Modern Warfare 2 minimap will not reveal enemy red dots

Luca Di Marzo
Modern Warfare 2 Operators

Much like Vanguard before it, Modern Warfare 2’s minimap will not reveal the location of enemy players who fire their weapons.

The minimap is a vital tool for Call of Duty players looking to dominate lobbies. Not only does it provide valuable information concerning the location of your teammates, but in the past, it also revealed enemy locations with red dots.

In order to appear on the minimap as a red dot, enemies would have to fire their weapons. In Call of Duty games of the past, this would reveal the enemy’s location. However, it seems Modern Warfare 2 will not boast this minimap feature.

Players will have no choice but to get used to the new norm for the franchise, seeing as back-to-back Call of Duty games have removed red dots from the minimap. The decision to remove red dots from the minimap is a conscious choice of the development team in charge.

Infinity Ward kicked off the trend in Modern Warfare (2019), so it’s no surprise to see them stick to the formula that they deemed a success. While Black Ops Cold War opted for the traditional minimap formula, things changed once again following the release of Vanguard.

Previously, Vanguard devs Sledgehammer Games admitted that they were influenced by Infinity Ward’s decision in Modern Warfare: “seeing the success there in terms of just the gameplay as well, keeping players focused on what’s in front of them.”

While firing a weapon will not reveal your location on an enemy’s minimap, Modern Warfare 2 players can equip the Bird’s Eye Perk, which is similar to Vanguard’s Radar.

This Perk made enemies appear on your minimap when they fired an unsilenced weapon, which slightly appeased players who were upset by the decision. Bird’s Eye is in the fourth Perk slot also known as an ultimate Perk.

The lack of red dots on the Vanguard minimap sparked a massive debate amongst the Call of Duty community when it was revealed. Given Infinity Ward’s decision to stick to this formula, don’t be surprised to see it become a hot topic of discussion once the Modern Warfare 2 beta kicks off.


For more, find out why the Modern Warfare 2 Gunsmith system will make leveling up guns easier than ever.

Image Credit: Activision

About The Author

Luca is an Associate Editor at CharlieIntel. An accomplished, writer with interests in sports and gaming alike, Luca is focused on Call of Duty and FIFA as a content creator. After earning his BA in English Literature at Concordia University, he began writing for Gamelevate, OddsShark, and H4X. Luca joined CharlieIntel in 2021. You can reach Luca at [email protected], or via X @TheLucaDiMarzo.