Since 2023 won’t see a new Call of Duty release, we’ll have to stick with Modern Warfare II (2022) for the long haul. On the surface, the concept isn’t much different from the last MW 2019, but under the hood a lot has changed. Gunsmith received a full overhaul, mobility is upgraded, and Infinity Ward has introduced new maps with some of the best visual detail the series has had.
Modern Warfare 2 2022 Multiplayer is brutal, no sugarcoating it. The time-to-kill is lightning fast, and that makes every gunfight punishing if you slip up. Infinity Ward hasn’t turned this into a mil-sim, but it’s definitely the most unforgiving CODs in years. That said, the pace is still pure adrenaline; one second you’re on a streak, the next you’re rage-spawning after a bad peek. It keeps you hooked in action, for better or worse.
Compared to older COD games, this one tries to bring back the classic online multiplayer. The 6v6 maps are tight, with a mix of three-lane and semi-open designs that give off big MW2 (2009) energy. Movement has been slowed down compared to MW2019’s bunny-hopping chaos, which makes matches more tactical. But there is a scarcity of polish throughout, and Gunsmith can be a grindy mess with its weird weapon progression system.
MW2 Multiplayer itself is what you’d expect from COD, nonstop action. This year’s 6v6 matches take place on calibrated normal maps, which result in fewer chances for rest and more opportunities for action-packed combats. MWII deliberately dials down the hyper-aggressive pace of 2019, but gunfights are still frantic, and positioning matters more. The movement takes some getting used to if you came from slide-cancel-heavy gameplay, but it’s closer to how previous Call of Duty titles played.
Weapons System and Gunsmith
Gunplay is where MWII is really the best. Every weapon has weight and personality, an SMG doesn’t feel anything like a battle rifle, and even two ARs in the same category can work differently. The recoil, ADS speed, and handling have been fine-tuned to reward learning each gun. Developers have put years of effort into making Call of Duty as good as it can be, and this release is the perfect example in a long line of incremental upgrades. The perception of mass and control varies a lot between classes and individual firearms in a particular category, giving every weapon a special touch. Anyone who have experience with some recent COD titles will be immediately at home with the weapon progression and attachment system.
The new Gunsmith system is deep but also complex. You can unlock a ton of attachments, but only five can be equipped per weapon. Picking the right loadout is crucial according to your playstyle: if you want fast reaction times and strong hip-fire, equip a laser. For better recoil control, an under-barrel grip makes a world of difference. The fine-tuning system (where you can customize attachments even further) is a great addition, though it’s a rabbit hole for anyone chasing “the meta.” Messing around with builds can be as fun as the matches themselves but the unlock grind in weapon progression and attachments can be painful.
Unlocking weapons and attachments in Modern Warfare II is way more complicated than it used to be. Instead of grinding one gun to its max, you often have to level up weapons across completely different classes to unlock the stuff you want. For example, when I was upgrading my M4, I had to spend time with a sniper and a battle rifle just to unlock attachments that made my AR more competitive. Even at higher levels, a ton of gear stays locked until you branch out and use weapons you probably wouldn’t touch otherwise.
Thankfully, once unlocked attachment stays unlocked across all guns for the rest of the gameplay so you don’t have to keep repeating the grind. Still, for casual players, this whole “weapon platform” system can be like homework. Veterans will figure it out, but it’s not exactly user-friendly.
The biggest update in MW2 Multiplayer is the new weapon tuning system. You can equip up to five attachments like always, but now you can also swap receivers to turn one gun into a completely different weapon class. On top of that, fine-tuning sliders lets you push attachments in one direction or another like trading faster ADS for more recoil control, or stability for mobility. It’s a great idea, but Infinity Ward pulled the feature for a while because of bugs, which killed some of the excitement. Hopefully, they bring it back soon, because it opens the door for unique builds.
One feature I did love is the new firing range. After you build a loadout, you can instantly test it without entering a live match. It saves time and helps you figure out if your setup actually works before committing to it. And just like past titles, the weapon animations, sound design, and general “feel” of shooting are top-notch.
The guns in Modern Warfare 2 2022 look and sound incredible, which makes grinding them more bearable.
