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At Fanatics Fest 2026, I was able to get behind the sticks for a few rounds of the new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 and check out Killblock, an innovative twist on FPS.
Like most people who aren’t fully immersed in the FPS landscape, I believed each Call of Duty entry was a +1 at the end of the title (much like sports games), with updated graphics and a new campaign storyline that pushed the envelope further—an FPS for FPS fans.
But this year, the team at Infinity Ward has pulled out all the stops to give players new consistency, new graphics, new functionality, and, most importantly, a fun multiplayer mode called Killblock, which is the new star of the show. After getting behind the sticks for a few rounds of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4‘s Killblock, I’m convinced this could be one of the better multiplayer experiences from the franchise and a step forward instead of the title +1.
Modern Warfare 4 – What’s New?
First things first, Infinity Ward has rolled out a fresh new campaign that builds on the events of Modern Warfare 3. On the heels of Captain Price ‘going rogue’ at the end of MW3, war erupts on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea has launched a full-scale invasion that threatens to destabilize the world in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4. As in every other Modern Warfare title, players will embody multiple viewpoints of the conflict, and the first is that of a young squad of South Korean soldiers fighting to survive on the collapsing front lines.
“Shooting from the hip in Modern Warfare 4 feels better than any other Call of Duty, and it’s not even out yet.”
On the other side of the world, Captain Price wages a personal war from the shadows as he attempts to stay one step ahead of those hunting him. As Price’s off-book mission collides with the forces behind the invasion, the war spreads beyond anyone’s control. I was given a brief teaser of the campaign’s opening, and it’s safe to say events happen quickly. Modern Warfare has always been known to explore rich cultural locations, and this time, Modern Warfare 4 is bringing fans to Mumbai (for the first time), Paris and New York City.
Aside from the campaign, Infinity Ward has introduced numerous upgrades to movement and overall gameplay. While sprinting, a player can now dive and land backwards to get the jump on an encroaching enemy, giving ultimate movement control to the player. Now, if a player can grab a ledge, they can even hang off the edge and use it as cover to return fire on enemy groups. Infinity Ward has also introduced a new feature in Modern Warfare 4 called Gunny.
Gunny uses the professional loadouts built from some of the top Call of Duty players to deploy the less experienced players to the battlefield with tighter loadouts. The developers were clear: Gunny is not made with generative AI. So, even if a more experienced shotgun player excels at running-and-gunning, Gunny can help them equip a proper sniper loadout or one better suited to a support role. Gunny has over 500+ combinations available at launch, and Infinity Ward is including more down the pipeline.
On top of that, the developers worked hard to ensure Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 hip-firing would be improved, and MW4 delivered. Development made it so gun bloom (the spread of bullets from the muzzle) would be less randomized and more in tune with what players would expect. This doesn’t mean a player can hip-fire-snipe an opponent across the map; it means that the bullets now always travel in the direction of the muzzle. But how does it play?
Modern Warfare 4 – Killblock Is The Truth
With all the marked improvements to base gameplay in Modern Warfare 4, it’s only to be expected that it plays great, too. At Fanatics Fest 2026, I was able to get behind the sticks on the show floor at the Call of Duty booth to jump into a few rounds with other fans. I was able to check out the new digs in Killblock, and Gunny was disabled. If randomly generated dungeon-diving is your jam, Killblock is the FPS PvP equivalent to it. Imagine Diablo IV implemented random PvP-centred dungeons; that’s precisely what Killblock accomplishes (except without the demons and ARPG elements). It’s also damn good fun.
The first round saw our team of 10 face off against another team of 10. Whoever loses all of their lives first loses the round. In Killblock, the first team to six wins is the victor, and with a rapidly changing battlefield (the map completely redesigns itself between rounds, and it works wonders in practice), it’s hard to truly get your bearings, and that’s why the mode is so exhilarating.
“The random, almost Game Master design of Killblock makes each match a test of how quickly you can adapt to your surroundings.”
No veterans have map layout memorization to work with, and everyone was seeing it for the first time, making everyone stoked to see the Rubik’s Cube of a map in action. Killblock also doubles as a training ground of sorts. I’ve never used a bolt-action pistol in CoD before, and Killblock in Modern Warfare 4 forced me to.
When the developers touted “our movement and gunplay is the best, hands down,” it was backed up on the show floor. Killblock felt fluid and excellent to play, and I thought hanging off a ledge to lay down cover fire would feel cumbersome, but it somehow works well in the fluid motion brought by Infinity Ward.
In round three, I loaded in with a pistol and a laser sight, and this really exacerbated the bloom the developers worked so hard to fix. Shooting from the hip in Modern Warfare 4 feels better than any other Call of Duty, and it’s not even out yet. The laser just shows exactly where your bullets will go, and it’s sorcery that it actually works.
“Although my time with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 was very brief, I need to get back into Killblock.”
This consistency lent itself to the entire experience. Feeling like it’s your fault (not game development’s) when your aim is lousy instead of bullet bloom that has no basis in reality is a hallmark of improvement in FPS (think Counter-Strike), and i was able to adjust and get better in-game.
In one round, I was surrounded by buildings, walls, and many obstacles to climb over while hunting my opponents. In round five, I was deployed into bunkers that required better movement, as everyone on the map came loaded with sniper rifles and headshots are OHK. The random, almost Game Master design of Killblock makes each match a test of how quickly you can adapt to your surroundings, and it was great fun in practice. As a Dungeons & Dragons player, it felt like Infinity Ward was snickering behind the scenes, like evil masterminds attempting to throw everyone for a loop.
At the end of each round, the Killblock deck shuffles, and you could end up with your least favourite weapon, and it’s pretty exciting stuff. Instead of facing off against professional loadouts and fully equipped sweaty players, everyone is kind of brought down to the same peg, and it rocks.
Although my time with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 was very brief, I need to get back into Killblock. As an avid Diablo IV player and a person who likes randomization, this game mode is my jam, and it works incredibly when you’re behind the sticks. Infinity Ward listened to their fans and adjusted one of the most complained-about aspects of Call of Duty, and now that hip-fire is much less random, the burden of play lands mostly on the player, and it feels fair.
Although it’s still three months away, I know I’m going to join the fight on Killblock on October 23, just so I can join in the chaotic randomness once more. Fans looking for more info regarding everything Modern Warfare 4, can hit the official site for intel.
