We've pretty well known all along that Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 did not live up to expectations. While I personally enjoyed (mostly) Black Ops 7 and there was no shortage of content, it didn't do well.

Battlefield 6 launching before Black Ops 7 didn't help, neither did the fact it was a back-to-back Black Ops release cycle, coming after back-to-back Modern Warfare titles.

In an interview with The Game Business, Activision's Chief Marketing Officer, Tyler Bahl, admitted that it didn't perform well and that it wasn't what players were looking for. A couple of key quotes:

“I don’t think we were happy with every aspect of last year’s game, and we heard the feedback loud and clear. With Modern Warfare 4, we’ve tried to adjust based on that feedback. It’s getting back to a grounded military shooter. Making it cinematic, making it authentic, and bringing that edge back that Call of Duty is known for.”

"It was not something that our community was looking for. They wanted something fresh, and even though there were different time settings, and ways to play the game with new features, that tonal shift is something that they were looking for."

I've spoken before of Call of Duty fatigue, and to me it's personified by the sheer quantity of Black Ops and Modern Warfare games in recent memory. Aside from Vanguard, eight of the last nine Call of Duty games have been either Black Ops or Modern Warfare.

As we're already expecting, Call of Duty 2027 is set to be a new sub-franchise spearheaded by Sledgehammer Games. It certainly feels refreshing to have something completely new to look forward to.

Early signs for Modern Warfare 4 are positive, though. At least, speaking personally. DMZ is looking really interesting; the campaign will absolutely be better than last year's game, and the movement and mechanics we experienced in the beta I thought were pretty good.

The uphill battle Activision faces is the slide in player sentiment and, as a result, player retention. Bahl talks in the interview about nostalgia, lest we forget how successful the Black Ops and Black Ops 2 ports were on PS5.

But he also acknowledges that the teams working on Call of Duty have to be part of the community. They need to listen to players, they need to engage with players and they need to be more transparent. He points to the widespread appearance of the game at public events, putting the game in as many people's hands as possible before it comes out and letting them form their own opinion. Rather than parroting that of the internet echo chamber.

The other interesting point I pulled from the interview was Bahl's remarks on how Modern Warfare 4 will be judged a success or not:

"We’re not really holding ourselves to a specific number. It’s more about living up to those expectations that we set out at the beginning of the year... Because even if it delivers on sales, if people don’t like the game, we’ve missed the mark.”

I really want to believe that player satisfaction is a priority metric. But we need to see it play out that way. We've had two years of Call of Duty on Xbox Game Pass, which instigated a price increase and then a price decrease and the removal of the franchise from being added during its first year.

Revenue from sales was a driving factor. Game Pass players don't pay full price; even if they subscribe for a year, not all that money is attributable to Call of Duty. Revenue dropped, but then we also have Black Ops 6 experiencing a record launch.

Let's just say I'm skeptical. But I'm prepared to give Activision a chance to live up to it. Whether you enjoy the game or not, it's easy to look at it as an $80 storefront for skins, with a video game attached to it.

I want Modern Warfare 4 to be good. I want it to do well, and I want Call of Duty to get back to being the biggest and best there is. Only time will tell.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War recently joined Xbox Game Pass, and as such, there's an influx of folks who haven't played before. That goes for me, too, having played only a small amount back in 2020 on the PS4.

If you're on console, it's mostly OK. But on PC there are some issues, one of which is a problem with textures not rendering properly. Sometimes it'll look blocky, others the sky won't render in at all, and when it happens, it looks like you're playing a PS1 game. Horrible.

It turns out this has been an issue pretty much always on PC, and given it's a six-year-old game, it's unlikely to get a patch to fix it. General consensus is that it suffers from a memory leak, and while I would expect Microsoft to make sure new arrivals on Game Pass aren't broken, let's face it, it's not happening.

It affects all game modes, so even if you only jump into the Campaign and Zombies, you're going to see it eventually.

Many attribute the issue to AMD graphics, but I've seen it on NVIDIA, too, and no amount of trying different drivers makes a difference. There is no fix, but there are some workarounds you can employ that can help it happen less often. You may not need all of them, but some of these have worked for me.

