The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare released in 2019 is one of the most well-received titles in the franchise's history. The game earned a whopping $600 million in sales within days of its initial release and went on to sell over 30 million copies within a year. Its success could be attributed to its satisfying gunplay mechanics as well as its highly addictive Multiplayer mode, among other things. Due to these factors, Modern Warfare is still worth playing in 2025.
This article will go over all the important features that make the game worth exploring and playing even after the release of several other titles, including Black Ops 6 in 2024.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) is still worth playing and is a hit among many fans
The positives
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) has incredible movement mechanics. It feels smoother and perhaps faster compared to many other titles in the franchise. According to Associate Director of Design at Treyarch, Matt Scronce, Black Ops 6 feels somewhat clunkier than MW2019 due to an intentional design change.
Therefore, there is evidence that Modern Warfare simply had smoother gunfight and movement mechanics and some players may still enjoy it over other titles. Furthermore, the weapon customization feature was by far the game's best feature and helped players be creative with their choices.
The Multiplayer game mode was one of the best and was rather fast-paced. While it may not have as many players as Black Ops 6, it's still rather active in most of the major regions. This can make for a thrilling experience.
The Campaign in Modern Warfare was also engaging. It involved fan-favorite characters such as Gaz and Price. The missions introduced players to the weapons and helped them understand many important mechanics. The visuals and the sound design were also impressive and further helped players get immersed in the game's world.
The title received multiple awards over the years, including Best Online Multiplayer at the Game Critics Awards and for the Original Score - Video Game category at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards, both in 2019. The multiplayer experience and sound design were already a major hit among critics and fans alike after its release.
The negatives
Despite its many positives, there are still drawbacks that hold the title back. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare's map design was unimpressive and at times, rather poor. This ultimately hindered overall gameplay for many players.
Even though the campaign was engaging, the storyline or plot could have been more interesting and in-depth. Perhaps some characters apart from the recurring figures such as Price or Gaz could have been more realistic and memorable.
Apart from that, cheating was often a major problem during its early years. Tackling this issue daily was rather upsetting for many players. However, this can be said for many titles in the franchise.
Verdict
Regardless, if one can look past its few cons, the title still stands out as perhaps one of the best in the history of COD. In fact, Patrick Kelly, the creative head of Activision, recently revealed in a court filing that Modern Warfare (2019) has sold about 41 million copies since its release. This makes it the second highest-selling game in the franchise, the highest one being Black Ops 3 with 43 million copies sold.
Overall, one can note that the title is still popular today as active lobbies are still common in the Multiplayer mode. Its sound design is incredible, the main campaign is highly engaging, and the movement mechanics make it an enjoyable and thrilling experience for many.
Therefore, it is certainly still worth playing in 2025 if you're looking to get a break from the hyper-realistic world of the newer CoD titles or if you're trying to part ways with the Omnimovement introduced in Black Ops 6.