《使命召唤：现代战争4》发售且未提供开放匹配播放列表

Published Oct 22, 2026, 11:40 AM EDT

Lauren has experience in the gaming and esports space, writing news, guides, features, reviews, lists, conducting interviews, and more.

Before joining the team at DualShockers, Lauren was a Features Writer at Adventure Gamers, a Guides Writer at Gameranx, as well as contributing as a News Writer at PCInvasion and Daily Esports. 

She also founded GameScout and holds a History degree.

After granting players early access to a stellar campaign and a DMZ mode that changes the pace of Call of Duty, Modern Warfare 4 multiplayer has finally arrived. Multiplayer is the main attraction of the franchise’s annual releases, but it has started on the wrong foot.

You guessed it, the positive start to Modern Warfare 4 has been dampened by the presence of skill-based matchmaking across all multiplayer modes.

Skill-based matchmaking in Call of Duty is a way to set up multiplayer lobbies based on players’ individual skill levels, rather than prioritizing network connection. Naturally, this leads to highly competitive matches, and the system has been criticized for protecting lower-skilled players and punishing more advanced players.

Taking a Closer Look at the Data

Skill-based matchmaking has remained a hot topic in the Call of Duty community since it began to rear its head in Modern Warfare 2019. Those debates continued to be prominent in the Modern Warfare 4 beta, where a new system was tested alongside Open Matchmaking, which is a playlist where skill isn’t a consideration in matchmaking.

However, the writing was on the wall when it came to Open Matchmaking in Modern Warfare 4. In August, the official Call of Duty X account shared that in Black Ops 7 from launch to Season 04, Open vs. Standard saw: 32.7% higher quit rates, 14.4% fewer kills per minute, 5.3% lower win rates, and 59.2% more “Not Fun” ratings. According to their data, the rise in quit rates was disruptive across every skill group.

Another gripe among fans is disbanding lobbies, but Activision also says that approximately 50% of players leave after the first match, and by game three, almost none of the original lobby remains. Starting fresh lobbies is believed to get players into a match faster and allows for ping to be prioritized.

Modern Warfare 4 Commits to its Unpopular Matchmaking System

Modern Warfare 4 multiplayer first went live in New Zealand, and game modes are divided through Quick Play options, featured playlists, and popular modes. The first major talking point on social media was that the game’s playlists don’t feature any Open Matchmaking options at all.

Instead, all playlists have the Standard system that made its debut in the Modern Warfare 4 beta, which considers skill as a contributing factor to matchmaking. According to Activision, the Standard system is not a return to the tighter matchmaking of recent games and connection remains a top priority, but the players themselves will undoubtedly be the judge of that.

Treyarch was praised for bringing Open Matchmaking to the Black Ops 7 beta and carrying it over for the entirety of Black Ops 7’s life cycle. It still faced its fair share of criticism, including accusations that Open Matchmaking was hidden behind Standard playlists, and of course, Open Matchmaking not being the default matchmaking system put in place in favor of removing skill-based matchmaking completely.

Skill-based matchmaking in Call of Duty is a way to set up multiplayer lobbies based on players’ individual skill levels, rather than prioritizing network connection.

It’s unknown if Infinity Ward or Activision will respond to concerns about skill-based matchmaking in Modern Warfare 4, or if they aim to push through the storm with a strategy of radio silence.

The absence of Open Matchmaking at launch doesn’t mean it will never make its return. Only time will tell whether the team behind Modern Warfare 4 will give in to player demands.