Why Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Has Vanished for PS5 Owners
As a hardcore Call of Duty fan since the early days who now creates content covering franchise news, I‘ve gotten a mountain of questions recently around why PS5 owners are unable to play 2019‘s Modern Warfare as a standalone game. What happened to this massively popular title that seemingly disappeared into thin air?
The short answer is that Modern Warfare‘s multiplayer maps, weapons, operators and progression systems have become integrated parts of the new 2022 experiences – Warzone 2.0 and Modern Warfare II. But how did we arrive at this situation, what can PS5 owners still access, and what does the future hold for one of the most beloved CoD titles ever released?
The Slow Sunset of Modern Warfare after its Blockbuster Launch
Modern Warfare took the gaming world by storm upon release in 2019, becoming the top selling Call of Duty game of the generation. However the population of players and fans eventually plateaued and waned for a variety of reasons. Frequent integration of new Warzone content diluted the pure Modern Warfare experience. Cheaters and hackers became more problematic over time. And as newer games like Black Ops Cold War released, Activision shifted focus away from post-launch support.
Analysts estimate the player base and average time spent in Modern Warfare dropped roughly 40-50% from peak – still a healthy population, but trending downwards. This set the stage for the integration into Warzone 2.0 over three years later.
Once integrated, Warzone 2.0 changed game engines to the new MW2 version. At this point unraveling and separating Modern Warfare‘s maps, weapons and progression out of the interconnected systems would pose massive technical hurdles. Based on insider leaks, rumors suggest Activison may re-master or re-release an updated standalone version at some point. But for now, backwards compatibility is the lone option for PS5 owners seeking to play original Modern Warfare content outside of what‘s integrated into the ecosystem.
Accessing the Iconic Campaign Mode via Backwards Compatibility
Fortunately, PS5 owners can still experience Modern Warfare‘s blockbuster campaign featuring the return of legendary Captain Price. Here‘s a quick guide:
- Insert your PS4 Modern Warfare disc
- Download/install game data if prompted
- Launch PS4 version on your PS5 console
- Select Campaign to play through the tense spec ops narrative
This allows you to relive the campaign filled with stealth missions, dramatic rescues and explosive actionsequences. Unfortunately multiplayer, Spec Ops modes remain off the table unless you purchase and install Modern Warfare II.
MW Guns, Maps and Operators in Warzone 2.0
While the standalone multiplayer experience met its demise, Warzone 2.0 preserves fan-favorite Operators like Ghost, weapons like the MP5, and even classic maps like Shipment or Shoot House as points of interest. PS5 owners can squad up using these iconic elements thanks to the shared progression systems.
But how does it actually play using three year old Modern Warfare guns and skins inside Warzone 2.0? Player feedback has been mixed – some welcome the nostalgia trip while others claim the visuals and audio don‘t feel properly optimized. Ultimately the connects remain intact for fans wishing to sport their retro gear, even as newer Vault weapons overshadow Modern Warfare classics in the meta.
What Does the Future Hold for Call of Duty Remasters?
Statistics show the Modern Warfare series consistently ranks among the most popular in Call of Duty franchise history. In recent surveys around hopes for remasters, Modern Warfare (2019) placed 2nd behind only the juggernaut Black Ops 2.
Could Activision re-master and re-release Modern Warfare in the coming years? Resources required for full-scale remasters makes annual rotation unlikely. But based on nostalgic player demand, seeing a remaster every 5+ years aligns with industry precedents.
Only time will tell whether this beloved title receives the standalone remaster treatment down the road players seem to crave. Until then, backwards compatibility and Warzone 2.0 integration offer PS5 console owners limited avenues to revisit the iconic maps, weapons and Operators that captured our imaginations.
