Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 launched on October 23, and the early reviews are good. Metacritic shows 86 on PC from 18 reviews and 89 on PS5 from 13 reviews, both in the "generally favorable" range.
Those are early numbers from a small set of reviews, and they will move. What is already clear is that the story is set on a real, unresolved conflict, and that part has drawn more discussion than the scores.
What Reviewers Say
The outlets Metacritic lists include TechRadar Gaming at 100 and GamesRadar+ at 90, with scores of 85 and 80 from others. We have not read every review and are not quoting individual outlets beyond those scores.
Wikipedia lists slightly higher figures, 87 on PC and 91 on PS5, and says critics praised the campaign. Its page carries a note about weak sourcing, so we are using Metacritic's own numbers above. The gap between the two is a reminder that early scores are still being added.
Here is what the same Wikipedia summary says about the game itself, with that caveat:
- Developer and publisher: Infinity Ward, with help from about ten other studios, published by Activision.
- Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Windows and Nintendo Switch 2. It is the first Call of Duty released only on current-generation hardware.
- Multiplayer: 12 core 6v6 maps at launch, with the modes Gunfight and Big War returning, and a new map that can be arranged in more than 500 layouts.
- DMZ: the extraction mode returns.
For prices and the Game Pass situation, see our guide to the big games before Christmas. The Standard Edition is $69.99 and the Vault Edition is $99.99 per the Xbox store page, and the game is not on Game Pass at launch.
The Setting
The campaign is set during a North Korean invasion of South Korea, following Captain Price as he hunts a Russian-backed figure named Archer, with missions that also take in New York, Paris and Mumbai, per Wikipedia.
Before launch, BBC coverage, which we could only read through aggregator copies, quoted a University of Sheffield Korean studies lecturer saying the setting could be controversial because it turns a war that has never formally ended into entertainment. The same coverage cited Korean voices who were more positive, with one calling Korea's inclusion in the series a symbolic moment, and noted the author of a book on games and politics expected the setting to draw scrutiny in South Korea, citing the earlier game Homefront, which was banned there.
Infinity Ward has said it consulted military experts, regional specialists and families of defectors. We found nothing about reaction after launch, so we cannot say whether the debate has grown or faded.
What Is Still Unknown
- Sales and player numbers. None had been published in the sources we could open.
- The final Metacritic score. With only 13 to 18 reviews counted, it can still move several points either way.
- User reception. Players' scores often differ from critics' at launch, and those take longer to settle.
Editorial Take: An 86 to 89 start is a solid, favorable reception, but it rests on a small number of reviews. The more telling question is not the score but whether the Korean setting affects sales or availability in South Korea, which no source we found addresses yet. If you play the campaign for the story, the reviews so far point toward it. If you play for multiplayer, wait for a few weeks of balance patches before judging the launch maps.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Modern Warfare 4 review scores? 86 on PC from 18 reviews and 89 on PS5 from 13 reviews on Metacritic as of October 26. Scores can change.
When did Modern Warfare 4 come out? October 23, 2026.
What platforms is it on? PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Windows and Nintendo Switch 2.
Is Modern Warfare 4 on Game Pass? Not at launch, according to the Xbox store page.
How much does it cost? $69.99 for the Standard Edition and $99.99 for the Vault Edition, per the Xbox store page.
Where is the campaign set? During a North Korean invasion of South Korea, per Wikipedia, with missions in other cities as well.
Scores and details come from the sources linked above and can change. Tracking what arrives next across movies, TV, games, music and books at incoming.to.