You’ve got one week to try Modern Warfare 2’s multiplayer for free
Activision is opening some (but not all) of the game’s multiplayer modes up to the non-paying public.
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Clip on your weapon gewgaws, turn off voice chat, and prepare to do some things that definitely count as war crimes, becauseCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2(the 2022 one, not the original, and yes I am still upset about how these things are named) is running amultiplayer “free access” week, giving you a chance to try out some of its multiplayer modes for no money down.
It kicks off later today, at10 am PT / 1 pm ET / 6 pm BST, and ends at the same time on April 26. I’m unsure if the game will be smart enough to only download the parts you’ll have access to, but you’ll probably want to set aside 125-or-so gigs of space (the game’s recommended space requirements onSteam) just to be on the safe side.
For whatever reason,Activisionisn’t making the entire MW2 multiplayer offering available for the duration of the free access week. Instead, you’ll only get to access to the following 12 modes:
Gunfight is a 2v2 mode, Ground War and Invasion are far bigger and feature tens of players on each side, and all the remaining modes are 6v6.
That’s not a bad offering, but it does mean you won’t get access to modes like Free For All and Search and Destroy if you’re taking advantage of the trial period.
Those modes are spread out across ten maps for free access players, which I’ve helpfully detailed in yet another bullet-pointed list below:
The free access period is beginning just over a week afterModern Warfare 2’s Season 03 updatecame out, and it’s intended to give you a chance to sample the new season’s offerings. If it also tempts you to drop $30 on its new super-premium Blackcell battle pass, well, I imagine Activision would be just chuffed about that.
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Although Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 currently sits at a Mixed review score on Steam, PCG’s Morgan Park rather liked the newest entry in the series when it released last year. Scoring it 83% in hisModern Warfare 2 review, Morgan wrote that “Modern Warfare 2 isn’t the latest Call of Duty game—it’s the latest Infinity Ward game. And nobody does Call of Duty better than Infinity Ward”.
One of Josh’s first memories is of playing Quake 2 on the family computer when he was much too young to be doing that, and he’s been irreparably game-brained ever since. His writing has been featured in Vice, Fanbyte, and the Financial Times. He’ll play pretty much anything, and has written far too much on everything from visual novels to Assassin’s Creed. His most profound loves are for CRPGs, immersive sims, and any game whose ambition outstrips its budget. He thinks you’re all far too mean about Deus Ex: Invisible War.
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