Skip to main content

How to unlock the 556 Icarus in Modern Warfare 2

Learn how to get the 556 Icarus LMG in Modern Warfare 2

Want to learn how to unlock the 556 Icarus in Modern Warfare 2? The 556 Icarus is a solid LMG that will surely find a place in your Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 loadout of choice. However, it's one of the guns unlocked via MW2's new weapon platform system, which can make the process of obtaining it a little obscure.

If you're having trouble figuring out the steps involved in unlocking the 556 Icarus, read on below, where we'll explain the process of working through the relevant weapon platform in full.

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 unlock the 556 Icarus in Modern Warfare 2

The 556 Icarus is part of the M4 weapon platform in Modern Warfare 2. The M4 is one of the game's starting weapons. As with every weapon in MW2, the more you use it in multiplayer, the higher your proficiency with that particular weapon gets. Higher proficiency means incremental increases in weapon levels, and higher weapon levels occasionally unlock new and better guns.

In order to unlock the 556 Icarus, you need to level the M4 up to Level 15. Note that while the 556 Icarus is an LMG, the M4 is an assault rifle, so you'll somewhat counterintuitively need to focus on a different type of gun in order to unlock this one.

Alternatively, if you own the Modern Warfare 2 Vault Edition, you'll have access to the 556 Icarus as soon as you begin the game. This is because the Vault Edition comes with the entire M4 weapon tree already unlocked.

Once you've unlocked this gun, be sure to check out our guide to the best 556 Icarus loadout for help putting together the ideal set-up.


Now that you know how to unlock the 556 Icarus, you might be interested in unlocking the M16, which sits further up the M4 weapon platform and has proficiency with the Icarus as an unlock requirement. You might also want to take a look at our MW2 best guns list, as well as our guides to the best perks in MW2 and best killstreaks in MW2 to complete your loadout.


Activision Blizzard are currently the subject of a number of legal actions, labour disputes and allegations of workplace harassment. Rock Paper Shotgun will continue to write about these issues, as well as covering Activision Blizzard games as part of our commitment to cover subjects of interest to our readers. The latest news can always be found under our Activision Blizzard tag.

Read this next