Everything We Know About Modern Warfare II So Far

It’s a very big week for reveals, with Summer Game Fest and the Xbox and Bethesda showcase both upcoming, we have a lot of game reveals to look forward to. But one of the biggest reveals has now been shown to us.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare II has now been revealed to the world. Most of us have already seen the trailer, and it looks fine for the most part. It does what it does as a reveal. But there are a lot of details that have now been announced from Activision and on the official Call of Duty website, giving us a better look at the game. 

As the sequel to the 2019 entry of Modern Warfare, you can expect a continuation when it comes to the campaign. But we will get into more detail on this below. Not only are we sure to see a lot of inspiration from Call of Duty MW2 (2009), but a lot of new additions. Without further ado, we are going to get straight into it.

Campaign

Modern Warfare 2 will kick off a short period after the events of Modern Warfare (2019). Task Force 141 is fully assembled with some of our favourite and most iconic characters from the originals. You can of course expect Captain Price to return and Farah to make another appearance, but it is now confirmed that Ghost, Gaz, and Soap will all be returning too. Though this was suggested at the end of Modern Warfare (2019), we now know for sure that they will be present in the sequel. A new character has also been confirmed, Colonel Alejandro Vargas. Task Force 141 faces a new threat with very deep connections across the world, putting us into an operation that covers Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

The new Modern Warfare 2 Campaign is set to be an “incredible experience on numerous levels.” Not only will we be getting our regular high stakes stealth missions and explosive assaults, but we will also be taking our combat underwater. Though this seems to be quite a new addition campaign-wise, it isn’t an addition I am personally excited to see. Most games that dip into underwater combat tend to be quite slow and lacklustre in that area. Of course, no gameplay has been shown for this yet so my doubts could be misplaced.

Special Ops

Special Ops has also been confirmed as returning. Which most people assumed would be the case regardless. Not much has been revealed about this mode though. It has been described as “evolved special ops” but no specifics have been given.

Multiplayer

When it comes to multiplayer, we are guaranteed to see the same additions that we see every year with Call of Duty. Including new base weapons, new and returning maps, new modes to play, a new cast of operators and so on. The gunfight game mode is also said to be making its way to the game, but this will not be present at the launch.

One big change that has been announced is the gunsmith. The gunsmith in multiplayer is being revamped, allowing for more customisation than ever seen before in a Call of Duty game. Though there haven’t been any specific details on the gunsmith changes, one of the rumoured changes includes a new attachment tuning mechanics. Tuning an attachment will have both positive and negative impacts on it. For example, you may choose to have an extended mag, in doing so more rounds will be added to the magazine, but the reload of the weapon will be slower.

Post Launch Content

As with most previous entries, Modern Warfare 2 will have a seasonal model with a battle pass. There will be a few content drops throughout the year, such as new maps, modes, and a few special events. But currently, there is not much information on this.

Technical Upgrades

We are into the next generation of gaming, and technical upgrades are something that we were bound to see. And from the sounds of it, it sounds like MW2 will be the best in this area. Described as the “most advanced Call of Duty in history” it looks like there are a lot of improvements to look forward to. Set to be one of the most immersive Call of Duty games to this date, with realistic sounds, lighting, and graphics. MW2 will also have the same engine used in Call of Duty (2019).

To get into specifics, Modern Warfare II will feature a physically based material system, one that allows for state-of-the-art photogrammetry (obtaining reliable details and information through cinematics), a new hybrid tile-based streaming system that allows for fast-moving action, world volumetric lighting, 4k HDR, PBR decal rendering for realistic surfaces, and lastly a new GPU geometry pipeline. With these improvements announced, it does seem likely the game will be very strong technically speaking.

The last change announced in this area was the new advanced AI system. Something this game series has needed for a good while. This new advanced AI system makes the friendly and enemy AI act more tactically during combat. Now being able to use various combat and cover techniques. A good change to look forward to as the AI in the series has been very underwhelming for a while. This change will also be made for Warzone 2.0, which we will get into now.

Warzone 2.0

Warzone 2.0 has also been announced and is likely to release alongside MW2, there is quite a bit to take in. Being led by Infinity Ward and Raven Software, Warzone 2.0 is set to have some major changes. It was announced that there would be a new mobile experience for Warzone 2.0, but this has not been expanded any further than the fact it will allow players to play on the go.

