Modern Warfare 2 menus are confusing the hell out of players

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Can you decipher the Modern Warfare 2 menus?

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
(Image credit: Activision Blizzard)

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is here, but no one would judge you if you couldn't figure out how to navigate its menus. The redesigned UI is a far cry from former Call of Duty titles, and both new and long-time players are totally confused by it. 

by_far_the_worst_ui_in_a_cod_game_so_far_imo_all from r/ModernWarfareII

According to players, it's easy to miss certain multiplayer playlists and modes because of the way Modern Warfare 2's menus are organized. The new menu has several sections at the top that you can cycle between, including Play, Weapons, Operators, Battle Pass, and Store. This is pretty straightforward for a Call of Duty game (or any game, for that matter), but it's when you get into those sections that it might get confusing. Instead of simple lists, the game modes are represented by large images stacked on top of and next to each other. If this looks more like a streaming service menu than a game menu to you, you're not alone - and that's because former Hulu UI designers reportedly worked on it. 

But it's not just the image-heavy Play section that's confusing players. Redditors are reporting that they can't find their stats anywhere in the menus, and the secondary tab that pops up for navigating settings, social, and achievements is only further confusing them. "Gotta click like 5 different things to do anything. Couldn't even find my friend when his name was right in front of my eyes because there were so many things on the screen," writes one Redditor. Our own Josh West has also pointed out that the Modern Warfare 2 Gunsmith is very difficult to navigate with the new menu system. 

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Unfortunately, if you're not jiving with the Modern Warfare 2 UI redesign, you could very well be out of luck, as this could very likely be the same menu setup for Warzone 2, and with no Call of Duty 2023 expected, it might be two long years until a major overhaul.

Looking for a new shooter to jump into? Check out our list of the best FPS games. 

Alyssa Mercante
Alyssa Mercante
Former Features Writer

Alyssa Mercante used to be a features writer at GamesRadar+ and is now a freelance writer and editor. Prior to entering the industry, she got her Masters's degree in Modern and Contemporary Literature at Newcastle University with a dissertation focusing on contemporary indie games. She spends most of her time playing competitive shooters and in-depth RPGs and was recently on a PAX Panel about the best bars in video games. In her spare time Alyssa rescues cats, practices her Italian, and plays soccer.