Modern Warfare 4 hits 90% positive on Steam, best CoD reception in a decade

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 campaign early access dropped October 16 for pre-order customers, and Steam users are actually liking it. Out of 1,812 reviews at time of writing, 1,630 are positive—a 90% "Very Positive" rating.

That's the warmest Steam reception for a Call of Duty since Black Ops III nine years ago. When Insider Gaming first flagged the trend at around 900 reviews, MW4 was at 81% positive. It's climbed since. Compare that to Modern Warfare III (2023), which launched to "Mixed" reviews, or Vanguard's "Mostly Negative."

The enthusiasm is for the campaign specifically—multiplayer and Warzone integration don't unlock until full launch. Early word suggests the story leans into the original Modern Warfare trilogy's tone, which is what a chunk of the playerbase has wanted since 2019's reboot started.

This matters for performance too. A well-received campaign means more players stick around for multiplayer launch, which historically correlates with faster optimization patches. If you're planning to jump in at full release, run a fresh MW4 playbook to see where your rig stands before the servers flood.