Somewhere out there, a call is waiting to be answered, and in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, that will trace back to South Korea. Activision has revealed the next mainline entry in the long-running franchise, and it’s more notable than usual for several reasons — not only does it mark a return to the sub-series after a three-year hiatus, with Infinity Ward, the main studio behind the Modern Warfare titles, back at the helm, but the title is getting a Nintendo Switch 2 release with crossplay, breaking its 13-year streak of leaving out releases on a Nintendo platform.
It won’t be coming to PS4 or Xbox One, either, making Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 the first current-gen-only entry of this generation. Three main modes of play are included: Campaign, Multiplayer, and the DMZ extraction mode, with the single-player campaign set to honour the series’ roots through “dark, gritty storytelling, cinematic set pieces, and immersive gameplay moments.”
The official blurb reads, “Private Park, a young Korean grunt soldier, is thrust into combat for the first time, as he and his squad are forced to overcome impossible odds in a gripping zero-to-hero journey. Captain Price returns and forms a rogue alliance, operating outside the system and apart from the Task Force 141 team he once called his own.”
As part of a “rapidly escalating global conflict centred on the Korean Peninsula,” players can expect military assignments in Korea, New York, Paris, and an SAS night raid in Mumbai. A bonus treat for longtime fans — the trailer hints at a potential showdown between Ghost and Price, so that should be interesting to witness (or it could also be a red herring).
The multiplayer experience, meanwhile, looks to bring “a new weapon-first technology stack that unifies precision aiming, physical handling, realistic audio propagation, enhanced visibility, and smarter combat perception into the most authentic Modern Warfare gunplay yet,” as well as reworked movement and a more natural response to stance changes and the environment. Mantling, Climbing, Hanging, and Jumping have also been expanded, alongside a redesigned Create-a-Class system unifying Operators, weapons, equipment, and Killstreaks into a single loadout.
When the shooter releases on 23 October, it will feature 12 core 6v6 maps, including fan favourites such as Search and Destroy and Domination, dedicated Gunfight maps, multiple Big War maps built for vehicle and infantry combat, and Kill Block, a dynamic battleground with more than 500 configurations that reshape routes, sightlines, and cover to keep players adapting round after round.
Additional details about DMZ are set to follow at a later date, likely during the Xbox Game Showcase in June, but the extraction shooter mode is being described as the “definitive Call of Duty extraction experience: a living combat sandbox where every deployment is a new story.”
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 hits Xbox Series X|S, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2 on 23 October. Unlike the previous instalments, it won’t launch day one on the Xbox Game Pass.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
