Today, Activision and Microsoft officially revealed Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, developed by Infinity Ward.
The game will release on October 23, 2026, for PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and Nintendo Switch 2, fulfilling the promise to bring the franchise back to Nintendo consoles made during the process of the acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft.
It is already confirmed explicitly that the new chapter of the franchise will skip both PS5 and Xbox One, leaving the old generation behind for the first time.
The game is set during a full invasion of South Korea perpetrated by North Korea, and the player will step into the boots of Private Park, a young South Korean soldier who finds himself in a live combat situation for the first time alongside his squad.
It is said in the official post that the game is “grounded in the military authenticity Modern Warfare is known for” and “built with attention to the culture, history, and military detail” of the Korean region.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 doesn’t abandon its old cast, as we’ll also find the now-outlaw Captain Price working outside the system to find his revenge. As he seeks retribution, he gets involved with a weapon powerful enough to shift the balance of power.
Of course, multiplayer remains a big part of the experience, and ballistics follow a few key principles.
- Bloom has been removed, making hipfire shots feel more direct, predictable, and connected to where the weapon is pointed.
- Recoil, convergence, and weapon handling have been rebuilt to more directly reflect player input.
- Depth of field and visual effects have been refined to improve enemy visibility without sacrificing authenticity.
- Weapons respond more naturally to player movement, stance changes, and the environment, creating more consistent behavior in every engagement.
We also hear about movement:
- Traversal, combat movement, and gunplay transitions are designed to feel seamless and responsive, preserving momentum while maintaining control under pressure.
- Expanded movement options for Mantling, Climbing, Hanging and Jumping create new opportunities to reposition, flank, navigate vertical spaces, and approach engagements from multiple angles across increasingly dynamic combat environments.
- Every movement system is designed to preserve the grounded realism, physicality, and combat intensity that define Modern Warfare while delivering the fluid, cinematic intensity of operating as an elite soldier in the field, whether you prefer a methodical, tactical approach or aggressive plays.
There will be 12 core maps at launch, plus a live-fire training facility named Kill Block, dedicated Gunfight maps, and multiple Big War maps for large-scale combat involving vehicles and infantry.
Kill Block reconfigures in each round and comes with 500 distinct configurations. It supports expanded Gunfight formats, including 3v3 and 10v10, with future support planned for more core Multiplayer modes.
Players will be able to use the redesigned Create-a-Class system, bringing together Operators, weapons, Equipment, and Killstreaks into a single loadout. Gunsmith will return and will include deeper customization options, with attachments shared by weapon classes.
Apex Attachments will be introduced as specialized unlocks earned by fully progressing a weapon, providing unique modifications that can significantly change how that weapon behaves in combat. They include handling, firing behavior, tactical utility, stealth capability, and combat role.
Prestige will also be split between Classic Prestige and Regular Prestige. Classic Prestige locks Create-a-Class progression in exchange for increased XP rates and access to Prestige rewards.
Regular Prestige lets you keep your Create-a-Class content while restarting from level 1, featuring its own set of Prestige rewards and progression milestones.
There will also be an extraction shooter mode named DMZ, with more information coming on June 7.
PC-specific features will include the following.
- PC-specific performance optimizations are designed to support a wide range of hardware, from players prioritizing high frame rates to those pushing maximum visual fidelity.
- Multiple upscaling and frame generation options give PC players more ways to balance image quality, performance, and responsiveness.
- Expanded graphics options give players more control over how the game looks, performs, and feels.
- For players who want to push visual fidelity, high-end PC options include DLSS 4.5 support, expanded real-time ray tracing across Campaign, Multiplayer, and DMZ, improved performance across ray-traced reflections, ambient occlusion, shadows, and volumetrics, and higher-fidelity VFX and volumetric settings.
- Competitive-focused settings help players prioritize high frame rates and responsiveness in the moment-to-moment fight.
The drop of last-generation platforms includes Warzone. It won’t be downloadable on PS4 and Xbox One from June 4, although existing players will be able to play until MW4 launches. The in-game store for PS4 and Xbox One will not be available anymore starting on June 25.
Below, you can check out the launch trailer.
