Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered

Did You Know?

• In the multiplayer mode, players can perform a taunt by inspecting the exterior of their gun to humiliate a defeated opponent.
• The game includes full PlayStation Network trophy and Xbox Live achievement support, which were absent from the original Modern Warfare because it was released before trophies were introduced.
• The single-player campaign retains the same collectibles and cheats as the original while adding several more cheats.

Plot

The plot of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered is identical to that of the original game. The player primarily controls British SAS recruit Sergeant John "Soap" MacTavish, beginning with his induction into the 22nd SAS Regiment. During five levels of Act 1, the player also controls USMC Sergeant Paul Jackson. Two flashback missions from 1996 feature SAS officer Captain John Price as a lieutenant. In one level, the player operates as an American thermal-imaging TV operator aboard a Lockheed AC-130 gunship; in another, a British operative infiltrates a hijacked airliner to rescue a VIP. The player briefly controls Yasir Al-Fulani, the president of an unnamed Middle Eastern country, before his execution, though he can only turn his head.

The United States invades a small, oil-rich Middle Eastern country after a coup by extremist Khaled Al-Asad, while an SAS squad infiltrates a cargo ship carrying a nuclear device. Enemy jets sink the ship, but the SAS escapes with its manifest and heads to Russia to rescue their informant, codenamed "Nikolai," from the Ultranationalist party. Intelligence reveals Al-Asad possesses a Russian nuclear device. The U.S. military assaults his palace, but the device detonates, destroying most of the city. The SAS tracks Al-Asad to Azerbaijan and learns he was working with Imran Zakhaev, leader of the Ultranationalists. A flashback shows Lieutenant Price and Captain MacMillan failing to assassinate Zakhaev in Pripyat, Ukraine, 15 years earlier. After killing Al-Asad, the SAS, with U.S. Marine Force Recon and Russian loyalists, attempts to capture Zakhaev's son Victor, who commits suicide. Zakhaev seizes a nuclear launch facility and launches ICBMs at the U.S. Eastern Seaboard. A joint operation breaches the facility, destroys the missiles remotely, and escapes. Zakhaev's forces trap the group on a bridge; a loyalist helicopter distracts him, and the player shoots and kills Zakhaev with a pistol.

Development

Activision decided to remake Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare after an online petition showed strong interest. The company brought in Raven Software, a studio that had worked on earlier Call of Duty games, to lead development, while Infinity Ward oversaw the project as executive producer. Raven’s studio director, David Pellas, said every single employee agreed to take on the remaster. The team’s goal was to push the boundaries of what a remaster could mean, all while staying true to the original title. Much of the game was constructed again from scratch by refreshing the source code, textures, level designs, and visual effects that Infinity Ward gave Raven permission to use. The final product runs at a native 1080p resolution, with a 4K option on the PlayStation 4 Pro, and maintains 60 frames per second using the latest version of the series’ IW engine at that time.

Raven wanted longtime fans to feel the remaster was faithful, while also helping new players step into a world that felt like the modern Call of Duty games they knew, though grounded in reality. To figure out what mattered most, the team combed through social media to find people still playing the original Modern Warfare and learn what they wanted from a rerelease. Pellas admitted the fear of upsetting fans with any changes was intimidating, but the guiding rule of leaving the core gameplay untouched kept the team focused. Small tweaks did appear, like adjusting the timing of sniper rifle aiming animations and scope overlays, but these were kept as close to the original as possible.

Marketing and release

News of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered leaked on Reddit on April 27, 2016, via a screenshot of a reservation card for Target's Legacy Edition of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, which bundled the remaster. The official Call of Duty Twitter account responded to a fan's 2014 tweet with two emoji, seemingly confirming the leak. On April 29, 2016, a leaked retailer advertisement revealed that the remaster would include the single-player campaign and ten multiplayer maps. The game was officially announced on May 2, 2016, during the Infinite Warfare reveal trailer. It was featured at the 2016 Electronic Entertainment Expo with a campaign trailer, which also revealed that PlayStation 4 users who pre-purchased the special edition bundle could play the campaign 30 days early as part of Sony's exclusivity deal with Activision. A gameplay video for the "Crew Expendable" mission was released on July 14, 2016. The multiplayer mode was revealed at the Call of Duty: XP 2016 convention, where attendees could play it first. Trailers for both single and multiplayer modes were released in September 2016.

Reception

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered earned generally favorable reviews, with 87% of critics recommending it on OpenCritic. Push Square called it a highly faithful remake that updates an older game for modern times almost perfectly. IGN gave it their 2016 "Best Remaster" award. Reviewers praised the improved graphics, reworked sound, and other updates. Push Square and GQ said the remaster looked and sounded like a current release, describing it as a major technical achievement. Some felt the enhancements made it more like a full remake. Destructoid noted subtle improvements, such as livelier level areas and better first-person cutscenes, though a few critics thought the graphics weren't top-tier and had occasional flaws.

The single-player campaign's contemporary setting and core gameplay were well received. Critics called the story forward-thinking and genuine, noting it pushed storytelling in first-person shooters, and others remarked on its lasting popularity with fans. Destructoid felt later games had surpassed the narrative but still found it worthwhile for mission variety and the bond between Soap and Price. The gameplay was described as challenging and tense, with an IGN reviewer saying it made them feel weighed down and desperate. Level design, set pieces, and teamwork were also praised. The multiplayer mode earned similar acclaim for staying true to the original, with Destructoid complimenting its map design and accessibility for casual players who needed only moderate skill. Critics found it refreshing and as enjoyable as faster-paced recent Call of Duty games, with some comparing it favorably to Infinite Warfare and noting that its simpler design showed "less can be more."