Modern Warfare 4 Sees Significantly Less Console Players Than Black Ops 7 at Launch, But It Doesn’t Paint the Complete Picture
Since Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 was released on October 23, it’s been mostly met with positive reviews, though that might not have translated to sales, as here we are, now in November and Activision has yet to trumpet the game’s commercial success.
It looks like there is a reason for that, as the latest data indicates that there were more console players engaged at launch for Black Ops 7 than Modern Warfare 4
Now, before everyone thinks this year’s Call of Duty is a bust, there are some things that need to be considered.
Modern Warfare 4’s Launch Numbers Might Be Lower Than Black Ops 7’s But It’s Understandable Why
The Modern Warfare 4 launch data in the US has been revealed by Mat Piscatela, the Senior Director and Video Game Industry Advisor at Circana.
Modern Warfare 4 Launch:
Week Ending Oct 24th, 2026 (Modern Warfare 4 Launch):
- US PS – 19%
- WW XBX – 17%
- US Steam – 4.2%
Week Ending Nov 15th, 2025 (Black Ops 7 Launch):
- US PS – 23%
- WW XBX – 29%
- US Steam – 1.5%
Important to note that Black Ops 7 was available on last-gen consoles (PS4, Xbox One), and on Game Pass, while Modern Warfare 4 is only on PS5, Xbox Series, Switch 2 and PC.
While there are no concrete numbers available, I somehow doubt the Switch 2 player base would buy Modern Warfare 4 in droves — enough to rival the PS4 and Xbox One player bases.
Should Activision be worried? Maybe. Call of Duty’s name recognition and stranglehold in the first-person military shooter space seem to be loosening. Heck, last year, Black Ops 7 was outsold by Battlefield 6 in the US, and that title was only available on PS5, Xbox Series and PC. That was the first time a Battlefield game has outsold any Call of Duty yearly release in the US ever.
With Grand Theft Auto 6 releasing later this month, Modern Warfare 4 has its work cut out for it when it comes to player retention. Let’s see what Infinity Ward has in store outside of Season 1, or perhaps the studio has resigned to the fact that Take-Two’s behemoth will steal some of its players? We’ll know for sure come November 19.
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