Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 beta review – fast, fluid and almost too relentless

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is using its beta to make a very specific pitch: bring Modern Warfare back to grounded boots-on-the-ground combat, then turn the speed dial almost all the way up. Based on the early-access build now in players’ hands, that combination looks both immediately entertaining and potentially exhausting.

The fundamentals are familiar. Modern Warfare 4 puts conventional military gunplay back at the centre, with a broad selection of assault rifles, SMGs, marksman rifles and sniper rifles, while movement has been reworked away from the omni-movement system seen in Black Ops 6. The result, according to hands-on reporting from the beta, is still extremely fast and fluid rather than genuinely restrained.

Gunplay looks like the strongest part

The early weapon set suggests Infinity Ward has concentrated on making the basic act of firing a gun feel immediate and satisfying. The Han 86 is positioned as an approachable assault rifle, while weapons such as the Nightshade SMG, KG-7 Vulcan sniper rifle, Hyeon burst-fire AR and Mar-9 marksman rifle give the beta room for different engagement ranges and play styles.

There is already evidence that balance is a work in progress. Infinity Ward acknowledged feedback about time-to-kill after the first day and reduced the lethality of some weapons. Footstep volume was also lowered. That is exactly what a beta should be doing: exposing tuning problems at scale before launch rather than pretending the first public build is final.

Small maps, almost no downtime

Weekend one includes maps such as Rooftops, Silkworm and Transit 213, alongside familiar modes including Team Deathmatch, Domination, Hardpoint and Kill Confirmed. Rooftops stands out conceptually, spreading combat across connected New York high-rises with maintenance spaces, exposed roof sections and vertical traversal opportunities.

The bigger concern is pacing. Engagements arrive almost immediately after spawning, environmental effects constantly compete for attention and quick respawns push players straight back into the action. For anyone who likes Call of Duty at maximum intensity, that can be exhilarating. Players looking for the more deliberate tactical rhythm implied by the Modern Warfare name may find the sensory load harder to love.

Kill Block embraces the chaos

Kill Block is one of the beta’s most distinctive additions. The 10v10 Gunfight variant takes place in a training environment that changes between rounds, producing different combinations of trenches, containers, windows and other cover. With no respawns during a round, it introduces higher stakes without actually slowing the game down.

Movement follows a similar pattern. Activision describes Modern Warfare 4 as grounded, but grounded does not mean slow. Sliding, mantling and rapid traversal remain central, and the beta includes a dedicated Mobility Course for learning the system. The design appears to be chasing physical plausibility in presentation while preserving the aggressive mobility competitive Call of Duty players now expect.

A campaign mission is in the beta too

For the first time in a Call of Duty beta, Activision is also offering a campaign mission. Entrenched begins with fighting through a trench against North Korean forces before moving into a power-station sequence involving a reactor emergency and an escape through collapsing infrastructure. It is an unusual amount of single-player content for a public test and gives players something beyond the multiplayer loop to sample.

Early verdict

Modern Warfare 4 does not look interested in reinventing Call of Duty. Its beta instead sharpens the series around fast gunfights, dense maps, fluid movement and an almost relentless flow of stimulation. The weapon handling and variety appear promising, and Infinity Ward is already reacting to feedback, but the pace risks becoming noise rather than tension.

That makes this an encouraging beta rather than a settled verdict. The open beta begins on August 28, giving everyone a chance to see whether Infinity Ward’s version of a more grounded Modern Warfare can keep its speed without losing clarity. The full game is scheduled for October 23 on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and PC, with Nintendo Switch 2 included in the open-beta weekend.

Where to find it

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 beta