1. Reduce your settings to medium and don't use the high resolution textures

It's an older game, and it doesn't look as crisp as Black Ops 7 or the upcoming Modern Warfare 4. It's best to just accept this, and even though you may well be able to run it maxed out (I certainly can on an RTX 5090), dropping the settings is one way to help reduce the texture issue. Create less strain on the system.

The other thing to do is to make sure you're not trying to use the HD texture pack. In my experience it doesn't make that much difference, anyway. But having this enabled prompted texture issues in every single game for me; turning it off and going down to medium, it rarely happens now.

The HD texture pack can't be removed if you're playing on Game Pass (and is part of the reason the game is so ridiculously large in size), so just make sure you're not using it.

2. Tweak your targeted VRAM usage

In the graphics settings you have an option to tell the game what target to aim for regarding VRAM usage.

One step you can take to try and help with texture issues is dropping this down, especially if you don't have mountains of it to spare. I appreciate that while I'm using 32GB VRAM, most aren't, and it's a more precious commodity.

For most, 80% should be good. It's not a magic fix, but it's worth trying anyway.

3. Turn off upscaling

For me, it was the combination of turning off DLSS along with dropping the settings to medium that had the most impact. I didn't realise DLSS was even enabled at first, but I've had the least texture issues since turning it off.

It also means you have to turn off any ray tracing effects, which is fine; you don't need that anyway.

Black Ops Cold War isn't the most demanding game out there; after all, it is from 2020. If you have a GPU from the last decade, you should be fine without relying on upscaling.

If it does start to chug a little, you can play with the render resolution to try and overcome it. But turning off the upscaler seems to have been an important step for me, at least on NVIDIA.

I spent a good amount of time trying to see if anyone had a fix for the texture issues in Black Ops Cold War, and there's also talk out there regarding page files and other configuration changes that I didn't feel comfortable messing with unless it was a last resort.

Fortunately, the combination of dropping the graphics settings and turning off the upscaling has mitigated it to the point that where it once happened multiple times an hour, I can now play for multiple hours at a time and not see it happen once.

It's also worth making sure you're not using your GPU for anything else while playing. If you're watching video content on the side, make sure you turn off hardware acceleration (in Chrome and Edge this can be done in the flags), or just don't have anything else open to be safe.

It'd be nice for Microsoft/Activision to get a patch out since the game just got added to Game Pass and a bunch of people are experiencing it for the first time. The ancient version of Modern Warfare 2 on PC just got patched to fix exploits, so you never know. I think they have a duty of care to make sure games being offered are in a good place.

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Additionally, we know that Warzone will be shutting down on Xbox One and PS4 when the final Black Ops 7 season ends, as those platforms won't be getting Modern Warfare 4 or its Warzone integration.

So it stands to reason that the Warzone Modern Warfare 4 update will come as that season ends. We know it begins on September 17, and an educated guess right now would suggest an ending around November 12. This also falls in that three-week(ish) post-launch window we've seen before.

Note, this is all speculation right now. But once the final Black Ops 7 season is underway, we will at least be able to see when it ends, as that's when we expect the switchover for Warzone to happen.

We did, of course, get an early look at the Modern Warfare 4 update to Warzone in the recent open beta, which showcased the new Zodiac Resurgence map.

Beyond this we don't really know a whole lot about how Warzone will look in a Modern Warfare 4 world, but there are still a couple of months left (we think) yet to fill in the blanks.

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Given that everyone will be starting Modern Warfare 4 from zero, now is a good time to stop using up any 2XP tokens you currently have on your account. They'll be far more beneficial giving you a boost in the new game if you're going to play it.

We don't yet know exactly what the Prestige system looks like in Modern Warfare 4, but there's going to be plenty of leveling to do, and those 2XP tokens will make life a lot speedier in the new game.

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Do I get to keep my old weapons, operators, and blueprints in Warzone when Modern Warfare 4 launches?

The exception to carry forward is Warzone, where traditionally older weapons, their attached blueprints, and unlocked camos are still usable in the battle royale modes. Likewise, previously unlocked operators and their skins can also be used.

It's highly unlikely that Black Ops 7 items would be removed given that it's the most current game at this point, so you can still go ahead and unlock battle pass rewards or spend COD Points and use those items in Warzone when it migrates to Modern Warfare 4.

