How to dual wield in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare

cod mw akimbo guns
(Image credit: Infinity Ward)

How do you unlock Akimbo in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare? Amid all the familiar features returning to Modern Warfare of late, players have been crying out for the chance to dual wield once again. The ability to go Akimbo has been available in every main Call of Duty game since Modern Warfare 2, and now the oversight has been addressed for the latest instalment.

The Akimbo perk—introduced as part of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare season 2—gives players the ability to dual-wield five different pistols, along with a fresh battle pass, plus new maps and operators. But not only is dual wielding deadly on the battlefield, it also looks undeniably cool. 

Akimbo is available in the latest Modern Warfare as one of your five possible attachments, but you've got a small hoop you need to jump through first. Thankfully unlocking the CoD: MW Akimbo perk doesn't take a lot of work, nor does it take very long, so here's how to do it.

CoD: MW Akimbo guns and how to unlock

Getting Akimbo requires you to complete a small challenge; it works in a similar way in terms of how you unlocked the CoD: MW crossbow in the preceding update. The challenge is different for each of the five different pistols that can be akimbo'd and is listed in the pistol's perk slot in the Gunsmith. 

Each pistol perk challenge is fairly straightforward and they're all pretty similar. They always involve getting three kills in five different matches, but the perk you must use is different. 

Here are the CoD Akimbo guns and their corresponding challenges:

  • X16: Get three kills in five different matches with the Sleight of Hand perk
  • 1911: Get three kills in five different matches with the Mo'Money perk
  • .357: Get three kills in five different matches with the Recon perk 
  • M19: Get three kills in five different matches with the Frangible-Wouding perk
  • .50 GS: Get three kills in five different matches with the FMJ perk

If you want to see dual wielding in action with all the possible Akimbo pistols, check out Nemsk's video above. 

Rachel Watts

Rachel had been bouncing around different gaming websites as a freelancer and staff writer for three years before settling at PC Gamer back in 2019. She mainly writes reviews, previews, and features, but on rare occasions will switch it up with news and guides. When she's not taking hundreds of screenshots of the latest indie darling, you can find her nurturing her parsnip empire in Stardew Valley and planning an axolotl uprising in Minecraft. She loves 'stop and smell the roses' games—her proudest gaming moment being the one time she kept her virtual potted plants alive for over a year.