Call of Duty has always been about speed and chaos, but with Modern Warfare 4, the series is trying something different by slowing things down a bit. We spent time with the Early Access beta of Modern Warfare 4 to see how the game feels now that the omnidirectional 360 movement is gone, and whether the more grounded approach actually makes for a better game. From the campaign mission to the new multiplayer modes and how it runs on PC, here’s what stood out during our time with the beta.

Campaign: Entrenched

For the first time, a Call of Duty beta let us play through an actual campaign mission instead of just multiplayer. The mission is called Entrenched and runs for about 30 minutes, packed with intense combat and a story that leans into realism with a few emotional beats along the way. You take part in a large scale ground assault trying to stop a power station from falling into enemy hands and keep it from being destroyed. True to its name, it starts with fighting through trench after trench as you push back forces that have taken over a nuclear plant. The mission is set in Korea, and the soldiers actually speak Korean, which adds a nice touch of immersion. The voice acting is solid, and overall the campaign slice left a good impression.

Gameplay, Mobility Training and Progression

The biggest change here is how grounded the gameplay feels now. Instead of the fast, spinning omnidirectional movement from recent entries, you’re back to mantling, hanging, climbing, jumping, sliding, and using Tactical Sprint. The maps are built around this too, giving you more than just ladders to climb, like pipes and other vertical spots that let you use mantling and climbing in more creative ways. There are also more spots where you can mantle straight into a slide to cover ground quickly. Even with the slower pace, keeping your momentum going still matters if you want to get the drop on enemies.

Modern Warfare 4 also comes with a Mobility Training mode, basically a Mobility Course where you can learn the new movement system through guided tutorials and timed courses that range from Beginner to Expert, complete with ratings. It teaches techniques like Mantle Slide, Supine Slide, Dolphin Dive, and Hang Shimmy. If you’re the type who likes comparing times with friends or other players, this mode is a fun way to get better at movement while competing at the same time.

The gunplay is as strong as ever. There’s a wide range of weapons to try and level up, unlocking attachments as you go. The way weapons feel, the sound design, and even the depth of field when aiming down sights all add up to some of the best gunplay the series has had. You can use preset classes or build your own loadouts by mixing Operators, weapons, equipment, perks, and killstreaks, giving you a lot of freedom to play the way you want.

One feature we didn’t get to try is the Apex Attachment system. Each weapon that supports it can be unlocked by leveling it up to around level 68, giving it a unique modification that changes how the weapon plays without taking up a normal attachment slot. Since it wasn’t available in this beta, we’ll likely get to try it during the next open beta running from August 28th to September 1st.

Multiplayer and New Modes

Multiplayer is still a lot of fun, and the more grounded movement actually makes it feel more tactical compared to the usual run and gun style. With custom classes available, you’ll run into a lot of variety in the guns and loadout combinations other players bring into a match.

A few new modes stood out during the beta. Hijack has you fighting over a single Data Spike that you can throw or pass to teammates, then plant at the enemy’s Comm Station to rack up points before it goes off, though this mode wasn’t playable yet during Early Access. Inflation has you eliminating enemies to collect cash, but the players with the most cash become marked High Value Targets for the whole lobby, leading to chaotic moments especially during Overtime multipliers. Kill Block Gunfight is a more competitive mode where everyone gets a single life per round, using randomized shared loadouts across both 3v3 and a new 10v10 version, forcing you to adapt to whatever weapon you’re given.

The maps for these modes are also different from standard multiplayer. They’re made up of three connected sections that rearrange every two rounds, along with new loadouts each time. It almost feels like a training ground made of familiar map pieces. The goal is to be the first to reach 6 wins. This ended up being one of the most enjoyable modes during our time with the beta, mainly because the maps always feel fresh and everyone starts with the same gear, so the focus stays on the actual fighting.

Performance

We tested the beta on two different PCs. The first setup had an Intel i5-13500, an RTX 4070 SUPER, and 32GB of RAM running at 1440p. We tried both the Recommended and Balanced settings, as well as Quality and Balance presets, and for the most part the game ran at a steady 120FPS without frame generation. That said, we ran into heavy stuttering every few minutes. Even after updating to the latest Nvidia driver, version 610.88, turning off overlays and background recording, and making sure shaders were fully warmed up, the stuttering still popped up from time to time, which was a bit of a letdown since it affected the overall experience.

Our second test PC was about five years old, running a Ryzen 5 3600 and an RX 6800, and it didn’t run into the same stuttering issues. It handled the game smoothly at 60FPS on High settings with FSR 4 Quality at 1440p without frame generation. Lowering things to 1080p and Medium settings pushed it past 100FPS if you’re going for a more competitive setup. That’s a solid result for a game releasing in 2026.

One thing worth mentioning is that if you’re running an older PC, you may need to update your BIOS because of Call of Duty’s security system requirements. This was frustrating enough that it almost stopped us from being able to play on that second system at all.

Early Impressions

The Modern Warfare 4 Early Access beta shows that slowing things down might actually be the right move for the series. By pulling back from the fast, high flying movement of recent games in favor of something more deliberate and grounded, it brings back some of the tactical tension that made the franchise stand out in the first place, while still holding onto enough momentum based movement to keep that classic Call of Duty pace alive.

Including a playable campaign mission in the beta was a nice surprise, and it shows the team behind the story hasn’t lost its touch for gritty, cinematic moments. The multiplayer side also holds its own, with new modes like Inflation and Kill Block Gunfight adding some high stakes strategy to matches, while the map design works well with the new grounded movement system.

There are still some rough edges, like the stuttering we ran into during testing, which is a reminder that this is still a beta. The grind needed to unlock the higher tier Apex Attachments will also be something to look forward to testing once the next open beta arrives on August 28th. Still, with gunplay that feels sharp and a renewed focus on tactical gameplay, Modern Warfare 4 looks like it could be a solid fresh start for the series.