7 games you need to play to get ready for Modern Warfare 2 & Warzone 2
Modern Warfare 2 arrives on October 28 with Warzone 2 and the DMZ mode arriving shortly after. From Modern Warfare 2019 to Escape from Tarkov, we’re breaking down the games you should play to get ready for Call of Duty 2022.
After months of waiting, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 finally arrives on October 28. Not only does it bring a globe-trotting campaign and 6v6 multiplayer, but Modern Warfare 2 brings a ton of different genres to one Call of Duty title.
Whether you’re a fan of traditional multiplayer, large-scale Battlefield-esque action, battle royales, PvE, or extraction shooters, Modern Warfare 2 will have something for you. With so many different FPS genres in one game, we’re breaking down the seven games you should play to get ready for both Modern Warfare and Warzone 2.
Modern Warfare 2019
Of course, Modern Warfare 2019‘s campaign is essential if you’re jumping into Modern Warfare 2.
Modern Warfare 2 will pick up almost directly after Modern Warfare 2019, with Price’s Task Force 141 fully formed and operating worldwide. We’re not going to go too in-depth here to avoid spoilers, but you might find yourself lost if jumping into Modern Warfare 2 without playing its predecessor.
Plus, the multiplayer is extremely similar in both games where you’ll be relying on your ears much more than the traditional minimap.
Battlefield
Modern Warfare 2’s large-scale Ground War mode is extremely similar to Battlefield’s Conquest, bringing large player counts and infantry vs vehicle combat to sprawling maps.
Ground War is quite different from what Call of Duty players will typically be used to as it goes away from the classic 6v6 format to bring huge 32v32 battles with vehicles such as tanks and helicopters in the mix.
You’ll find that Battlefield brings a lot more depth to these large-scale game modes than Call of Duty thanks to the class system and how that balances vehicle vs infantry combat. But, playing Battlefield will better prepare you for how vehicles change the game and how to navigate sprawling maps with huge player counts.
Battlefield 2042 has improved massively since launch, but you can play basically any Battlefield game to get a feel for how Ground War will play. Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4 are two of the franchise’s best and still have full servers on PC.
Original Modern Warfare trilogy
If you’re planning on jumping into Modern Warfare 2’s campaign, you’re doing yourself a disservice by not learning the franchise’s roots with the original Modern Warfare trilogy. These are the games that solidified Call of Duty as the franchise it is today, featuring some of Call of Duty’s most iconic characters and missions.
While Modern Warfare 2019 takes place in a new timeline with different versions of these characters, you’ll get an even better idea of who these iconic characters are and what motivates them by playing Call of Duty 4, Modern Warfare 2, and Modern Warfare 3.
You’re introduced to Price, Gaz, Soap, and Nikolai in CoD 4, and then Modern Warfare 2 picks up a few years later with a fully formed Task Force 141. Here, you’ll meet other major Modern Warfare 2 players such as Ghost, General Shepherd, and Shadow Company.
While these games are over a decade old, you can pick up the remastered versions of Modern Warfare and MW2 but you’ll need to play the original version of Modern Warfare 3 as it’s never been remade.
Escape from Tarkov
Modern Warfare 2 also brings the DMZ mode alongside Warzone 2 and while not much official is known, leaks have told us that it’s essentially Escape from Tarkov in Call of Duty.
Escape from Tarkov is a hardcore extraction shooter where players battle both NPCs and other players as they attempt to extract the best loot and complete missions for extra cash and items.
Unlike most other shooters, death is a big deal in Tarkov and it sounds like it’ll be the same in DMZ. If you die while on a Raid in Tarkov, you’ll lose everything that’s not stored inside your secure container, upping the stakes immensely.
If you’re looking to not just survive but thrive in Modern Warfare 2’s DMZ mode then Tarkov will teach you the strategies to dominate in Call of Duty’s extraction mode.
And if you’re keen to play an extraction shooter that’s slightly more casual with incredible gameplay, then we couldn’t recommend Hunt Showdown more.
Call of Duty: Warzone
We can’t recommend jumping into Warzone 2 without first playing the original battle royale. While Warzone 2 is set to be quite different from Warzone, they’re both Call of Duty battle royale games at their core.
While much will change in Warzone 2, it’s well worth learning how to build the best loadouts, rotate between zones, and how to survive the Gulag. This means nothing in Warzone 2 should feel too unfamiliar, as both games are on the same core engine.
Destiny 2
Destiny 2 might sound like an odd choice at first, but Modern Warfare 2 is set to introduce Raids. Not much is known about its Raids so far, but the mode sounds like it’ll be a mix between Call of Duty’s Spec-Ops and Destiny.
In Destiny, Raids are PvE activities where you and your team must progress through a mission without guidance. You’ll need communication, teamwork, and high-tier loot to figure out and complete the objectives and come out the other side.
According to the Call of Duty blog, Modern Warfare 2’s Raids are “a three-player cooperative engagement requiring teamwork and strategic, puzzle-solving thinking in-between bouts of intense combat.”
Destiny 2 is free-to-play, so if you and your pals will be jumping into Modern Warfare 2’s Raids then Destiny is the perfect place to learn the ropes.
PUBG
While we’ve recommended the original Warzone, there are a ton of similarities between PUBG and Warzone 2.
Loot doesn’t matter so much in Warzone, but is vital in both PUBG and the Warzone 2 build we saw at Call of Duty Next. If Infinity Ward sticks with their decision to ditch loadout drops, then you better get used to looting as getting your favorite gun won’t be as simple as it dropping out of the sky.
PUBG is also a lot slower-paced than Warzone and with no slide-canceling, it appears that Warzone 2 will bring a more tactical, less cracked, gameplay style.
PUBG won’t feel nearly as smooth as Warzone but learning how to play a traditional battle royale should give you a major advantage going into Warzone 2.
Overwatch 2 has also just arrived, so be sure to check out all of the changes the sequel has brought, as well as everything we know about its story mode.
Image Credit: Activision / PUBG Corp / Bungie / EA / Battlestate Games