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- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is a big departure from its predecessors
- It offers new movement systems, upgraded shooting, a fresh UI and a raft of new mechanics
- A developer tells me the game is "the most impressive Call of Duty" they've worked on
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 could redefine the long-running first-person shooter series with its unapologetically gritty campaign, overhauled multiplayer offering, and fully-featured DMZ extraction shooter mode.
Fan-favorite mechanics from older games, like the pick-three perk system, are back alongside bold new additions such as an automated AI gunsmith assistant and the series' first dynamic multiplayer map called Kill Block. Everything is underpinned by a raft of core mechanical changes that reshape how you navigate environments and engage in combat.
The game even has an all-new user interface, which eschews the boxy Netflix-like look of recent entries in favor of something that feels like a fittingly modern reimaging of the classic 2009 Modern Warfare 2 menu screens.
"I think with the combination of the changes to core multiplayer, with Kill Block and the dynamic multiplayer map experience, and then combining that with DMZ being a game within a game," begins studio multiplayer creative director Joe Cecot.
"It is the biggest, and I think for us even the most impressive Call of Duty that we've ever had a chance to work on. I think I could speak sincerely and say it's my favorite."
Asked whether he's worried that Modern Warfare 4 might feel a little too different, Cecot replies: "I don't think so, because we're looking at the genre, we're looking at how our game plays, we're bringing people in. So the differences we've made, I think, are all healthy changes."
He went on to reiterate the fact that the studio's efforts are all rooted in community feedback. "You don't make changes for the sake of change," he says. "The things you're putting in the game, they need to be making the game play better and feel better, and maybe you're providing a new experience or solving a problem."
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 launches on October 23, 2026, for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and Nintendo Switch 2.
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