Revisiting the Last Truly Great Call of Duty

Why a lot of people are playing a seven-year-old CoD again

Apr. 2, 2026 at 9:49pm

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An abstract close-up photograph of shattered, glittering glass reflecting a faint red light, conveying the high-end visual quality and immersive atmosphere of the 2019 Call of Duty game.The technical mastery of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2019 continues to captivate players, even years after its release.Marathon Today

The 2019 reboot of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is still widely regarded as the best entry in the series in recent years, with its impressive visuals, immersive sound design, and balanced weapon customization standing out even years later. While subsequent Call of Duty titles have struggled to match its quality, the game's enduring popularity has led to a resurgence of players revisiting this seven-year-old title.

Why it matters

The continued success of the 2019 Modern Warfare reboot highlights the challenges Activision and its development studios have faced in maintaining the Call of Duty franchise's quality and relevance in the years since. As the series has become increasingly bogged down by cross-promotional content and integration with the Warzone battle royale mode, this revisiting of an earlier high point underscores fans' desire for a return to the series' core strengths of polished gameplay, atmospheric presentation, and meaningful weapon customization.

The details

The 2019 Modern Warfare reboot stood out for its impressive visual fidelity, with detailed environments and weapon models that still hold up remarkably well compared to more recent entries. Its sound design, featuring powerful and impactful gunfire, also contributed to an immersive gameplay experience. Crucially, the game's weapon customization system, while more limited than later titles, forced players to make meaningful tradeoffs in their attachments rather than simply optimizing for maximum effectiveness.

  • Modern Warfare 2019 was originally released in October 2019.
  • The game saw a resurgence in popularity in 2026 due to a steep $6 sale on Steam.

The players

Infinity Ward

The developer of the 2019 Modern Warfare reboot, known for creating the original Call of Duty series and delivering polished, grounded gameplay experiences.

Treyarch

A Call of Duty development studio that has taken the series in a more over-the-top direction in recent years, with less emphasis on realism and more on flashy customization and cross-promotional content.

Sledgehammer Games

Another Call of Duty development studio that has contributed to the series' evolution, sometimes in ways that have not resonated as strongly with fans as Infinity Ward's approach.

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What’s next

With Infinity Ward set to take the reins of the Call of Duty franchise again in 2026, fans are hopeful that the studio will be able to recapture the magic of the 2019 Modern Warfare reboot and deliver a new high point for the series.

The takeaway

The enduring popularity of the 2019 Modern Warfare reboot, even years later, highlights the challenges Activision has faced in maintaining the quality and relevance of the Call of Duty franchise. As the series has become increasingly bogged down by cross-promotional content and integration with Warzone, this revisiting of an earlier high point underscores fans' desire for a return to the series' core strengths of polished gameplay, atmospheric presentation, and meaningful weapon customization.