Reviewers praise Modern Warfare 4 visuals but note brief campaign

Five Hours on the Korean Peninsula

The single-player campaign of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 spans roughly five hours, placing players into a high-stakes military spectacle that concludes almost as quickly as it begins, Aftonbladet reported. Developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision, the title drops players directly into a fictional North Korean invasion of South Korea. Players experience the crisis through the eyes of South Korean marine Park Hyun-Jun, while simultaneously navigating a shadow war alongside franchise veteran Captain John Price.

Priced from 799 SEK and rated PEGI 18, the game is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2. Reviewers have praised its visual fidelity and gunplay, while noting that its brief running time leaves significant narrative potential on the table regarding the central geopolitical conflict. When storming North Korea from the beach at one point, it feels like being right in the middle of Steven Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan”.

High Praise and Player Numbers on Steam

Despite initial skepticism leading up to its release, early-access players on Steam have given the single-player campaign an overwhelmingly positive reception, according to FZ.se. Notebookcheck noted that Modern Warfare 4 attracted higher concurrent player counts during its pre-release window than previous franchise entries like Black Ops 7, which struggled to surpass lower engagement ceilings. During the launch period for Black Ops 6 later in 2024, 313,000 people played simultaneously. The game’s rating on Steam currently sits at 84%, while Black Ops 7 sits significantly lower at 38,71%, and it also beats most of the latest games in the series, where Black Ops 3 from 2015 leads with 84,36%.

Complementing the single-player release, Activision rolled out early access to the DMZ extraction mode on October 20, 2026. Traditional multiplayer modes, including 6v6 playlists and Ground War, are slated to launch three days later, on the official release date.

Pape San Opens Korean Grocery Store Pop-Up in Paris

To build anticipation ahead of the launch, content creator Pape San partnered with Activision to open “Chez Pape,” a temporary Korean grocery store pop-up located at Galerie 24b on rue Saint-Roch in Paris’s first arrondissement, Sortir à Paris reported. The content creator, known as the “Mayor of Seoul,” opened the temporary Korean grocery store on October 17 and 18, 2026, from 12 PM to 6 PM. Visitors who discovered a hidden door behind the venue’s refrigerators gained access to a subterranean PC Bang gaming room modeled after South Korean internet cafes.

Fans queued to test an upcoming Paris-based campaign mission and sample Korean street food prepared by chef Sukwon Yong. Public figures including Gotaga and Brawks made appearances at the pop-up over the weekend to engage with attendees ahead of the game’s global rollout. Activision did not offer reservations for the pop-up, so visitors had to plan to queue.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Release Details?

• When is the official release date for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4?

  The game launches globally on October 23, 2026, though players who pre-ordered received early access to the single-player campaign and the DMZ extraction mode ahead of that date, as reported by FZ.se.

• What platforms can players use to play the game?

  Infinity Ward developed the title for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2, with prices starting from 799 SEK, according to Aftonbladet.

• How long does it take to complete the single-player campaign?

  Aftonbladet noted that the campaign lasts approximately five hours, focusing on the Korean Peninsula conflict alongside a parallel storyline following Captain John Price, though a major complaint among quite a few players is that the campaign ends far too early.