There's no confirmed date for this yet, but the current best guess is mid-November, when we expect the final Black Ops 7 season to end.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 launches on all platforms on Friday, October 23, 2026. Players who pre-order the game digitally on any platform will have early access to play the campaign a week prior on Friday, October 16.

Modern Warfare 4 will not be on Xbox Game Pass at launch. Based on Microsoft's previous statements, it's not expected to join Game Pass until October 2027 at the earliest.

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We've already had the Modern Warfare 4 beta weekends at the time of writing this post, so the next chance for anyone to play will be the early access period.

During this window, only the campaign will be playable. Anyone hoping to get a head start on the multiplayer camo grind will have to wait until the general release date.

The early access period does at least give players a chance to clear the campaign before full release. though, leaving the floor clear to jump right into multiplayer and DMZ.

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• Xbox Series X|S / Xbox on PC (supports Xbox Play Anywhere)
• PS5
• Steam
• Battle.net
• Nintendo

It's also worth a reminder that unlike Black Ops 6 and Black Ops 7, Modern Warfare 4 will not be on Xbox Game Pass at launch. The only way to play early is to pre-order. Modern Warfare 4 isn't currently expected in Game Pass until October 2027 at the earliest.

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I almost entirely skipped 2020's Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. I'd pretty much done the same with 2019's Modern Warfare because at the time, I wasn't feeling the new look and feel after Black Ops 4.

I didn't actually get any kind of mojo back until the launch of Black Ops 6, helped in large part because of Microsoft's acquisition of Activision, and the arrival of Call of Duty into Xbox Game Pass.

The back catalog has gradually joined, too, and going forward, it'll only be a back catalog since the new games won't join for a year. While I do fear for how that decision (among other things) will affect Modern Warfare 4 and its player count, subscribers still have a smorgasboard of older games to enjoy.

Black Ops Cold War is the latest addition, having joined Xbox Game Pass this week as I write this. So I installed it, because I can, and I spent an evening playing it. What a breath of fresh air. Having just completed, finally, the gruelling Singularity Mastery Camo on Black Ops 7 in the sweatiest lobbies of all time, Black Ops Cold War feels so good.

Importantly, it feels fun. As much as I may have played the last two Call of Duty games, I can't always say it's been fun. Maybe it's the 'no pressure' environment of not actually trying to do anything. Not chasing unlocks, filling battle passes, or completing challenges to get the new items that I apparently need, but never use. It feels low commitment, and it feels absolutely fantastic.

The slower pace of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is perfect for more casual players

I'll admit, I don't hate the movement in Black Ops 6 or Black Ops 7, but it is pretty outrageous. The term "movement demon" is one us less sweaty players fear, and every lobby in the current game seems to have multiple.

While there's a satisfaction to flying, sliding, and wall bouncing around the map, it feels like hard work, and it's hard work to play against. Black Ops Cold War has a slower pace; there's no wall bouncing, no Omnimovement, just a run and fairly basic slide. Being an average player that can kinda sorta aim decently well, I feel like I can actually compete.

Positioning, map knowledge, and tactics feel like they have more of an impact in Black Ops Cold War compared to Black Ops 7. In the current game the movement and the pace make it so, if you're capable, you can just fly around and rely on this to get you out of trouble. Or to make trouble for the opponents.

I played a bunch of objective modes in Black Ops Cold War, and every match felt like where I positioned myself mattered. Breaking into hardpoints took a measured approach and actually aiming, rather than just bouncing around. Even Nuketown doesn't feel like a miserable experience, and that's saying a lot.

The weapons look and feel good, and the camo grind is a different type of challenge

The gunplay in Black Ops Cold War is obviously different from the two most recent Black Ops titles, and I think it's better. It's closer to how Modern Warfare feels, which, traditionally, I wasn't much of a fan of.

Maybe it's old age, but I like it better this way.

To say it's from 2020, the weapons look great and still hold up today. The sound also feels better, like you're firing an actual weapon. It's loud.

