Activision has revealed "Collateral," a new multiplayer mode for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 that draws inspiration from competitive tactical shooters like Counter-Strike and Valorant. This round-based mode emphasizes strategic decision-making and resource management, tasking teams with attacking or defending two bomb sites.
Collateral introduces a cash system where players start with a basic pistol and earn in-game currency each round. This cash can then be spent on a variety of upgrades, including armor, perks, equipment, pistols, and standard or higher-grade weapons. The available upgrades range from defensive options like Armor Vests and Riot Shields to offensive choices such as Molotov Cocktails and Sniper Rifles. Team-wide benefits like UAV streaks are also purchasable.
Key to Collateral's design is the removal of several core Call of Duty mechanics to heighten the stakes. Respawns, killstreaks, automatic health regeneration, and custom loadouts are all disabled. Players retain their earned cash between rounds, but their entire loadout is lost upon death. This design encourages careful play and strategic economic management, as every decision directly impacts a team's ability to acquire better gear and ultimately secure victory.
This is not Call of Duty's first foray into cash-based competitive modes; Treyarch previously introduced a similar "Heist" mode in Black Ops 4. Modern Warfare 4 also features "Inflation," a high-stakes Team Deathmatch-style mode that was showcased during the beta.
Beyond the new Collateral mode, Activision has also announced other updates for the upcoming Call of Duty year. These include adjustments to how double XP tokens function, the addition of an operator skin toggle feature, and details regarding Warzone's carry-forward mechanics.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is scheduled to launch on October 23 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.