Call of Duty: Modern Warfare

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare from 2019 was a reboot of the legendary series that returned to a raw, darker take on modern warfare while also serving as a new platform for long-term multiplayer support on PS4. The campaign follows the intertwined fates of CIA operatives, British special forces, and rebels from the fictional Middle Eastern country of Urzikstan, and the game isn't afraid to portray war in a rawer, more uncomfortable way than players of the series were used to, including a controversial mission inspired by an attack on the London Underground.

Gameplay-wise, it's a pure-blooded action shooter focused on pace, cover-based firefights, and cinematic action sequences, but Infinity Ward also added slower, tense sections in a horror-like or stealth-infiltration style. Multiplayer introduced a completely reworked weapon system with a deep customization tree, along with the new Special Ops co-op mode, which linked smaller story missions with procedurally generated challenges for multiple players. The graphics engine on PS4 rendered realistically lit environments and detailed character models, though it required some framerate compromises on the base console compared to more powerful models.

The game's sound design ranked among the best the series had to offer, with realistic weapon sound effects and tense music underscoring the gravity of the depicted conflicts, and even minor characters got room to develop their own motivations, which was unusual for the series up to that point.

The game became a commercial hit and kicked off a new era for the series with a gradual shift to a live-service approach, seasonal content updates, and a tie-in with the battle royale mode Warzone, which turned Modern Warfare into a gateway to one of the most successful free-to-play shooters of the decade. It's still remembered today as a return to a more realistic, more serious tone for the series after years of sci-fi detours, and as a title that noticeably shaped the direction of the entire Call of Duty brand for years to come.

Why play it: For players craving a more realistic, more serious tone for the series and the tie-in with the battle royale mode Warzone, Modern Warfare is the title that kicked off a new era for Call of Duty.