Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 launched on October 23, 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC and Nintendo Switch 2, and its multiplayer now includes a remake of Shipment, the tiny cargo-yard map from 2007's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. PlayStation's post about the map says Shipment "makes the leap from 2007 to 2026," and those 19 years cover two separate Modern Warfare continuities. Infinity Ward's original trilogy ran from 2007 to 2011, and the reboot that began in 2019 reached its fourth campaign with MW4. Both timelines are laid out below, game by game. Check out the official post down below:
Two Timelines, One Cast
The Modern Warfare series has two continuities that share names but not events. The original trilogy, made up of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Modern Warfare 2 and Modern Warfare 3, came out in 2007, 2009 and 2011. The reboot began with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare in 2019, continued with Modern Warfare II in 2022 and Modern Warfare III in 2023, and picks up again in Modern Warfare 4.
John Price, Johnny "Soap" MacTavish, Simon "Ghost" Riley, Kyle "Gaz" Garrick, General Shepherd and Vladimir Makarov appear in both timelines, but the reboot rebuilds their histories from scratch. None of the original trilogy's events are required to follow the reboot, and Activision's own Story So Far recap for MW4 starts in 2019 with no mention of the older games.
The Original Trilogy In Order
- Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011)
Call of Duty 4 moved the series from World War II to a modern conflict, splitting its campaign between Soap as a new SAS recruit under Captain Price and a U.S. Marine force fighting in the Middle East. Its villains are the Russian ultranationalist Imran Zakhaev and his son, and its flashback missions in Pripyat show a young Price on an assassination mission against Zakhaev. Shipment debuted in this game's multiplayer.
Modern Warfare 2 brought in Task Force 141 and introduced Makarov, Zakhaev's former lieutenant, through the controversial "No Russian" airport mission. Its late-game twist has General Shepherd betraying the task force and killing Ghost and Roach. Modern Warfare 3 finished the arc with a global war started by Makarov, Soap's death in Prague and Price's final showdown with Makarov in Dubai.
Where The Remasters Fit
Activision remade two of the original games without changing the story. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered arrived on November 4, 2016, bundled with special editions of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, and got a standalone release on PS4 in June 2017. Raven Software handled the remaster, rebuilding the campaign and multiplayer maps, Shipment included. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered followed on PS4 on March 31, 2020 and on Xbox One and PC on April 30, 2020, and it includes only the single-player story. Both sit in the same places in the original timeline as the games they rebuild. No remaster of Modern Warfare 3 (2011) has been released.
The Reboot Series In Order
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (2023)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 (2026)
Activision published an official recap of the reboot's story in September 2026, called The Story So Far, ahead of MW4's Campaign Early Access on October 16. Here is what it covers, game by game.
Modern Warfare (2019): CIA operative Alex Keller and a Marine squad raid a depot belonging to rogue Russian General Roman Barkov to seize weaponized chlorine gas, and an unknown group steals it. A day later, the terrorist group Al-Qatala attacks London's Piccadilly Circus, and SAS Captain John Price and Sergeant Kyle Garrick lead the night-vision raid in North London that follows. Alex teams up with Commander Farah Karim of the Urzikstan Liberation Force, they learn Farah's brother Hadir stole the gas, and the campaign ends with Alex seemingly sacrificing himself while Farah kills Barkov. Price then requests the files on Gaz, Soap and Ghost to form Task Force 141.
Modern Warfare II (2022): General Shepherd and Commander Phillip Graves of Shadow Company smuggle U.S. ballistic missiles to allies in the Middle East, and Konni Group ultranationalists intercept them for Makarov. Iranian Major Hassan Zyani pays Valeria Garza's Las Almas cartel to move the missiles into the U.S., and Task Force 141 works with Colonel Alejandro Vargas and Los Vaqueros to stop them. Graves betrays the task force in Las Almas, leaving Alejandro imprisoned and Soap wounded.
Modern Warfare III (2023): Makarov plans a dirty bomb attack on the Channel Tunnel. Price and Soap find the device in the London underground, and when Soap stabs Makarov to protect Price, Makarov shoots and kills him. Price then sneaks into Shepherd's office at night and assassinates the general, which forces him underground.
Modern Warfare 4 Picks Up From Shepherd's Death
Activision's official summary describes Price as an "operator-turned-outlaw" working outside the system he served, drawn by revenge toward "a weapon powerful enough to shift the balance of power." The recap says he teams up with the Las Almas cartel while hunting a global threat. At the same time, North Korea launches a full-scale invasion of South Korea, beginning in Hajin City, and the campaign introduces a South Korean rookie, Private Park. The campaign also visits New York for close-quarters fighting, Paris for high-speed chases and Mumbai for SAS night raids.
Infinity Ward led development on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, with Beenox handling PC and Digital Legends working on the Nintendo Switch 2 version. The game skipped PS4 and Xbox One. For our earlier reporting, check out Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Announced: First Campaign Details Promise An Intense, Globetrotting War and Modern Warfare 4 Is The Best-Reviewed Call Of Duty Of This Decade On Metacritic.
Activision's Official Recap
MW4 continues the reboot, so its story builds on the three games released since 2019. Activision posted a two-minute, 24-second narrative recap on September 16, 2026, and its description promises a catch-up on "the Modern Warfare saga before #MW4 launches October 23." The written Story So Far post on the Call of Duty blog covers the same events in more detail, with quotes from each game. Activision's narrative recap:
Which Modern Warfare timeline do you prefer, the 2007 original trilogy or the reboot that continues in MW4?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.