Call of Duty: Modern Warfare remaster will not be sold standalone

Like the well-oiled machine it is, Activision today unveiled this year’s instalment of Call of Duty amid an explosion of adjectives and hyperbole. Infinite Warfare will take the dependable shooting game to space this year, and apparently you’ll be able to fly spacecraft as well. Still, that’s not what most people are excited about: a remaster of the original Modern Warfare game has arguably attracted more interest, but it looks like you’ll need to purchase Infinite Warfare to get access to the remake.

That’s according to the Modern Warfare FAQ, recently posted on Activision’s support page. Those hoping to play the remake “must own Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare in order to get Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered”, the page reads. Meanwhile, in response to the anticipated question of how to get the remaster, the FAQ reads that it’s “only available through the Legacy, Legacy Pro, and Digital Deluxe editions of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare.” Tom detailed what’s in each of those earlier today.

That’s sure to disappoint any nostalgics with a space phobia, or indeed anyone who just isn’t interested in this year’s Call of Duty instalment. Using whole other games as a pre-order carrot is an interesting tactic, but it’s been happening in the console space for a while now, thanks to the Xbox One’s backwards compatibility.

There are some more obvious caveats listed in the FAQ: progress you’ve made in the original Modern Warfare won’t carry over to the new one, and the game will feature ten multiplayer maps, with ‘Crash’, ‘Backlot’ and ‘Crossfire’ already confirmed.

Of course, it’s very possible that the remaster will be available as a standalone game at some point in the future, but if you were hoping to jump onboard as soon as it released, it looks like you’re coughing up for Infinite Warfare.

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.