Going back to an older Call of Duty also highlights the difference in the camo grind to what we've had the last couple of years. I don't think I'm bothering, but compared to the all headshots, then specials, then multikill challenges we've had to do in order in Black Ops 6 and Black Ops 7, I think this is still a better way.

Once a weapon is leveled high enough, you can progress multiple categories at the same time. You can get those Bloodthirsty medals alongside the long shots, headshots, and general eliminations, for example. I just finished doing the three Bloodthirsty's per weapon 30 times in Black Ops 7, and it's exhausting. Working on it earlier seems like it'd be better.

The overall aesthetic is really nice, too. I love the 80's theme, and while graphically the textures on some maps do definitely look old, some others look really good.

The BIG problem: Black Ops Cold War will eat up your PC or Xbox storage

We're used to Call of Duty being a storage hog, but this is a game from 2020, detached from Warzone, and it's absolutely gigantic.

On Xbox you're looking at 158 GB (according to the store listing), and the "Windows Edition" on PC takes up a whopping 220 GB, including the high-res texture pack. A pack you seemingly on this version cannot play without.

That's more than the current Call of Duty launcher is taking up on my PC, and that at least also has Warzone installed. There's nothing we can do about it, and they're certainly not going to try and shrink down a six-year-old game, but you'll need a lot of space to be able to play it.

I'm at the point now where I think I'm mostly done with Black Ops 7. There's a couple of things I want to finish still, like the Endgame 100% since I've only got two challenges left, but a new game is coming soon.

While I'm feeling better about it after the beta than before, I'm still up in the air over whether it's going to be worth playing longer term.

But I haven't even touched the Campaign or Zombies in Black Ops Cold War yet, and I'm actively looking forward to playing the game again. Maybe this will be the Call of Duty to scratch the itch until Modern Warfare 4 comes out.

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I've been following this story for a while, but it seems like Call of Duty fans of at least one of their PC versions have cause to celebrate this week.

Microsoft has been hard at work leveraging its Call of Duty acquisition to boost Xbox's fortunes in recent years, shipping Black Ops 1 and 2 "classic" versions exclusively onto PlayStation to huge fanfare.

Indeed, the "classic" Call of Duty versions have been in the spotlight somewhat lately, as fans clamor for an era of a more grounded, less microtransaction-laden Call of Duty. Modern versions are replete with pop culture bloat and mountains of "features" nobody really asked for, leaving nostalgic millennials and older gen-z players yearning for simpler times.

Of course, you can always play the classic Call of Duty games on PC via Steam or on Xbox Series X|S via backwards compatibility. The downside is that these classic Call of Duty versions are often infested with aimbot hackers at best, and RCE vulnerabilities at worst.

Remote Code Execution (RCE) exploits allow players in multiplayer titles to literally upload malware to your computer. The way some older games work with regard to peer-to-peer networking, if left unpatched, facilitate this malignant type of attack. Modern Warfare 2 on PC has been notorious for these types of vulnerabilities unfortunately, but there may be light at the end of the tunnel.

In a statement to Windows Central, Activision claimed the following: "An update released this week addressed all known vulnerabilities in Modern Warfare 2. The team continues to support our legacy titles, with additional updates coming soon. We encourage anyone aware of additional issues to report them through Activision's Bug Bounty Portal."

There are other reports of aimbots, wall hacks, and even RCE exploits in other classic Call of Duty PC games, but it sounds as though Activision is now actively working through these after realizing the potential goldmine it's sitting on. Indeed, Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and 2 dominated the PlayStation store over the summer, potentially opening up new revenue streams for the legendary franchise.

What about Call of Duty on Xbox backwards compatibility?

I've also requested for Activision to comment on the Xbox backwards compatible versions of Call of Duty, which are similarly replete with hackers and aimbots and the like.

Xbox backwards compatibility is one of the best features Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One have in my view. It allows hundreds of classic Xbox and Xbox 360 games to carry forward, ensuring that your purchases travel with you.

In the early days, having all of the classic Call of Duty titles in one place is arguably a huge selling point for Xbox as a console ecosystem. However, Microsoft itself offered a huge flaw in the system this summer, when it ported the classic Black Ops 1 and 2 exclusively to PlayStation, complete with modernized security updates and server infrastructure.

