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How to slide cancel in Modern Warfare 2

Every method you can use to slide cancel in Modern Warfare 2

A soldier in camouflage crouches in a field holding a rifle in Modern Warfare 2.

Want to know how to slide cancel in Modern Warfare 2? It was said when players first got their hands on Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 that slide cancelling was impossible in this latest entry in the Call Of Duty series. But as we now know, that's not actually true.

You can indeed slide cancel in Modern Warfare 2 - and in fact there are several ways to do so. It's not quite as powerful as it was in previous games because it requires more inputs and you can't slide cancel out of a Tactical Sprint, but it's certainly better than nothing.

We've listed all the major methods to slide cancel below, so you can choose the best one for your needs and get that split second advantage over your opponents in all your Modern Warfare 2 matches.

Unsure what gun to choose in Modern Warfare 2? Confused which weapons pair best with one another? Look no further. The answers to your questions (and more) lie within the video above.Watch on YouTube

How to slide cancel in Modern Warfare 2

  1. Begin a slide along the ground.
  2. Immediately aim down sights.
  3. Melee attack in front of you.
  4. Jump to cancel the slide.

There are a few different ways to slide cancel in Modern Warfare 2, but this is the simplest one. To slide cancel, simply perform the above actions in quick succession.

If you perform these actions in the correct sequence as quickly as possible, then you'll be able to use your weapon a fraction of a second sooner than if you completed the slide normally. That may not sound like much benefit, but in a game with such a low time-to-kill, that fraction of a second is very important.

It's also worth noting that you can only slide cancel out of a regular sprint, not a Tactical Sprint. If you attempt to slide cancel from a Tactical Sprint, you'll do a dive instead. This is true of any of the methods listed in this guide.

Three soldiers in Modern Warfare 2 carrying rifles wait by a wall outside.

Slide cancel - Alternative method #1

An alternative way to slide cancel consistently is to first go into your keybind/controller settings and change the Weapon Mount Activation setting to "ADS". Once you've done this, you can slide cancel at any time by performing the following actions: Slide, then ADS, then Jump.

This is the fastest possible method for slide cancelling in Modern Warfare 2, as it only requires two inputs after sliding. However, it comes with a big drawback - even when you're not trying to slide cancel, anytime you ADS near a mountable object you'll attach yourself to it. This is very disruptive and enough of a drawback to dissuade most players from using this method.


Slide cancel - Alternative method #2

A middle-ground between the first and second methods is to change your Weapon Mount Activation setting to "Double-Tap ADS" instead. With this setting, you can slide cancel by performing the following actions: Slide, then double-tap ADS, then Jump.

This method is easier for players who prefer to double-tap ADS rather than ADS and then melee. The downside is that involving weapon mount in any way leaves you open to being caught on any nearby mountable terrain while you're trying to slide. It shouldn't happen often (unlike the previous method), but it may still happen.


Slide cancel - Alternative method #3

A final method for slide cancelling in Modern Warfare 2 is similar to the first method because it doesn't involve Weapon Mounting at all.

Instead you start with your secondary weapon (i.e. your pistol) equipped, and then slide cancel by performing the following actions: Slide, then switch to your primary weapon, then ADS, then Jump.

This method doesn't seem to be as quick or simple as the other methods above so I wouldn't recommend using it, but it's useful to know that it does exist.

That's all the main methods you can use to slide cancel in Modern Warfare 2, so just pick your favourite one and get practicing! If you want to pair your newfound movement tech with the perfect weapon, then check out our Modern Warfare 2 best guns guide. You can also check out our Modern Warfare 2 M4 loadout guide for a strong early weapon, or our primer on how to level up fast in Modern Warfare 2 to help unlock everything from guns to Killstreaks before the beta ends.


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Ollie Toms avatar
Ollie Toms: Ollie is sheriff of Guidestown at RPS, and since joining the team in 2018, he's written over 1,000 guides for the site. He loves playing dangerously competitive games and factory sims, injuring himself playing badminton, and burying his face in the warm fur of his two cats.
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