Ever since becoming an annual release more than 20 years ago, Call of Duty has seen its share of ups and downs. While 2023’s Modern Warfare III was arguably the low point of the series, you could certainly make a case that last year’s Black Ops 7 was the biggest disappointment. A rushed development cycle did the game no favors, and the always-online campaign told a convoluted story that didn’t connect with fans.

Those issues were magnified by the launch of Battlefield 6 , COD ’s chief rival, which received a far more positive response by critics and gamers, and went on to outsell Black Ops 7 in the US. That confluence of events put a big spotlight on Activision’s juggernaut for 2026, which was in the hands of developer Infinity Ward. With that in mind, it’s time to dive in and find out if Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 can get the franchise back on track.

As with pretty much every recent COD release, MW4 is broken into three sections: campaign, multiplayer, and DMZ. Let’s start with the last one.…