Since the classic Call of Duty titles available on Xbox Series X|S today are effectively Xbox 360 versions, the source code of which is likely archived, it seems incredibly unlikely Microsoft and Activision will be willing to patch some of these. The Xbox 360 security layers are easily bypassed these days, with modded consoles opening up old school backwards compatible multiplayer titles to a variety of vulnerabilities.

It's a sad state of affairs for Xbox fans of classic Call of Duty games potentially. Despite Xbox literally owning Call of Duty, Xbox fans are left with the worst experience thanks to the unpatched security vulnerabilities.

I'll update this article if Activision responds to my queries on the topic, but at least for now, PC players of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 should feel a bit safer for the time being. I'll monitor the situation and let you know of any updates as soon as I'm able.

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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is fast approaching now that the traditional yearly beta test is out of the way. Included for the first time this year was a look at the next iteration of Call of Duty: Warzone, the free-to-play battle royale that ties in with a current year's game.

It's bittersweet for folks still on an Xbox One or a PS4, though, because they weren't able to try out the new Zodiac map, and they're never going to, either.

Modern Warfare 4 will be the first Call of Duty title to drop support for Xbox One and PS4, and along with it, Warzone. The announcement was made back in June, but for now, the game is still playable.

That's going to change fairly soon, though. Here's what's already happened, what's going to happen, and crucially, when we think the final shutdown will happen.

Why is Call of Duty: Warzone on Xbox One and PS4 being shut down?

The simple answer is that Warzone is shutting down on Xbox One and PS4 because Modern Warfare 4 will not be on those platforms.

Despite Warzone being free-to-play without any requirement to own the latest Call of Duty game, crucially, it integrates with each year's new game.

As Modern Warfare 4 will be taking over from Black Ops 7, and it won't be supported on the last-gen consoles, Warzone will no longer be playable.

When do we think Call of Duty: Warzone is shutting down on Xbox One and PS4?

The official documentation states:

"Call of Duty: Warzone on PlayStation 4 and XBOX One will be available to play through the end of Season 06 for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7."

Activision hasn't given an exact date yet, but we can make an educated guess based on how the new games have rolled out in previous years.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 will release on Friday, October 23, 2026. The assumption may be that this is when the Warzone shutdown will happen, but it's not that straightforward.

Traditionally, the Warzone integration doesn't go live when the new game launches. It follows on when Season 1 of said new game begins.

In the case of Black Ops 6 and Black Ops 7, Season 1 began 20 days post-launch of the game, and this is when Warzone was updated with the new game's integration. In the case of Modern Warfare III, it was actually almost a week longer.

We expect Season 06 to begin on September 17, given it's both a Thursday and the date the Season 05 battle pass expires. Unlike the jump from Black Ops 6 to Black Ops 7, where there was a month without a seasonal update, it looks like this year's transition will leave us with content right to the very end.

This year isn't an in-house transition like the past two Treyarch releases. Given how long the seasons in Black Ops 7 usually are, we could be looking at Season 06 ending after Modern Warfare 4 launches.

This means Xbox One and PS4 players could have until around November 12 to keep playing Warzone. But we'll know for sure once Season 06 begins when we can expect it to end.

But it wouldn't be crazy to assume that Black Ops 7, the Season 06 content, Battle Pass, and Warzone that is linked to it all could remain live this long. It would be about 20 days after the Modern Warfare 4 launch, too.

Can I still get Call of Duty: Warzone on Xbox One and PS4?

For now, you can only play Warzone on Xbox One or PS4 if you have previously added it to your library.

No new downloads are being offered on either console, but if you're a past player, you can still reinstall it and play until the shutdown date.

The store is also disabled now, despite showing up in the launcher. You're unable to spend anymore money or redeem COD Points.

What happens to all the stuff I've bought in Call of Duty: Warzone on Xbox One and PS4?

The in-game store has been closed for a while now, preventing players from spending real money via the Xbox One and PS4 versions.

But your purchases aren't disappearing. Because you have an Activision ID in order to play, all those purchases are tied to your account.

As such, if you log in on another platform at any time, you'll have everything there waiting for you.

I don't have an Xbox Series X|S, PS5, or gaming PC, so how can I keep playing Call of Duty: Warzone?

