Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II Multiplayer Goes Free Through April 26 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer is going free-to-play this week, Activision Blizzard has confirmed. The free trial offers seamless access to the ongoing season 3 content, which includes the Pelayo's Lighthouse arena, the 2v2 Gunfight mode, a range of classic multiplayer modes, and more. The trial is scheduled to run for a week, starting April 19 at 9:30pm IST/ 5pm BST until April 26, across PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X. All multiplayer progress will be carried over if you decide to upgrade to the full MW2 game and the battle-royale tie-in Warzone 2.0.

Season 3 kicked off on April 12, adding new operators, a battle pass, and a fresh Gulag arena for its battle royale component. Dubbed Blacksite, the map is also included as part of the 2v2 Gunfight mode, which debuted in 2019's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Players will be thrown into team-based matches with randomised weapon loadouts, as they compete to become the first squad to win six rounds. The free multiplayer week also provides access to Alley, Shipment, and Exhibit maps in its rotation for the Gunfight mode.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's season 3 brought two new multiplayer maps to the game — Black Gold and Pelayo's Lighthouse. Only the latter is available during the free access period, tossing players onto a small stormy island, housing a guiding lighthouse at its centre, peppered with several maintenance buildings, a boat dock, and a helipad. The map offers ample rocky elevations to gain an upper hand, often switching to tight, close-quarter combat experience when inside the ‘Main Building.' One could also make use of the raging waves for a lower profile, by swimming around enemies to sneak in and stab them to death.

Players can sample an array of 6v6 game modes ranging from Team Deathmatch, Hardpoint, Domination, Kill Confirmed, Grind, Gun Game, Infected, All or Nothing, and One in the Chamber. You'll gain access to 10 MW2 maps across 12 game modes — the Santa Seña map is solely reserved for Invasion and Ground War modes. Activision also mentioned an ‘additional download' for those trying to access the free multiplayer, the sizes of which will differ based on the platform.

Back in February, Call of Duty Modern Warfare II kicked off its Ranked Play segment, adhering to the rules set by Call of Duty League (CDL). Its transition into season 3 took an extra day, but has now been updated with new restrictions, which previously caused the SPW 40MM Drill attachment and specific FJX Ammunition Types to appear unrestricted in custom loadouts. While players need to be a minimum level 16 to access Ranked Play, all weapons and attachments are automatically unlocked to ensure fairgrounds.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's free multiplayer week begins April 19 at 9:30pm IST/ 5pm BST, across PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X.