Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (MW2) has a whole new selection of multiplayer game modes ranging from small-scale arena matches to massive 64-player combat. Read on to learn more about each of the available game modes including the new and improved Invasion, Ground War, Prisoner Rescue, and Knockout modes!

List of All Multiplayer Modes

Click to Jump to a Game Mode!
Team Deathmatch	Domination	Invasion
Ground War	Prisoner Rescue	Knock Out
Hardpoint	Search and Destroy	Control
Cyber Attack	Bounty	Infected
Gun Game	-	-

Team Deathmatch

No. of Players	12 Players (2 Teams of 6)
Win Condition	Get a total of 75 Kills for your team.

Team Deathmatch or TDM pits you against other players in a 6v6 slugfest. Kill your enemies and race them to 75 total kills in order to win the match. For players who want to focus on fragging and learning the maps of MW2, this is the game mode for you!

Team Deathmatch: How to Play and Best Loadouts

Domination

No. of Players	12 Players (2 Teams of 6)
Win Condition	Get a total of 200 Points to secure victory.

Domination has players capture and hold 3 strongholds on the map (A, B, and C). Holding and defending captured strongholds will allow you to generate points for your team. First to 200 points will win the match.

Note: The more strongholds you have captured, the faster you will accumulate points. Slay the enemy team and get a trip cap (triple capture) to rack up points for a quick victory.

Domination: How to Play and Best Loadouts

Invasion

No. of Players	40 (2 Teams of 20; mix of Players & AI)
Win Condition	Get a total of 1000 Points to win.

Invasion is a massive, 40-man deathmatch that pits 2 teams of 20 against one another. However, unlike Ground War, this game mode mixes Players & AI in the same teams, allowing for fast-paced combat and easier queue times despite the size of the lobby. Race the enemy team to 1000 Points in order to win the match.

Invasion: How to Play and Best Loadouts

Ground War

No. of Players	64 Players (2 Teams of 32)
Win Condition	Get a total of 200 Points to win.

Ground War in Modern Warfare 2 returns new and improved. Featuring massive maps and the ability to use vehicles, players can now fight enemies by land, sea, or air in this massive 32v32 game mode.

Just like Domination, Ground War is a capture-and-hold game mode, making players capture 5 different checkpoints on the map (A, B, C, D, and E). The first team to get 200 Points wins the match.

Ground War: How to Play and Best Loadouts

Prisoner Rescue

No. of Players	12 Players (2 Teams of 6)
Win Conditions	Get a total of 500 Points to win.

Prisoner Rescue is a brand new 6v6 game mode that has players alternate as Attackers or Defenders. Defenders will have 2 prisoners to guard, while Attackers are tasked to rescue them. Each prisoner rewards 50 points on extraction (max 100 per round) and eliminating the enemy team rewards 50 points only. First team to 500 Points wins.

Each round ends when the opposing team is wiped out or when both prisoners are rescued. In this game mode, much like in Knock Out, players are only downed and can be revived as long as they have teammates that are alive.

Prisoner Rescue: How to Play and Best Loadouts

Knock Out

No. of Players	12 Players (2 Teams of 6)
Win Condition	Win 5 Rounds to take the match.

Knockout is a new 6v6 game mode where the objective is to either eliminate all enemies or hold the package for 45 seconds. Each round starts with a bag of Cash placed in the middle of the map with 2 teams fighting for it.

Simply walking over the bag captures it for your team but reveals the bag holder's position in the minimap. There are no respawns but players can revive downed teammates. Each round ends when any of the 2 conditions are fulfilled. First to 5 Round Wins takes the match.

Knock Out: How to Play and Best Loadouts

Hardpoint

No. of Players	12 Players (2 Teams of 6)
Win Condition	Get a total of 250 Points to win.

Hardpoint is the Call of Duty version of the classic King of the Hill game mode. 12 players split into 2 teams of 6 will have to capture and hold spawning Hardpoints across the map.

Each Hardpoint spawn will be active for 1 minute before expiring and respawning at a different section of the map. Holding one will rack up points for your team, with the first to 250 Points taking the match.

Hardpoint: How to Play and Best Loadouts

Search and Destroy

No. of Players	12 Players (2 Teams of 6)
Win Condition	Win 6 Rounds to take the match.

Search & Destroy is a game mode that alternates between Attacking and Defending. Attackers have to plant the bomb and destroy one of two bomb sites (A or B), or kill all 6 of the enemy team to secure a round win.

Defenders, on the other hand, will either have to kill the entire enemy team or defuse a planted bomb to secure a round win. If you defuse a bomb while there are still live enemies, your team still wins the round. The first team to win 6 Rounds will take the match.

Search and Destroy: How to Play and Best Loadouts

Control

No. of Players	12 Players (2 Teams of 6)
Win Condition	Win 3 Rounds to take the match.

Control is a game mode where teams will take turns in Attacking and Defending two Control Points.

Attackers will have to capture the Control Points before the round timer ends. Defenders will have to hold the Control Points until the round timer reaches zero in order to secure a score point for the round.

Control: How to Play and Best Loadouts

Cyber Attack

No. of Players	12 Players (2 Teams of 6)
Win Condition	Win 5 Rounds to take the match.

Cyber Attack is a game mode where two teams will have to plant an EMP Device at the opposing team's Data Center.

The team that has successfully planted the device will have to defend the Data Center until it explodes in order to score a point.

Cyber Attack: How to Play and Best Loadouts

Bounty

No. of Players	12 Players (2 Teams of 6)
Win Condition	Reach the score limit or score the most points once the timer ends.

Bounty is a game mode where two teams will have to hunt down enemy players to earn points until either side reaches the score limit or has the most points once the 10-minute timer ends to claim victory.

Bounty: How to Play and Best Loadouts

Infected

No. of Players	TBA
Win Condition	Survive until the timer ends or eliminate all survivors.

Infected is a popular game mode that will arrive in the upcoming Season 2 update. One player is randomly chosen as the infected at the start of the match, while the remaining players will play the role of survivors.

The Infected is tasked with infecting all non-infected while the survivors must survive until the game ends.

Infected Coming to Season 2

Gun Game

No. of Players	6 Players (Free-for-All)
Objectives	Be the first to achieve a Throwing Knife Kill to win the match.

Gun Game is a free-for-all game mode where players will have to progress through an 18-weapon rotation pool by getting kills and be the first to get a throwing knife kill on the last rotation to win the match.

This is a party-only game mode and can only be accessible in private matches.

How to Play Gun Game

Does MW2 Have Battle Royale?

Warzone 2.0 Will Be a Stand-Alone Title

For players looking to jump into a Call of Duty Battle Royale game mode, you will have to wait a few more weeks for Warzone 2.0 to release on Nov. 16, 2022. Currently, the closest game mode that allows for massive player vs. player combat will be Ground War.

Warzone 2.0 Release Date, Platforms, and Trailers

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (MW2) Related Guides

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