Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4's upcoming beta will use both the new matchmaking system introduced in Black Ops 7 Season 5 and the "open" matchmaking system launched with Black Ops 7 last year, developer Infinity Ward has confirmed. Matchmaking remains one of the most contentious issues in the Call of Duty community, as it heavily influences how balanced and enjoyable matches feel, and the studio is still weighing which approach to carry into the full game's October launch.

The open matchmaking system, introduced as a response to complaints about overly punishing skill-based matchmaking, produces more random and varied lobbies, but data shared by Call of Duty shows it also led to significantly worse outcomes: for 80% of Black Ops 7 players from launch to Season 4, open matchmaking resulted in 32.7% higher quit rates, 14.4% fewer kills per minute, 5.3% lower win rates, and 59.2% more "not fun" ratings compared with the newer standard system. Despite many fans finding the newer, Black Ops-inspired system less enjoyable, players have reportedly been quitting less under it, even as top players face tougher competition. No final decision has been made on which system Modern Warfare 4 will use at launch, and the beta is intended to help Infinity Ward gather further data, with the beta also set to include several requested quality-of-life fixes.