Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is here, and the campaign has been a big highlight when it comes to the reviews. Call of Duty campaigns have struggled to offer the intriguing stories that such intense subject matter would suggest, but Modern Warfare 4 has proven to be a breath of fresh air. It’s Call of Duty‘s best-reviewed campaign in years, which is a big win after Black Ops 7‘s lackluster feedback last year. In many ways, Modern Warfare 4 feels like a new era for the military shooter series, but there is still one issue that is bogging the game down: multiplayer expectations.
The Modern Warfare 4 campaign launched a week early for those who pre-ordered the game, so the story mode has taken up much of the spotlight over the past week. Now that multiplayer is here, though, the sentiment has changed a little bit. Granted, the Modern Warfare 4 reviews remain really strong compared to the last few years of series entries, but that hasn’t stopped multiplayer from facing a wave of negative feedback from players.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4’s Multiplayer Feedback Looks Quite Different From Its Campaign Praise
A Reddit post by Luccese96 has highlighted a problem that Modern Warfare 4 won’t be able to fix with a simple patch. When the FPS first launched with only the campaign available, the Steam reviews were sitting around a strong 94%. Ever since multiplayer went live, that rating has dropped significantly. When Luccese96 posted the game’s rating on Reddit, Modern Warfare 4 was sitting at 80%. At the time of writing this article, that percentage is now at 74%. It doesn’t take a long time scanning through the Steam reviews to notice that a lot of the negative feedback is directed specifically at Modern Warfare 4 multiplayer.
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Even discussions in the comment section of the aforementioned Reddit post are divisive. Some players find multiplayer matches far too sweaty, with Mikelshwede86 commenting, “The whole premise of Call of Duty has been its kill streaks for many, many years. If they are unobtainable for most people, then where does the enjoyment come from?” However, players like ScarletStormDust says, “As someone who hasn’t religiously played COD since BO3, and MW2 remastered, this is the most fun I’ve had.” The Call of Duty multiplayer community is notorious for being hard to please, and the initial strong Modern Warfare 4 reviews haven’t changed that reputation.
Modern Warfare 4 reviews are still quite strong compared to the last few years of series entries, but that hasn’t stopped multiplayer from facing a wave of negative feedback from players.
There are plenty of players that bounce back between campaign and multiplayer and are far more casual about playing a new Call of Duty game. However, there are also plenty of players who mostly look forward to the campaign and those who are multiplayer loyalists. Modern Warfare 4 is further proof that it is becoming harder and harder to make both camps happy. One side is almost always disappointed; sometimes it’s even both.
It’s not impossible for Call of Duty to bring forth a game that has both stellar multiplayer and a compelling campaign, but it also feels like it’s becoming much harder to strike the balance that is needed to make that actually happen. Even when the best Call of Duty campaigns outshine multiplayer, the latter is still worth fixing and improving, because that’s where the game’s longevity truly lies. There was once a time when it seemed like the campaign and multiplayer needed each other to survive, but it might be more complicated than that now. If Call of Duty wants to make both camps happy, then a serious franchise shake-up might be necessary.
After Modern Warfare 4, the Call of Duty Franchise Should Experiment With Separate Projects
It’s clear that delivering a Call of Duty game with good multiplayer and a great campaign in one experience is incredibly challenging, so a possible route could be for the franchise to split into two different paths. Instead of an annual release that bundles both multiplayer and campaign into a single package, one year could present a multiplayer game while the next would bring forth a campaign game. It isn’t a perfect solution, but it at least gives devs a longer production timeline. That extra time could be the key to making Call of Duty games that are more well-received across the board.
The main issue would be price. Certain players are either campaign or multiplayer die-hards, but there are plenty in the middle who love both equally. If Activision priced both campaign and multiplayer projects at premium prices, it could potentially be unfair. Yes, the company currently charges premium prices every year when a new entry launches, but combining campaign and multiplayer into a package deal makes the price tag far more justifiable. As it stands, it looks like Call of Duty games have a long way to go before making everyone happy, if that’s even possible.
- Released
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October 23, 2026
- Multiplayer
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Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
