Modern Warfare 4 Has to Do Price vs. Ghost Justice, But Can It?

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 has long been expected to be the franchise’s 2026 entry, and the game’s reveal trailer has confirmed as much. Developed by Infinity Ward for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch 2, the MW4 campaign will feature Modern Warfare’s trademark globe-trotting approach. Half of Activision’s latest FPS will explore South Korean soldiers surviving behind enemy lines in North Korea, while the other half will take place in locations like New York, Paris, and Mumbai. It’s the latter half that will have longtime CoD fans particularly intrigued, as that portion will focus on the “vengeful” Captain Price’s story — a story that puts him directly at odds with former Task Force 141 ally Ghost.

For those that either skipped or forgot about Modern Warfare 3’s campaign, a brief refresher can explain why Ghost and Price are fighting against each other instead of together. Under General Shepherd’s orders, Task Force 141 was told to keep Makarov alive after he was captured. This decision eventually allowed Makarov to escape, spread terror, and kill Price’s beloved friend, Soap. Adopting Makarov’s philosophy for not leaving loose ends, and due to Shepherd’s choice to leave Makarov alive costing Soap his life (not to mention Shepherd orchestrating Shadow Company’s betrayal in MW2), Price executed Shepherd. While this stopped Shepherd from causing as much havoc as he did in the classic trilogy, Price is, naturally, being hunted by the US military and — seemingly — Task Force 141. However, given CoD’s history, it’s hard to imagine that Price vs. Ghost in Modern Warfare 4 will have the level of impact that it should.

Modern Warfare 4 is Going All-In on Ghost vs. Captain Price

Instead of ending the reveal trailer for MW4 with a huge setpiece, Infinity Ward opts for a very different kind of wow moment: a face-off between Price and Ghost. While this being an endpoint for a trailer would be one thing, as it could just be engagement bait to build hype, the key art for the next Modern Warfare doubles down on this conflict. The image, featured above, represents this head-to-head encounter between Ghost and Price, highlighting just how important this battle is going to be. Or at least, how important it should be.

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Call of Duty fans are likely losing their minds over the possibilities of a Task Force 141 breakup. Perhaps MW4 could let players choose a side before Ghost and Price’s big clash, determining the winner and altering the story’s climax. Maybe there will be an emotional boss fight where Price and Ghost beat each other down, talking back and forth about how close they once were. Gaz could have to play peacemaker or decide who to support, betraying or working with his mentor. All of these scenarios sound promising, but there’s also a very real concern: Ghost vs. Price could just be a disappointing marketing ploy.

Modern Warfare 4 Needs to Be More Like Resident Evil Requiem, Less Like Halo 5

Halo 5: Guardians is practically the poster child of misleading video game marketing, as despite teasing a huge war between Locke and Master Chief, the two mostly stay out of each others’ way for the duration of the campaign. Yes, they have a brief scuffle, but things stop before they get serious, and it doesn’t take long for the two to realize they’re not actually enemies. Worse, said “fight” takes place in a cinematic, blowing the opportunity to let players fight the all-powerful Master Chief. It’s no secret that Halo 5’s campaign was a letdown, and a key reason why is that it presents itself as something it isn’t.

The key art for MW4 evoking Halo 5: Guardians vibes, then, is obviously going to be a red flag. Pitting two Call of Duty icons against each other is a thrilling idea on paper, but the execution is what really matters, and there’s good reason to be concerned. Believing that Infinity Ward will get the narrative weight of this moment right is tough to do after the messy MW3 story it had a hand in, and it’s even harder to imagine Call of Duty nailing a boss battle between two of its greatest action heroes. The series has a history of lacking boss fights — we’ve only really seen mediocre stealth battles and tank fights in the rebooted Modern Warfare subseries, and certainly nothing fitting of Ghost and Captain Price going at it. A long-range shootout with one of the characters having a bunch of health wouldn’t feel right, either, but it’s easy to imagine that or a fully choreographed fight scene in the vein of Halo 5 being all fans get.

Obviously, the fight only being a shootout or cutscene would be a shame, but it’s hard not to see it as a genuine possibility. Call of Duty has historically struggled with major encounters, especially in grounded settings, often using QTEs or on-rails sequences to eliminate big bads. That could easily happen again in MW4, though for the sake of keeping the glass half full, it’s worth highlighting a good example Infinity Ward could follow: Resident Evil Requiem. The latest entry in Capcom’s storied horror franchise finally features an encounter between Leon and HUNK, and though it’s brief, it absolutely meets expectations. Proper melee combat with parries, close-range gunfire exchanges, and strategy are all present in this hard-hitting fight, and that’s exactly what Ghost vs. Price should offer. All of their skills should be put to the test, with multiple battles maybe even occurring throughout the campaign’s runtime. Yet Infinity Ward designing a rewarding melee combat system for this fight, as opposed to just relying on QTEs, is hard to imagine. Making said system feel fluid in first person would be no easy task, either.

Image via Capcom

For now, all Call of Duty fans can do is hope for the best, as the initial footage for the game only shows the lead-up to the fight. Still, by going all in on Price vs. Ghost with the marketing, Infinity Ward and Activision are essentially promising big things from the encounter. If it’s too short, doesn’t involve the player, or is overly predictable (a hug it out moment where the two rejoin forces would be extremely cliché), fans could walk out of the campaign disappointed. Though MW4’s setting is promising, and Ghost’s new arc as a government lapdog will be fun to watch unfold, there’s good reason to worry about this main event bout.

Released

October 23, 2026

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op