'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II' Was Almost Banned Around the World, But Became a Modern Classic

Over the past few decades, Call of Duty has gradually become one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time. There have been over 20 games released in the main series, and it continues to be a staple of console gaming today.

However, one entry in the beloved shooter franchise wasn't an immediate success-and even faced an unfortunate ban in some parts of the world.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II Faced Huge Criticism for 'No Russian'

The fourth mission in 2009's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II was titled 'No Russian', and it became infamous over the years for its problematic storyline and excessive violence. In the mission, players are forced to participate in a mass shooting while playing as a CIA agent undercover with a Russian terrorist cell.

Though players are given the option not to shoot any civilians and skip the mission altogether if they want, they can also choose to join the terrorists and kill countless Russians at an airport in Moscow.

The mission sparked a global debate about the extent of violence that should be allowed in video games, with many players voicing their concern about Modern Warfare II's attempts to normalize these mass-casualty events.

Clips from the "No Russian" mission leaked prior to Modern Warfare II's release, forcing Activision to release a statement confirming that the mission was "not representative of the overall gameplay experience." Regardless, many journalists criticized the content, and Modern Warfare II became a huge talking point before the game was even released.

Despite arguments from Activision that "No Russian" is a piece of fiction in an adults-only game, many countries decided to censor the mission entirely in their international releases. In the Japanese and German versions, players would face a "Game Over" screen if they killed any civilians, encouraging them to take a more pacifist approach.

The level was banned in Russia and removed from all copies of the game. Activision confirmed this was because Russia didn't have a formal ratings system for video games, so it would have been dangerous to include the content in a game that anybody could purchase.

The mission remains a watershed moment for the video game industry, sparking an important debate about the extent to which video game designers are responsible for the content they create and the violence that it could theoretically breed. While the game was never formally banned, the decision to remove and censor this specific level was an important step forward in video game regulation.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 15, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published May 15, 2026 at 11:20 AM.