Sifter
Call of Duty®: Infinite Warfare cover art

Call of Duty®: Infinite Warfare

Steam

Infinity Ward · Activision

ActionAdventure
View on Steam

Design Risk Score

Estimated
BEst. grade

17/100

2 mechanics flagged

Monetization17pts
Urgency0pts
Retention0pts

Why this score

  • Loot Boxes+12

    Randomised paid containers — gambling-like mechanics, cosmetic outcomes.

    Why this counts

    Loot boxes have been regulated or banned in Belgium and the Netherlands as gambling products. Research has found correlations between loot box spending and problem gambling symptom severity (Zendle & Cairns, 2018).

    • Belgium & Netherlands gambling regulators — loot boxes classified as gambling (2018)
    • Zendle & Cairns, PLOS ONE — loot boxes linked to problem gambling (2018)
    • ESRB 'In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items)' interactive element (2020)
  • Paid DLC+5

    6 paid add-ons beyond the base game.

Points reflect severity, not just presence — cosmetic-only purchases score far lower than pay-for-power. Total: 17/100. This game was scored from its Steam store listing, so its mechanics are an estimate. How scoring works →

Joy Index

61/100

Good

Community score: 61/100
Joy is the share of players who recommend it on Steam, published as-is.

Verdict

Mindful

Enjoy mindfully

Some mild monetization exists, but the core game offers genuine value. Stay aware of spending triggers.

  • Set a monthly cosmetics budget
  • Ignore FOMO event pressure
  • Focus on what you genuinely enjoy

Where to buy

Compare elsewhere:GOGEpic

Price & availability

Best price now

$19.7967%

at Microsoft Store

Lowest ever

$14.99

at WinGameStore · 11/7/2019

Real recorded prices & subscription data via IsThereAnyDeal.

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Call of Duty®: Infinite Warfare: your questions, answered

Estimated from store data
Is Call of Duty®: Infinite Warfare pay to win?
No. Call of Duty®: Infinite Warfare's real-money purchases don't sell gameplay power — Sifter found no pay-to-win mechanics.
Does Call of Duty®: Infinite Warfare have loot boxes or gacha?
Yes. Call of Duty®: Infinite Warfare includes loot boxes — paid randomised rewards, which Sifter weighs heavily in the grade.
Does Call of Duty®: Infinite Warfare have microtransactions?
Yes. Call of Duty®: Infinite Warfare has in-game purchases. They buy cosmetic items only — no gameplay advantage.
How aggressively is Call of Duty®: Infinite Warfare monetised?
Sifter grades Call of Duty®: Infinite Warfare B — 17/100 on the Design Risk scale, where a higher number means more aggressive monetisation. 2 mechanics were flagged. The grade is computed from a public checklist, not opinion.
Does Call of Duty®: Infinite Warfare respect your time?
Call of Duty®: Infinite Warfare scores 100/100 on Sifter's Time Respect scale — no energy system, daily-login streaks, or limited-time events designed to pull you back.

Detected Design Patterns

Loot Boxes

Paid containers with randomised contents; item value varies by rarity.

No player confirmations yet

Learn about these patterns in the Pattern Registry →

Players report

Community-reported mechanics from players who own Call of Duty®: Infinite Warfare. Shown separately — this never changes Call of Duty®: Infinite Warfare’s Design Risk grade.

Own this game? Connect your Steam library to report a mechanic Sifter missed.

Time Respect

Estimated
100/100 · higher respects your time more

No time-coercive mechanics detected — this game lets you play on your own schedule.

Ownership

Steam account requiredEstimated

This game is yours to keep

  • Plays offline — no server dependency, so it can't be switched off remotely.
  • Sold through Steam; a Steam account is required to install it. Steam doesn't publish whether this title is otherwise DRM-free, so we can't confirm it runs standalone.

Whether you keep what you paid for is its own question, separate from the score. How Sifter measures games →

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Call of Duty®: Infinite Warfare — Sifter score

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