How many players were left in the beta three days after launch?

As recorded on August 24 at 6:34 AM, Steam showed 26,358 connected players. That's less than a quarter of the 115,145 seen on opening day.

Why did reviews turn so negative so quickly?

Four complaints dominate: overwhelming controller aim assist, matchmaking that's too aggressive for a beta, too-short time-to-kill, and poorly designed spawns. On top of that, technical access issues requiring TPM and BIOS updates add to the frustration.

Do these numbers cover all platforms?

No, Steam only measures PC. PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and Switch 2 don't publish their stats, so the true overall drop remains unknown.

Is there another beta planned?

Yes, a free open beta starts on August 28 and includes Switch 2. It will serve as a real barometer with the general public.

Modern Warfare 4: the beta has lost more than three quarters of its Steam players

The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 beta opened on 21 August at 11:00 AM PT. Three days on, its Steam page tells the story of a reception that keeps sliding.

Taken on Monday 24 August at 6:34 AM Paris time, the Steam counter showed 26,358 players in game on the beta, which ships under its own store page. TheGamer measured 115,145 players on opening day, then 51,582 twenty-four hours later. Fewer than a quarter of them are left three days after the doors opened.

The reviews follow the same slope. At that same timestamp: 7,078 reviews, of which 2,591 are positive and 4,487 negative, or 36.6% recommending it, and a Steam rating that now reads Mostly Negative. When TheGamer published, it was still Mixed, with 45% negative. We are at 63% today.

A soldier aims a shouldered weapon while a second pushes up behind a wrecked vehicle, in the Modern Warfare 4 beta — Official screenshot from the Modern Warfare 4 beta. Credit: Activision

What players are holding against it

In the negative user reviews we went through, four grievances keep coming back: aim assist that overwhelms mouse and keyboard from a controller, skill-based matchmaking far too aggressive for a beta, a very short time-to-kill, and badly placed spawn points. Several players also say they had to enable Secure Boot and TPM, and in some cases update their BIOS, just to get multiplayer to launch.

Two caveats. Steam only measures PC: turnout on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series and Switch 2 is not public. And the collapse is happening while the early access window is still open — it runs to 25 August, 10:00 AM PT — so among the players who pre-ordered.

Activision has not commented. The open beta, free and Switch 2 included, runs from 28 August at 10:00 AM PT to 1 September at 10:00 AM PT, and it will serve as the real barometer. In the background, the row over AI-generated artwork is not helping, with no established link to these numbers.