If you don't have more current hardware to move to or don't want to upgrade, you're all but out of options.

You do, however, have the ability to play Warzone via the cloud, either through Xbox Cloud Gaming or NVIDIA GeForce Now. The former, you can use on your Xbox One.

Is it the same experience? Not totally. The visuals and frame rate will certainly be an upgrade (especially on GeForce Now) but you do have to consider that you will have some additional latency concerns.

The game will be playing on a piece of hardware that's in someone else's building. While server latency in the game won't be too bad, you then have to stream the game to your own device. Cloud gaming has come a long way, though, and unless you're the absolute most competitive player, it might well be good enough.

The downside is that you're going to have to pay, even though NVIDIA does have a free tier. This one is limited to an hour's play, and you have no priority access, so if the servers are full, you'll be in a longer queue. And who wants to be chucked out in the final circle?

Likewise, you can't play Warzone via the cloud for free with Xbox Cloud Gaming, either. Ultimate gets you the best quality stream, but you can play via the cheaper Xbox Game Pass tiers, too.

So, that's where we're at. While Warzone has indeed been playable on Xbox One, it's hardly been the best experience. The Xbox One X still does OK, but being attached to the Xbox One generation it has to say goodbye, too.

But there's still probably a couple of months at least left to play from the time of writing this, so enjoy.

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The next premium Call of Duty release, Infinity Ward's upcoming Modern Warfare 4, is just a few months away from hitting consoles and PCs, and it's finally time for players to get a good look at the upcoming first-person shooter's multiplayer gameplay.

As it has with previous Call of Duty launches, Activision will show off Modern Warfare 4's multiplayer in detail during this year's Call of Duty NEXT showcase. COD NEXT is a fan-favorite event where many of the top Call of Duty players — from popular streamers to esports pros — go live to broadcast gameplay, dev commentary, and more across YouTube and Twitch.

Here's everything you need to know so you don't miss out on COD NEXT 2026.

When and where to watch Call of Duty NEXT 2026

Call of Duty NEXT 2026 is set to go live on August 21 at 9 AM PT/12 PM ET. Players can tune in to the official Call of Duty channels to catch the live stream. Those who have preordered or have otherwise received an early access beta code can hop into the Modern Warfare 4 beta via the Call of Duty HQ immediately following the broadcast.

The Early Access Beta for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is only for players on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Xbox on PC, Steam, and Battle.net. Modern Warfare 4 will not release on last-gen consoles, but it will be available on the Nintendo Switch 2 for the first time. Switch fans will have to wait until the open beta on August 28 to try out multiplayer.

What to expect from Call of Duty NEXT 2026

Official Call of Duty NEXT details remain scarce, even as the event draws nearer. Activision and Infinity Ward have been oddly tight-lipped on what players can expect to see during the showcase, but there have been some vague clues that the experience may be a bit different this year.

In previous years, Activision would pool together popular streamers, sports professionals, and more to show off gameplay. However, Xbox and Activision previously partnered with Fanatics Fest in July to spotlight the upcoming Kill Block map. Many of the popular streamers who typically participate in Call of Duty NEXT were present at the Fanatics Fest event for hands-on gameplay.

In an official blog post, the Call of Duty team calls COD NEXT 2026 a "global event featuring live gameplay, an in-depth briefing on the lineup of content coming to Modern Warfare 4's Multiplayer, developer insights, and new reveals ahead of the Beta."

The description is a bit vague, but the phrase "global event" has led many to speculate that this year's COD NEXT event will not feature the in-person gameplay event that has been a staple for the showcase. For the first time ever, the beta for this year's Call of Duty title will go live immediately following the COD NEXT broadcast — a welcome move that just might help the hype generated by the NEXT showcase carry over into the beta experience.

That move, however, may ultimately make it unfeasible to bring big-name gamers who might not want to miss streaming the beta during its early access period to an in-person event.

Infinity Ward has confirmed that it will showcase multiplayer during COD NEXT 2026, but the team has been surprisingly mum on Modern Warfare 4's third mode since the initial DMZ reveal. DMZ is not expected to be playable during the two beta weekends for Modern Warfare 4.

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