As for maps, Infinity Ward spread the action across locations like the Middle Eastern city of Al Mazrah, the Mexican region of Las Almas, and a handful of fictional hot zones. Most of them are solid, Farm 18 in particular is a standout with its compact, multi-lane design that keeps fights flowing without being one-sided.
Though some maps confused me a bit. One of them that I tried is the Santa Sea Border Crossing, there is only one route, and it’s always backed up with RVs and automobiles. It’s basically a parking lot filled with cars, forcing everyone into a single chokepoint. Spawns get messy fast, and half the time you’re dropped right into an enemy’s line of fire. Even when you know where enemies are, the clutter makes it a pain to spot them. It’s the one map that looks it missed the mark, while most of the others hit the sweet spot between verticality, flow, and design.
Gameplay Modes
All the classic modes are back in Modern Warfare 2 including Team Deathmatch, Domination, Kill Confirmed, Free-for-All, and the usual suspects you expect in a COD release. But MWII also tries to spice things up with a few new modes. Prisoner Rescue and Knockout are the big additions to the 6v6 lineup. Prisoner Rescue is basically Cold War’s VIP Escort with a new coat of paint as instead of escorting a VIP, you haul hostages to safety (or stop it if you’re on defense). Knockout and Search and Destroy strip things down to a single-life mode where you fight over a bag of cash. Both sound fresh on paper, but in reality, they usually devolve into glorified Team Deathmatch. If your squad plays the objective, they’re fun. If not, it’s just a slower version of TDM with longer dead screens.
For players who want something big, Ground War has also returned with the option to choose between the Standard and Invasion Ground War modes, and this is where MWII greatly flexes. Standard Ground War is the large-scale Domination mode from 2019’s MW2; 32v32 chaos with tanks, boats, and choppers tearing across massive maps. The scale and variety of fights here make it a standout, especially now that swimming and water combat are part of the game. It’s a true sandbox, with room for every playstyle, whether you’re sniping rooftops, holding down objectives with LMGs, or running and gunning inside buildings.
On the other hand, Ground War Invasion is more like a large-scale Team Deathmatch with 20v20 players plus waves of AI soldiers sprinkled in. On paper, it sounds like a cool way to make the battlefield alive. In practice, the bots are pretty brain-dead and mostly only serve as free XP. Veterans will see through it fast, but if you’re trying to level weapons, Invasion is an easy grind. For actual competitive play, Standard Ground War blows it out of the water.
Both new Standard and Invasion Ground War modes bring amazing experience to the battlefield.
Infinity Ward also threw in a curveball with the Third-Person Moshpit. Same COD gameplay, but you play here from an over-the-shoulder view. It’s entertaining, and forced me to rethink my strategy for quick movement as I was using an on-screen reticle instead of down sights or a scope to hit my target. It’s surprisingly fun, especially for players from games like PUBG or Fortnite, and it’s one of the better side-experiences MWII offers.
Spec Ops Cooperative is a surprise return as a co-op mode, and it’s better than I expected. Instead of endless wave survival like in some past CODs, you get three unique missions with different objectives in which to infiltrate and escape from places “alpha,” “beta,” and “charlie.”. “Low Profile” is a nighttime stealth op where you sneak through compounds to grab intel, “Denied Area” has you taking out SAM sites with vehicles and explosives, and the third mixes things up with enemy waves and objectives. They’re not very deep, but are a nice change of pace when you want something tactical with a buddy rather than the usual PvP grind.
The third and final one is Defend Mt. Zaya which is a nostalgic trip fans will love. You’ll be familiar with the mode gameplay if you have played the Dome map in Modern Warfare 3. This is a survivor mode where you fend off enemy groups that get larger over time to increase the toughness and challenge.
Thanks to Treyarch, Sledgehammer, and Infinity Ward, Modern Warfare II is powered by a brand new engine that puts the action into reality. Background water now shines, cars have different stages of destruction and animations are more grounded. Compared to previous series titles, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer has better environmental interactivity.
Verdict
Infinity Ward listened to player feedback and analyzed the game’s strengths and weaknesses. Big maps with more players are a great success, and the already good mechanical foundation has been upgraded further with weapon customization, with almost endless options. Maps are small, the pace is slow, and the mobility is free so every fight is exciting. Overall, we received a better Call of Duty game as the series expands its horizons.