Modern Warfare 2’s 10 core 6v6 maps were launched to a tepid reception.
Players were quick to criticize the lack of traditional three-lane layouts, and the maps were made even more confusing by poor spawn logic.
Whether or not you’re a fan of the new maps, we can all share in the frustration that comes when you die from getting shot in the foot by someone lying prone on the ground in Santa Seña Border Crossing.
We’ve ranked every multiplayer map in Modern Warfare 2 from best to worst, taking into account things like gameplay flow and how intuitive engagements are.
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Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer maps tier list
S-Tier
Mercado Las Almas
Set in Las Almas, a fictional town in Mexico, Mercado Las Almas is one of the best-designed maps in the game with an easy-to-grasp three-lane layout.
It features a wide, middle thoroughfare and side streets that allow for fast, frenetic action. It is also a relatively small map, which means frequent engagements and plenty of opportunities to level up your weapons.
While there are buildings that allow campers to dig in deep, there are not so many as to make the map excessively frustrating to play. The flow of the game feels smooth and logical, and it is far easier to predict where opponents will be.
Crown Raceway
Inspired by Singapore’s Marina Bay Street Circuit, Crown Raceway is set against the stunning backdrop of the Marina Bay Sands hotel and Singapore Flyer. The sound of cars whizzing by on the track is a neat addition to the overall atmosphere, and Formula 1 fans will definitely appreciate the attention to detail here.
With long sightlines for sniper battles and a close-quarters indoor area, Crown Raceway has something for every playstyle. The open and relatively uncluttered spaces in the Garages also allow for clean, intuitive engagements — and it is blissfully easy to spot enemies against its white floors and walls.
Compared to the other maps, Crown Raceway stands out from a drab sea of brown with its nighttime setting and neon-drenched urban landscape.
A-Tier
Zarqwa Hydroelectric
Taking place in Al Mazrah in the fictional United Republic of Adal, Zarqwa Hydroelectric introduces a novel way to navigate around the map — swimming.
The waters surrounding the map allow players to sneak through the peripheries with ease, or emerge behind unsuspecting players in the middle of the map. The pools of water also offer a quick escape, allowing for more creative plays.
The pacing on the map is excellent, and aggressive pushes can be extremely rewarding.
Al Bagra Fortress
This fortress is also set in Al Mazrah. Gameplay is fast and frenzied, with your first engagement coming within seconds of starting the map.
However, its biggest downside is the potential to be spawn trapped. If you spawn in the courtyard, enemy players can easily lock down the narrow doorways from multiple angles as you try to leave.
Farm 18
Farm 18 takes place in a training facility repurposed from an abandoned cement factory in Kastovia, a fictional country in the game.
It is one of the most thoughtfully designed maps, with high vantage points for snipers and an indoor Shoot House area that is reminiscent of the fan-favorite map in Modern Warfare.
Whether you like to take it slow and snipe from the roof or sprint heedlessly into battle, Farm 18 has something for everyone.
B-Tier
El Asilo
El Asilo takes players to Las Almas, Mexico, featuring a large warehouse surrounded by smaller buildings and open spaces for snipers.
However, most of the action takes place indoors amongst a multitude of corridors and rooms. The gloomy interiors are not the most fun to navigate, and you’ll find yourself frequently caught off-guard as you turn a corner.
Predicting where opponents takes too much guesswork, and navigating the interiors feels like a game of luck.
The open area surrounding the main building provides a quick way to traverse the map, but you’re practically a sitting duck running out in the open as players can poke out from the windows or doors at any time.
Embassy
Featuring the US embassy in the United Republic of Adal, Embassy feels like it should be a good map, but I’m always kind of let down every time I play it.
A lot of time is spent sprinting across the tennis court or parking lot, all while trying not to get picked off by someone on the roof or in one of the windows.
Fortunately, the pacing in the buildings feels far better, with fast engagements and frenetic action. However, there’s no guarantee that you’ll get even that, because opponents are too busy running around outside.
C-Tier
Breenbergh Hotel
The luxurious interiors of the Breenbergh Hotel, based on the real-life Conservatorium Hotel in Amsterdam, Netherlands, are nice to look at but not as fun to play in.
There’s nothing in particular that makes this a bad map. Instead, it is the combination of counters and rooms that provides way too many spots for campers to hide out.
The best area to play in is probably the area surrounding the Lobby, to take advantage of the high footfall in the general vicinity.
Santa Seña Border Crossing
This map is so hilariously awful, it may actually be good. Strewn with the assorted wreckage of cars, buses, and trucks, it’s nearly impossible to tell where anybody is in this cluttered mess of gray and brown.
To make matters worse, you can actually die without seeing anyone because a prone opponent has just shot you in the feet from under a car. You can also die from randomly exploding vehicles, which is fun as well.
Having said that, the map is also a gleefully mindless affair. There is no other direction to go other than straight, so you might as well charge ahead until you meet someone.
D-Tier
Taraq
Taraq is a unique brand of terrible all by itself. In fact, it is so bad that it deserves its own category.
The map almost forces you to choose between playing along the outskirts with a sniper, or sticking exclusively to the center with a closer-ranged weapon. There is simply no middle ground.
If you make it to the ruins in the middle of the map without getting gunned down by someone a mile away, you’ll most likely be met with someone camped at the top of the stairs in the Laundry Shop or one of the other rooms.
It is ridiculously infuriating to play, and enemies are difficult to spot on a field littered with half walls and sand dunes. Gameplay is unpredictable, and every wall or building could literally be hiding the enemy.
READ MORE: The best spots to get kills on each map in Modern Warfare II
