The first weekend of the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 beta has concluded, with initial Steam player counts indicating a healthy, though not record-shattering, turnout. The beta, which primarily included players who had pre-ordered the game or obtained access through other means, reached a peak of 115,145 concurrent players on Steam.
While these numbers are considered good within the Call of Duty franchise, they do not surpass the performance of the Modern Warfare 2 beta in 2022, which saw a peak of 168,330 concurrent players on Steam. The Modern Warfare 4 beta utilizes its own dedicated entry on Steam, separate from the main Call of Duty application, which also houses the free-to-play Warzone and older titles. This distinction is important for tracking performance as the main app's numbers could be consolidated.
Compared to other recent Call of Duty betas, the Modern Warfare 4 numbers represent an improvement over the Black Ops 7 beta, which peaked at 100,000 concurrent players on Steam. Activision had previously stated that the Black Ops 6 beta was the largest in franchise history, though specific figures were not released.
However, when contrasted with rival titles, the Modern Warfare 4 beta's Steam performance appears less significant. For instance, the open beta for Battlefield 6 achieved a peak of 521,079 concurrent players on Steam, far exceeding the Modern Warfare 4 beta's figures.
It is important to note that Steam data represents only a portion of the overall player base. Many players participate on consoles, and PC players also utilize alternative platforms such as Battle.net or the Microsoft Store, whose player counts are not reflected in the Steam charts. Activision has been actively updating the Modern Warfare 4 beta, releasing patches that introduced new maps, modes, and playlists, alongside balance adjustments to weapons and map visibility. Future beta sessions are expected to include a Warzone sampler and additional content, which may lead to increased player numbers.