First look at Modern Warfare 4 gameplay divides fans to cause developer backtrack

Although the Call of Duty community has been well occupied with the re-release of old Black Ops ports on PlayStation, the next era of the franchise beckons.

It'll be a shock to the system after two years of Treyarch's Black Ops titles, but Infinity Ward is returning to the helm with its iconic Modern Warfare series.

Announced in May, Modern Warfare 4 faces the tough task of bringing the Call of Duty community back down to earth and has promised to do so by ditching its wacky crossovers.

Instead, it promises a dark campaign with a focus on immersion and realism, although it won't be archaic with its gameplay like Modern Warfare 2.

In candid posts on social media and its online blog, the Call of Duty developers have reiterated that the game will be a fast-paced arcade shooter but will maintain high levels of mil-sim quality throughout the live service support - aka, no Nikki Minaj skins.

Now, thanks to a fan-fest at Fanatics in New York City, the first glimpse of Modern Warfare 4 has been aired, and it's safe to say not everyone was blown away.

Infinity Ward answers back after fans criticise Modern Warfare 4 gameplay

Admittedly, Call of Duty faces the hard prospect of being diluted across so many games that it's hard to push the series forward.

But initial trailers hinted at new and aggressive tactics and features being deployed to make Modern Warfare 4 one of the quickest titles in the series.

That wasn't reflected by the first gameplay clips, though, as fans took to social media to take aim at the gunplay, claiming that elements such as the muzzle flash make the game almost unplayable.

This new Modern Warfare 4 footage is... interesting

Am I supposed to be able to see people while I'm shooting? pic.twitter.com/PlPWVAvMuv

— Marksman (@Marksman) July 16, 2026

Others have taken aim at the mismatched tone of the game.

"For now, this is what bothers me the most about Modern Warfare 4 and the biggest negative point," a second fan said, after watching a streamer play.

"It's that visually, I feel like I'm seeing a Wish Battlefield or a worse Delta Force or a mobile FPS. The game's art direction is just too weird."

A third, more brutal fan said, "MW4 looks f***ing awful."

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Infinity Ward has responded already, though, and released an immediate hotfix that tones down the visual clutter tenfold.

"Thanks for the feedback from yesterday’s Kill Block streams," the studio posted on X.

"We just rolled out a fix for the bugged suppressor that was using the wrong muzzle flash VFX. Additionally, we have reduced muzzle smoke opacity for all weapons for this weekend’s preview sessions.

"A clear sight picture is critical to the gameplay experience. Keep the energy coming, we're engaged."

Quickly dubbed as a 'W' move, Infinity Ward will now be looking towards the upcoming Beta to give players a better understanding of what is to come, rather than the select few streamers.

Modern Warfare 4 clearly has a huge job on its hands to revive the Call of Duty scene, and Microsoft will be counting on it to do so, following the Game Pass disaster.

Even with the hotfix, though, it looks like there's some way to go before MW4 begins exciting the crowd.