Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, the preview: Infinity Ward returns to war

There's something significant about Infinity Ward's return. The studio that helped define the modern identity of Call of Duty is back in the spotlight with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, a chapter arriving at a particularly delicate moment for the historic series. The new installment will be available from October 23, 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2. The absence of previous-generation consoles is already a clear indication of the project's ambitions: Modern Warfare 4 is built for current hardware and aims to leverage its technical capabilities more fully.

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A War Different from the Usual

The campaign shifts the conflict to the Korean peninsula. North Korea's invasion of South Korea acts as a detonator for a crisis destined to quickly escalate to global dimensions. At the heart of the story is a young team of South Korean soldiers, struggling to survive as the front collapses, but also a decidedly more familiar face: Captain Price. It is precisely this dual perspective that represents one of Modern Warfare 4's most interesting narrative premises. On one side, there's the war seen from below, through soldiers grappling with a conflict that overwhelms them; on the other, there's Price, engaged in a personal war and determined to dismantle the system hunting him from the shadows. Infinity Ward thus seems to want to recapture one of the characteristics that made the original trilogy effective: telling a military conflict through different perspectives, alternating large-scale spectacle with more intimate moments. We did find some minor distortions due to the Beta's teething problems here too (an armored vehicle marching on a single axle is a rare sight), but that's not what we're honestly concerned about.

A Modern Warfare Designed for the New Generation

The generational leap shouldn't be limited to sharper textures or more spectacular particle effects. Modern Warfare 4 was designed with current platforms in mind, with particular attention to scenario density, destructibility, and gameplay responsiveness. The goal is to create larger combat areas and more active worlds, while maintaining the extremely rapid command response that has always been a hallmark of the series. For Call of Duty, this is an important step. The series has built much of its identity on the speed and precision of its gunplay, and any technological evolution must necessarily preserve these characteristics.

Multiplayer: Bigger, More Dynamic

On the multiplayer front, Modern Warfare 4 aims to maintain the series' frantic gunplay, but with a greater focus on large-scale engagements. Among the experiences shown is Kill Block, a mode featuring expansive maps, armored vehicles, and combined arms combat. Naturally, more traditional modes like Team Deathmatch, Domination, and Hardpoint will be present, alongside Veteran variants and new modes to be unveiled in the coming months. The feeling is that the studio intends to reconcile two souls of Call of Duty: the immediate and competitive nature of classic modes and a component more oriented towards large-scale warfare. The vast majority of our Beta testing time was spent on the multiplayer side, and the initial impressions are more than satisfactory, not only in terms of feeling with our alter ego, but above all, the sound seems invigorated and much cleaner, an age-old problem in CoD that, if resolved, would give the game a significant boost. Of course, there are some obvious problems worthy of a Beta (enemy respawns behind us, snipers killing you with disarming ease from half a meter away, and other small details), but at least we didn't notice any fluidity issues.

And Then There's DMZ

One of the most interesting elements of the new chapter is DMZ, which returns to play an important role in the Modern Warfare 4 ecosystem. The return of the mode represents one of the project's most curious moves. Its slower, more deliberate structure compared to traditional multiplayer can offer an interesting alternative to the series' classic formula. The connection with Warzone will also be particularly close, with seasonal content and progression designed to interact across different experiences. It remains to be seen how well Infinity Ward will manage to balance the competitive component, the seasonal model, and the needs of those seeking a more traditional experience.

Nintendo Also Returns to War

One of the most curious surprises of this chapter is the Nintendo Switch 2 version. After more than ten years since the Modern Warfare series last appeared on a Nintendo platform, the saga's return to the Kyoto-based company's ecosystem carries more than just symbolic weight. The real question, of course, concerns performance. Call of Duty is an extremely demanding series from a technical standpoint, especially in crowded multiplayer situations. Being able to maintain a competitive and fluid experience even on a portable platform will therefore represent a significant challenge.

The Real Goal: Rebuilding Trust

This is probably the most interesting point of the entire project. Modern Warfare 4 isn't simply arriving to add another chapter to Call of Duty's annual machine. It arrives with the responsibility of demonstrating that Infinity Ward still has something to say about the franchise it helped build. The premises are interesting: a new setting, the return of Captain Price, a multiplayer that tries to expand the scale of engagements, the relaunch of DMZ, and a structure designed to better leverage the current generation. Naturally, to understand if all these promises will work, it will be necessary to get our hands on the final version. But the project already has a fundamental characteristic: Modern Warfare 4 seems to want to be more than just a new Call of Duty. Infinity Ward has the opportunity to prove that the formula can still evolve without losing the immediacy that has made the series a benchmark for FPS games. October 23 will be the moment of truth. This time, war might truly change its face.