Some major changes that have been announced include the following: Warzone 2.0 will share the same engine with MW2, Ricochet Anti-Cheat will be available from day one (for both MW2 and Warzone), and Warzone 2.0 will feature many of the new MW2 content, technology, and systems. One big thing to note is that inventories will be reset as the new progression and inventory systems will come into place.

New Modes

Another very quick point, it is also now confirmed that a new sandbox mode and play space are in the works. But we know nothing other than that currently.

Key Release Details

When will Modern Warfare 2 be released? Modern Warfare 2 is confirmed to be released on October 28th for all platforms, including Xbox, PlayStation, and PC.

To be more specific, Modern Warfare II will be available for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC Battle.net and Steam. After 5 years, Call of Duty will be returning to Steam. Which I am sure many PC players will be happy about as they are no longer restricted to using Battle.net.

One thing that a lot of players may have on mind is will Modern Warfare 2 come to Xbox Game Pass on Day One? Though it is not confirmed yet, it is unlikely. As the purchase of Activision by Xbox will not be finalised until the summer of 2023, it is very likely we will not see any Call of Duty games make it onto game pass until that point. It is possible we could see MW2 on game pass after the deal is complete, but it is unlikely to be available on game pass on day one.

Modern Warfare II Pre Orders

With the game now revealed, the pre-orders are available now as well. By pre-ordering any version of the game, you will instantly secure yourself early access to the open beta as per usual. There are no further details into the beta at the time of writing this.

Standard Versions

When it comes to game tiers, there are only two available digital versions. Console players who want a digital version of the game can pre-order either the MW2 cross-gen bundle or the Vault Edition. PC Players will have the option of either the PC standard version or the Vault Edition.

The Modern Warfare 2 cross-gen bundle is the standard version of the game for consoles. The price of the cross-gen bundle will be £69.99/$69.99 on all consoles. The cross-gen bundle gives players access to all base game features and modes as normal. Available for PlayStation and Xbox consoles, the cross-gen bundle means that you can buy one version of the game that is compatible with both old and new generation consoles. For example, if you buy the PlayStation Modern Warfare 2 cross-gen bundle on a PS4, you will also have the upgrade available for free if you upgrade to a PS5.

Before we get onto the Vault Edition, it is important to note that there will be physical copies of the game. Modern Warfare 2 disc versions will be available for PS4, PS5 and Xbox. Physical copies are also priced at £69.99/$69.99. Some physical versions will also be specially marked and include the Call of Duty endowment bundle. No details have been given on what this bundle will include, but we know it will be available from the release of MW2.

Vault Edition

Now onto the highest tier/version, you can get for Modern Warfare 2. The MW2 vault edition features a lot of add ons and bonuses that some players may be interested in. How much for the Modern Warfare 2 Vault Edition? You will have to pay £99.99/$99.99 for the Vault Edition. What is included? Well, here is what you will get:

• Red Team 141 Operator Pack – get four exclusive Ghost themed outfits for the Ghost, Farah, Price, and Soap multiplayer operators.
• The FJX Cinder Weapon Vault – this will be the first-ever weapon vault but no further details have been given on this at the time of writing
• Access to the Season 1 Battle Pass and 50 tier skips
• The Ghost legacy pack is instantly available for Modern Warfare (2019) and Warzone. This includes 12 operator skins, these are named: Jawbone, Last Breath, Mandible, Ghosted, Reckoner, Dark Vision, Classic Ghost, Winter Theatre, Dreadwood, UDT Ghost, Apparition and Azrael. Along with 10 assault rifle weapon blueprints, all of which are from the same weapon family. Named: Oscar Mike, K2, The Wages of Sin, Primis, Stem the Tide, White Noise, Kingly Splendor, Jumping Spider, Florin and The Breakup.
• 10 Hours Double XP Tokens and 10 Hours Double Weapon XP Tokens for when MW2 releases. Please note that for these tokens you must pre-order through the in-game store. Meaning that this bonus is not obtainable for Steam users.
• More instant-unlock rewards to be revealed soon

The Vault Edition does include the cross-gen bundle as well. If you are a big fan of Call of Duty cosmetics and want to get a head start when MW2 releases in October, then it is worth getting your hands on the vault edition. But without full details on the weapon vault, it doesn’t seem fully worth it to grab this version. Regardless of what version you pre-order, you can still get early access to the beta, and a lot of the bonuses included with the vault edition are just cosmetics and time-saving boosts.

That is about all we know about Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 at the time of writing. There are bound to be quite a few updates coming over the next few weeks and months, and we will do our best to keep this up to date and accurate.