cruel way, of course—more from disbelief at how outrageous some of these Apex Attachments really are.
It should come as no surprise that they’re a blast to use, and in certain cases they completely change how a weapon plays. Personally, I had a lot of fun blinding someone with a bright light before following it up with a shotgun blast. These attachments aren’t just flashy rewards for players who fully level up a gun—they also add a streak of playful violence to Call of Duty, which I genuinely support. Triple-A studios ought to have room to experiment and enjoy themselves
From time to time, it’s worth remembering that video games ought to be fun.
One of the clearest lessons from my time with Modern Warfare 4 comes down to its game modes. During our session, we tried Domination, Team Deathmatch, a fresh mode called Inflation, and the fan-favorite Gun Game.
TDM and Domination play much the same as always, yet Inflation stands out as a fascinating new addition. In it, you take out enemy players to collect money, and from time to time a VIP is named on each team. When that VIP is eliminated, they drop far more cash—creating a twist on kill-confirmed that turns into a cat-and-mouse standoff.
I do have a reservation about this particular mode. As far as I can tell, the VIP is selected according to each team’s performance, so a strong player is flagged and becomes the target for the opposing side. That VIP role doesn’t fade with time, so the only way to shake it off is by dying.
In a title that encourages fast movement and constant close-quarters fights, this system slows the VIP momentum to a halt. Instead of leaning into the smooth new movement options, players are nudged to take cover and watch key entry points. Adding a timer to the VIP status could make a big difference here.
On the other hand, Gun Game is fantastic. Two squads of ten face off with a set loadout every round, battling in a frantic, high-pressure style where each round allows just one life. It runs on a new map format that suits the mode particularly well. The layout is made up of three smaller areas, each markedly different. Those areas rotate from round to round, so one match might have you sprinting through trenches, while the next has you peering around towering concrete pillars. Infinity Ward has taken the best elements of arcade-style Call of Duty and put them in the spotlight. It’s quick, unpredictable, and genuinely fun.
So, at least based on first impressions, Modern Warfare 4 looks like an impressive rebound for the FPS heavyweight. It’s packed with bold ideas and meaningful updates. It holds onto the sturdy core that defines every Call of Duty entry, then builds on it with risk-taking innovations—some of which land immediately, while others may need more time before their full impact becomes clear. Enter it with curiosity and a measure of cautious optimism.
This preview is derived from a visit to Infinity Ward in California. Activision covered travel and accommodation expenses.