Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Campaign Review

Another year, another Call of Duty. After a few weekends of the multiplayer BETA, a taste of Ground War, Warzone and also a small snippet of the Campaign as a demo, we are almost at the finish line. Campaign Early Access commenced on the 16th October 2026 for those who preordered any digital version of the game. If you purchase the game for Xbox Series X/S, you’ll also be under Xbox Play Anywhere, perfect if you’re also planning to play on PC or Handheld. The game is also available on Playstation 5 and, surprisingly, the Nintendo Switch 2.

The Modern Warfare series has always strived for spectacular moments, tension and realism in its military action. Infinity Ward has had a good chunk of time to work on this game, around four years or so, to be precise. What we have with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is perhaps the best campaign I’ve played in the franchise in a very long time. Read on, and I’ll gather my thoughts without spoiling the story for you.

Two Perspectives, One Explosive Campaign

So I said I wouldn’t spoil the story, but I will give a brief overview so you can get a sense of the plot. There are two parallel storylines that alternate throughout the game. One has you playing as Private Park, a young South Korean soldier experiencing wartime conflict for the first time after war breaks out on the Korean Peninsula. The other side of the story has you playing as Captain Price, who has gone AWOL and is pursuing a threat known as The Archer. I really enjoyed the twists and turns during both adventures, and trust me, there are plenty of intense moments.

Classic Call of Duty at Full Force

Most Call of Duty games usually tend to be around the same time mark to finish, and this one is no different. I managed to finish the game in around eight hours whilst taking my time. There are sixteen different missions, each of which took me around half an hour each, which would probably be longer if you play on tougher difficulty level. The style and scale of the missions here are nothing short of incredible. One minute you’re stuck in the midst of frantic frontline battles and the next you’re involved in covert operations trying to remain quiet and undetected.

Weapon handling is spot on and satisfying whether you’re running and gunning or picking off enemies at range. Some firefights require precision and strategy rather than going all guns blazing. There are also scenarios where you may engage in a good old-fashioned fist fight, which will need good timing to land punches. Variety is the spice of life, as they say, and you’ll get that here. With ground combat, vehicles, night vision and stealth, there is a bit of everything here, and every mission had me super engaged for the duration.

Blockbuster Visuals With Stunning Detail

When I first loaded into the campaign, I wasn’t expecting to see so much attention to detail and was blown away instantly. My TV is a 77-inch LG OLED C5, and the entire eight hours I played were stunning. There is an opening scene where you’re in a supermarket, and I never thought I’d be so mesmerised by looking at products on shelves; it all just looked so real. This is one of the most impressive games I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing. Character models have been designed with a remarkable level of detail; facial animations are super realistic throughout.

Cutscenes are like watching a blockbuster movie, and as someone who occasionally has the urge to skip them, they were super engaging here. Lighting is fantastic, with reflections and shadows both against normal terrain and even when rain was lashing down are incredible. Explosions, smoke, the splatter of blood when you shoot someone in the head, and more all contribute to a masterpiece presentation when it comes to the visuals.

Hollywood-Level Audio Design

Audio design in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is equally outstanding. Weaponry sounds punchy, explosions feel impactful, and the environmental effects blend well with the chaos. I tested the sound with a 5.1 surround sound system and also the official Xbox wireless headset, and both methods sounded fantastic. There is some familiar music during the campaign which pops at the right moments. Voice acting is on point to Hollywood levels, which made the story and environments much more immersive.

Final Thoughts

Many Call of Duty campaigns have struggled to hold my attention for very long, so much so that I had to do previous games in short sessions. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4’s campaign delivered a memorable, superbly polished experience, which I finished in around eight hours, in one go. Throughout the campaign, I felt like I was living through a cinematic movie and interacting with it. I can confidently say that I haven’t seen anything that looks as stunning as this game on an Xbox Series X yet, and recent games like Gears of War E-Day have also blown me away.

If you’re on the fence about Call of Duty this year, let me tell you that even the campaign alone is seriously impressive. This is without the rest of the package to come, which continues with DMZ on the 20th October 2026, online multiplayer on the 23rd October 2026 and Warzone to follow in November. That said, I am definitely diving in for a second attempt at the story on realism mode. If you want to secure your copy of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 with the Standard or Vault edition, you can grab it HERE.

From the frontline to the shadows, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 has delivered a thrilling dual-perspective campaign that reminds us why Call of Duty remains gaming’s blockbuster king, simply stunning!

Pros

• Magnificent presentation both in visuals and audio, the best I’ve seen on Xbox Series X
• Gunplay is sublime
• Cast and voice acting are strong
• Memorable and exciting missions
• Xbox Play Anywhere enabled

Cons

• Some of the story is predictable
• I was sad when it finished