Since the public and casuals have realized what SBMM is, talk of skill-based matchmaking has been prevalent throughout the cycle of the last few Call of Duty games, and Modern Warfare 4 and the possibility of open matchmaking are up for debate again.
By now, I’m sure you know what SBMM is: An algorithm that matchmakes based on your recent performance and overall skill level, rather than randomly bunching players up together with persistent lobbies. Modern Warfare 4 follows on from Black Ops 7, which made some mighty strides by clearly advertising open matchmaking lobbies with little SBMM, but does MW4 do the same?
Is There SBMM in MW4?
Yes, Modern Warfare 4 has lobbies that clearly cater toward SBMM.
Once you’ve had a few games and MW4 gets a sense of where you are as a player, you’ll notice that your matches start to become quite similar and competitive. You’ll have the occasional squash where your team dominates, followed by a whitewash, but mainly with lots of sweaty matches in between.
- More Insider Gaming: Modern Warfare 4 Season 1 Release Date & Expected Start Times
MW4 has SBMM, and there’s no getting away from it. But so did Black Ops 7; the question is, does Modern Warfare 4 have any open matchmaking whatsoever?
Does MW4 Have Open Matchmaking?
Findings show that Modern Warfare 4 HAS launched with open matchmaking playlist options, but the devs are choosing to keep this quiet.
Firstly, I’ll address the obvious elephant in the room: I reported for Insider Gaming that Modern Warfare 4 multiplayer doesn’t have open matchmaking. It’s not just my error; this was the initial widespread belief after the first few hours of MW4 going live.
- More Insider Gaming: Best HAN 86 Loadout in Modern Warfare 4
However, it doesn’t appear that MW4 has completely regressed as first suspected. TheXclusiveAce did some digging into the launch playlist options and matchmaking, and found that certain playlists include persistent lobbies (not commonly seen in SBMM playlists) and much more varied matchmaking.
TheXclusiveAce, and verified by other players, has found that ‘Popular Modes’ seem to embrace open matchmaking. I too have found that playing Team Deathmatch or Domination, for instance, from under Popular Modes has featured persistent lobbies.
Here’s a quick definition of the two matchmaking types, if you’re wondering:
- SBMM: Matchmaking based on your player skill level, finding you similarly skilled players, and new lobbies after every game.
- Open matchmaking: An element of SBMM is factored in, but there is far more variety and randomization in the candidates and calibre of players, creating wildly different experiences. Even if you’re in generous lobbies, persistent matchmaking can keep players together game after game.
Check out TheXclusiveAce’s video for more details.
How have you found Modern Warfare 4 online so far? Let us know your thoughts on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
For more Insider Gaming content, check out ‘All Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Twitch Drops & How to Get Them,’ and don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter.
Andy is Insider Gaming's Senior Evergreen Editor and has been in the games journalism sphere in one way or another for over 7 years. His video game taste is as…
More from Andrew Highton
Comments