Best answer: While the Beta was available for everyone, the full version of Modern Warfare will require you to be a PlayStation Plus member if you want to play multiplayer. You won't need PlayStation Plus to play the single-player campaign though.
- Lock and Load: Modern Warfare ($60 at Amazon)
- Get online: PlayStation Plus (12 months) ($60 at Amazon)
Multiplayer subscription is normal now
These days you really can't play many multiplayer games without a subscription to your console's service. PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch all have this requirement at various prices and each offers a reason to use it. These services are designed to add value by creating party systems that allow you to talk to your team privately, and they sometimes offer you free content to sweeten the deal.
There are a few multiplayer games, like Fortnite or Dauntless, that can be played without a PlayStation Plus subscription but there are normally free-to-play games rather than AAA titles. I can imagine having to pay for PlayStation Plus would be galling when you don't have to pay for the actual game itself.
Is the Modern Warfare Multiplayer worth it?
I have been playing Modern Warfare for a while now and have tried out all the different multiplayer experiences and I've enjoyed each one. Some of the smaller maps, the 2v2, for example, are not my cup of tea but I can see why people enjoy that frantic and quick gameplay.
Where the game really excels is in Ground War. Ground War is a huge 32v32 game mode that is intense and action-packed. You get put into a squad of four when you start ground war and you can communicate with your squad to organize your role in the game. There are vehicles to watch out for, snipers to duck from, and flags to defend. It's a lot of fun and allows players to use what game style they like to help the whole team succeed.
Modern Warfare multiplayer is not something that is just tacked on to the single-player game. It's at the core of the game and as such, well worth the $60 for a year of PlayStation Plus, as well as the $60 for the game itself.
The old made new
Arguably the best Call of Duty game, Modern Warfare has been reimagined for this current generation. Be prepared for a dark, gritty war game.
Get online
PlayStation Plus is required for multiplayer games, so you'll need it to take advantage of Call of Duty's best features, like Ground War.
