Modern Warfare 4 Multiplayer Modes Explained: Hijack and Inflation

Modern Warfare 4 multiplayer launches on 23 October 2026. It brings three new 6v6 respawn modes, a new 10v10 version of Gunfight on a map that rebuilds itself, and a new Ground War mode built around Outposts you capture and reinforce. The returning Core modes are also back, and most of them have Hardcore versions at launch.

Quick answer: In Hijack, each team scores by planting a Data Spike at the opposing Comm Station. Inflation awards cash for kills, with the richest team winning. In Gunfight, everyone starts with one life and an identical randomly selected loadout.

Modern Warfare 4 launch modes list

Modes are split into four groups, and the last column shows which ones have a Hardcore version at launch. For the maps these modes play on, see the Modern Warfare 4 maps list.

Mode	Type	Status	Hardcore at launch
Team Deathmatch	Respawn	Returning	Yes
Domination	Respawn	Returning	Yes
Hardpoint	Respawn	Returning	Yes
Kill Confirmed	Respawn	Returning	Yes
Free for All	Respawn	Returning	Yes
Counter Attack	Respawn	New	No
Inflation	Respawn	New	No
Hijack	Respawn	New	No
Search & Destroy	Round-based	Returning	Yes
Gunfight	Round-based	Returning	No
Gunfight 10v10	Round-based	New	No
Combat Outpost	Ground War	New	No
Gun Game	Party Mode	Launch	No
Drop Zone	Party Mode	Launch	No

Ground War also gets other new large-scale modes alongside Combat Outpost, and more modes are planned shortly after launch.

How Hijack works (6v6)

Hijack centers on one objective, the Data Spike, which appears near the map’s midpoint. Both teams scramble to claim it; the carrier then advances toward the opposing team’s Comm Station.

Take the Data Spike near the center of the map. You can carry it, throw it or pass it to a teammate.

Move it to the enemy Comm Station. While you carry it, your Lethal button throws the Spike, so you can’t use your Lethal equipment and your teammates need to clear the way.

Place the Spike on the enemy Comm Station. Your team scores for as long as it stays planted, and earns extra points when it detonates.

Defend the site until the Spike explodes. The opposing team must launch a counterattack and disarm it before it scores again or detonates.

Every reset starts another scramble for the Spike. Don’t leave it still long enough for the other team to organize: keep advancing, escort the carrier, and grab the Spike as soon as they fall. Once it’s planted, take positions around the Comm Station ahead of the counterattack, then use equipment and Killstreaks to defend until detonation. Regroup quickly after a reset and try a new route.

How Inflation works (6v6)

In Inflation, scoring takes the form of cash. Eliminating opponents earns money that goes into your team’s total. The team with the largest cash total when the match ends wins.

On death, some of the money you were carrying spills onto the ground, available for either side to collect.
Players who build up enough cash become High Value Targets (HVTs), and their position is revealed to the whole enemy team.
Eliminate an opposing HVT and you receive the cash they had on them.
The match finishes in Overtime, when cash multipliers increase and late-game fights bring the biggest payouts.

Kills are only one way to build your economy. Pick up cash on the ground, stop opponents from collecting it, and eliminate an HVT; these can outweigh winning another gunfight. Keep near friendly HVTs and arrange crossfires around them.

Gunfight on Kill Block (3v3 and 10v10)

Gunfight comes in its classic 3v3 format and a new 10v10 variant, with both played on Kill Block, the Westbridge Training Facility. Each round gives you one life, with no respawns. Clear the opposing team or capture the Overtime Flag to take the round.

A Gunfight round in progress on the Kill Block map in Modern Warfare 4 — A Gunfight round on Kill Block, where each player has one life per round.

Kill Block layouts and Combos

Kill Block consists of three linked Slabs, which together form a Combo. A different Combo takes over every two rounds. At launch, there are more than 500 Kill Block configurations. The teams alternate spawn sides between rounds, giving each side a turn at both ends of every layout.

Overhead view of Kill Block built from three connected Slabs — Kill Block from above, assembled from three connected Slabs into one Combo.

Shared random loadouts

You can’t use a custom class. All players receive the same randomized loadout, and the loadout changes when the Combo does. Tactical and Lethal equipment becomes available shortly after a round begins, making positioning and gunplay key in the opening fight.

Player aiming a revolver down a Kill Block lane as a second kill registers on the HUD — A pistol from the shared random loadout aimed down a Kill Block lane during Gunfight.

Rifle aimed at an opponent in Gunfight with an underbarrel prompt on screen — A rifle with an underbarrel attachment, part of a randomized Gunfight loadout.

Overtime Flag

If time runs out with players alive on both teams, an Overtime Flag appears. Capturing it wins the round, which pushes both sides out of cover instead of letting a round stall.

Close-quarters Gunfight moment inside one of Kill Block's rooms — A close-range fight inside Kill Block during a Gunfight round.

Scoped submachine gun aimed through a doorway at opponents with a kill confirmation on screen — Aiming through a doorway at outnumbering opponents in a Gunfight round.

Kill Block is designed to support Core modes and Killstreaks in future updates. Search and Destroy and Domination are being tested on it, and additional modes are planned for after launch.

Combat Outpost in Ground War (24v24)

Combat Outpost scales Domination up, combining infantry combat with vehicles. Earn points by securing an Outpost; it then serves as a team spawn and advances your front line. Outposts restock supplies as well, giving you strong defensive positions from which to build Killstreaks.

Reinforcing Outposts you already hold unlocks bigger team rewards in order:

Local UAV coverage
A JLTV airdrop
A Light Tank delivered to your Headquarters

Higher rewards include armored vehicles, tanks and a twin-engine helicopter. Capture and Reinforce objectives often overlap, so the team that takes ground and holds it pulls ahead. The Combat Outpost maps named so far are Imjin Farmlands and Wolves Stadium, both in Hajin.

Returning Core modes and how they score

Mode	How you score	Lives
Team Deathmatch	Kills	Unlimited respawns
Domination	Hold flags A, B and C	Respawn
Hardpoint	Hold the active zone	Respawn
Kill Confirmed	Collect enemy Dog Tags	Respawn
Search & Destroy	Wipe, plant or defuse	One per round
Free for All	Returns at launch	Respawn

Team Deathmatch is won by the first side to reach the score cap, or by whoever leads when time expires. Domination teams change sides halfway to the score limit; its beta target was 200 points. In Hardpoint, one teammate in the zone is enough to score, as long as the zone is uncontested. It relocates every minute, and the beta target was 250 points.

In Kill Confirmed, every elimination leaves a Dog Tag behind, and the kill itself scores nothing. Collect opponents’ tags to score, or pick up friendly tags to deny the enemy. Search & Destroy has one team attack two bomb sites while the other defends; their roles reverse each round. Attackers win by eliminating the defenders or detonating the bomb. Defenders win by eliminating the attackers, preventing a plant, or defusing the bomb.

Killstreaks in these modes use Smartstreaks. Kills provide most of the progress toward your next streak, while objective play adds progress too. Capturing, holding, and planting therefore contribute to streaks in Hijack, Hardpoint, and Domination.