by Game of Review Team · published 2026-10-19 · updated 2026-10-19
Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 4
$69.99 · 92% positive on Steam · Our score: 7.8/10
Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 4 price and system requirements Read our reviewA new Modern Warfare, a new war
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 dropped into early access on Steam on October 16 for anyone who pre-ordered digitally, with the full worldwide release following on October 23. The campaign, built by Infinity Ward, follows a North Korean invasion of South Korea that spirals into a wider conflict, tracking a South Korean squad fighting on collapsing front lines while Captain Price runs his own off-book operation behind enemy lines.
What critics are saying
Early reviews have focused on the campaign specifically, and the consensus so far is that it's one of the stronger entries the series has put out in years.
- IGN gave it an 8/10, praising the mission variety and character writing, while noting it probably won't rank among the series' very best.
- GameSpot scored it 7/10 and called it the strongest Modern Warfare campaign since the 2019 reboot, despite juggling two interwoven storylines at once.
- GamesBeat handed the campaign 4.5/5 but flagged that its open-world stretches slow the pacing and leave it wanting more story beats.
- GamesRadar, PC Gamer and GamingTrend were broadly positive too, with the main complaints centering on rigid mission design and occasionally restrictive pacing.
The numbers so far
On Steam, the game is sitting at a "Very Positive" user review score and is currently the top seller on the storefront. Ahead of launch, analytics firm Alinea Analytics estimated around 105,000 Steam pre-orders by mid-August, worth roughly $5.9 million in revenue before the game even came out, with China accounting for about a fifth of its wishlist activity.
The base game runs $69.99 on Steam, with a $99.99 Vault Edition and a $30 Vault Edition upgrade for anyone who grabbed the standard version first.
If you've been burned by shaky Call of Duty campaigns the last few years, this one's worth a second look: it's for players who want a proper single-player war story again, not just another multiplayer delivery vehicle.
Our take
Launching the campaign in early access a week before the full release is a smart move for Activision and Infinity Ward: it gets positive critic buzz circulating before multiplayer and Warzone integration, the parts that usually draw the harshest reviews, even arrive. The reception so far suggests the campaign got real investment instead of being treated as an afterthought, which matters given how thin recent entries have felt. Whether that goodwill survives contact with the live-service side of the game and the usual day-one balance complaints is the real test over the next few weeks.
Sources
Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 4
$69.99 · 92% positive on Steam · Our score: 7.8/10
Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 4 price and system requirements Read our review