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Infinity Ward pushed a patch into the Modern Warfare 4 beta on Saturday, August 22, and it adds a new map called Cachette, a cash-based mode called Inflation, and finally turns on map voting. If you played the first beta weekend and are coming back for the open beta on August 28, this is everything that changed, everything that got nerfed, and the one big problem Infinity Ward admitted it hasn’t fixed yet.
TL;DR
- August 22 patch added the Cachette map and the Inflation game mode, pushing the beta to four maps total
- Map voting is now on because the beta finally hit the four-map threshold Infinity Ward said it needed
- Frangible ammo, the ISO Nightshade and the Oris 8.6 all got toned down, and enemy footsteps are quieter
- Daily challenges can now be rerolled and Transit 213 got a visibility pass
- Infinity Ward confirmed spawn logic needs work across every map and mode but gave no fix date
What changed in the MW4 beta update on August 22
The short version: Infinity Ward shipped a patch at 10am PT on Saturday, August 22 that added a new map and mode, turned on map voting, and quieted down footstep audio in response to day-one complaints. Infinity Ward’s official patch notes and outlets covering the beta, including PC Gamer and PCGamesN, confirmed the same list of changes.
The new map is Cachette, a core 6v6 arena set in an abandoned wine warehouse and mechanic’s garage on the outskirts of a French rail terminal. The new mode is Inflation, where you eliminate enemies to collect cash and defeat HVT Operators to steal the funds they’re carrying, with the richest players in the match marked as HVTs for everyone to hunt, and surviving long enough racks up increased cash multipliers. Map voting also went live, and it’s connected directly to Cachette’s arrival, since a full breakdown of all four maps and modes in the beta is worth checking if you haven’t kept track of the rotation.
Every change in the MW4 beta patch notes, in one table
Here’s the full list of what moved on August 22, condensed into one table. On the cards for this initial update are a couple of weapon nerfs, a reduction in footstep sounds, improved visibility on Transit 213, map voting, and the new Inflation game mode.
Note
This looked like a server-side patch rather than a client download, meaning most of these changes applied without a separate file to install.
If you’re running the Razor conversion on the Oris 8.6, the nerf ties directly into how that weapon’s apex conversion works, which is covered in more detail in a guide on weapon progression and Apex attachments for anyone reworking a loadout before the next weekend.
| What changed | Was → Now | Who it affects |
|---|---|---|
| Map count / map voting | 3 maps, no voting → 4 maps, voting enabled | Everyone in Quick Play |
| Cachette | Added to rotation | Core 6v6 players |
| Inflation | New mode added | Anyone trying the cash-based objective mode |
| Enemy footstep audio | Reduced the distance at which enemy footstep and gear audio can be heard, and decreased overall volume | Anyone who complained about hearing footsteps too easily on day one |
| Frangible ammo | Slow duration reduced by 26.8%, slow magnitude reduced by 21.4% | Players using or facing Frangible rounds |
| ISO Nightshade | More damage falloff at further ranges, and a slightly reduced headshot multiplier | Anyone who leaned on the SMG that stood out early |
| Oris 8.6 | Shorter initial range before damage falls off, lowered headshot multiplier, and the Razor attachment now has a longer delay between throws | Marksman rifle users running the Razor Apex attachment |
| Daily challenges | Enabled the ability to reroll Daily Challenges | Anyone stuck with a challenge they don't want |
| Transit 213 visibility | Brightened shadowed areas and adjusted overall color balance | Anyone who found the map too dark |
| Spawn logic | Acknowledged as broken across all maps and modes, work ongoing, no timeline given | Everyone, on any map |
What it means for players returning on August 28
The open beta runs from August 28 at 10:00 AM PT through September 1 at 10:00 AM PT, and unlike the first weekend, it’s open to anyone rather than gated behind a pre-order or code — worth knowing if the first weekend’s access routes weren’t an option for you. That means the loadout you built on day one of the early access weekend will feel different: Frangible ammo is less punishing, the ISO Nightshade and Oris 8.6 won’t dominate engagements the way they reportedly did, and you’ll hear enemies from a shorter range than before. None of this is small — a footstep and TTK adjustment this early usually reshapes which guns people actually run.
Progression and unlocks from the first weekend are a separate question from these balance changes, and it’s worth checking how beta rewards carry between the two test windows before assuming anything transfers automatically.
Warning
Infinity Ward has confirmed spawn placement and logic need work across every map and every mode in the beta, and said only that it’s working on it — no fix date has been given, so expect the same spawn complaints from weekend one to still show up on August 28.
Our Take: Is Infinity Ward actually listening
Our Take
Shipping a balance patch mid-weekend is a good sign, but it doesn’t erase the spawn problem sitting untouched.
Nerfing Frangible, the ISO Nightshade and the Oris 8.6 less than 24 hours into a beta shows Infinity Ward is actually reading feedback instead of sitting on it until October. That’s worth crediting. But naming Cachette and Inflation as new content is easy compared to fixing spawn logic, and the studio being upfront that it’s still working on that with no timeline is the more important line in the whole update. Whether it lands before October 23 is genuinely unclear right now.
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