Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 reached a peak of 227,434 concurrent players on Steam during its launch weekend, according to SteamDB data for the shared Call of Duty app.
Infinity Ward’s new shooter, published by Activision, launched on October 23 and finished its opening weekend about 26% behind the Steam peak of Black Ops 6, but well ahead of last year’s Black Ops 7.
Black Ops 6 peaked at roughly 306,460 concurrent Steam users around its October 2024 release, a gap of about 79,000 players. Black Ops 7, the 2025 entry, peaked at roughly 100,000 concurrent users during its launch weekend, so Modern Warfare 4 more than doubled the Steam peak of the 2025 release. The early numbers point to a much stronger start for the series this year, even without matching the 2024 debut.
Why the Modern Warfare 4 Steam Numbers Need Context
Steam tracks Call of Duty through a single shared application rather than separate listings for each release. The 227,434 figure can therefore include people playing Warzone and other supported Call of Duty games through the same app.
The same limitation applied to Black Ops 6 during its launch weekend, so the two peaks work for a rough comparison but do not reflect exact player counts for either game.
The figures also cover only Steam. Activision has not released total sales or player numbers for Modern Warfare 4 across consoles, Battle.net, and other PC storefronts.
Game Pass is a factor in the comparison. Black Ops 6 launched directly on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass, which gave PC players a cheaper alternative to buying it on Steam.
Modern Warfare 4 does not have that option. Activision has confirmed that the game requires a separate purchase and will not join Game Pass until Holiday 2027, which should push more PC players toward storefronts like Steam. Black Ops 6 still produced the larger Steam peak despite that difference.
Player reception on Steam is positive. Modern Warfare 4 holds a Very Positive rating, with 80% of English-language reviews recommending the game after launch. The campaign briefly reached 94% positive reviews during early access. Recent complaints focus on multiplayer balance, technical issues, and the Call of Duty launcher.
PC players deciding whether to buy now can weigh a few points from the launch data:
- Modern Warfare 4 is a separate purchase and is not included in Game Pass until Holiday 2027.
- Steam reviews are Very Positive, with criticism centered on multiplayer balance and the launcher.
- The Steam player peak is shared with Warzone, so it overstates the number of people playing Modern Warfare 4 itself.
Infinity Ward has months of seasonal updates planned for Modern Warfare 4, and Activision has not said when it will share sales or engagement figures for the launch.
