Widespread frustration with the Modern Warfare 4 beta has driven a wave of players to abandon the game after their initial impressions or cancel their pre-orders altogether. Steam user reviews reflect this backlash with a dismal 38% positive rating, dominated by complaints over overly aggressive aim assist and stale mechanics. Reviewers frequently criticize the title as feeling less like a true sequel and more like recycled DLC for MW2019.
This backlash is now clearly reflected in live player numbers. The Wardogs playtest currently commands 66,263 concurrent players on Steam, compared to MW4’s 44,369. That gives Wardogs a 49% player advantage over MW4 on Valve’s platform. While MW4 benefits from additional PC launchers (such as Battle.net), its Steam trajectory signals severe retention issues, especially considering MW4 launched with over 20,000 more day-one Steam players than Wardogs.
MW4 initially beat expectations on launch day, racking up a peak concurrent count of 115,145 players, outpacing the Black Ops 7 beta peak despite heavy pre-release skepticism. However, engagement collapsed rapidly. Over just three days, MW4’s player count plunged to a low of 33,499, marking a sharp 71% drop from its peak before stabilizing around 42,700.
By contrast, Wardogs has demonstrated remarkable staying power. After reaching a day-one peak of 92,595 concurrent players, its day-two peak held firm at 90,391, a negligible 2.4% dip showing fantastic player retention which was expected due to the glowing reviews during this opening playtest. Even at its lowest point of 40,555 players (a 56% decline from peak), Wardogs still maintained 7,000 more players than MW4’s lowest point.
While alternative launchers make it hard to grasp a full picture, Steam’s player retention trends highlight a growing enthusiasm gap between the two shooters.