Digital Standard Edition
- Full game
- Open beta early access
- Hunter Killer Operator skin
- Gilded Pearl weapon camo pack (pre-order)
Steam A new Modern Warfare, and the settings that survive it.
Modern Warfare 4 launches on 23 October 2026 across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC and, for the first time, Nintendo Switch 2. Digital pre-orders get the campaign a week early. This hub tracks the countdown, editions, what the open beta confirmed and the settings you can prepare now.
Countdown in your time zoneMW4 launches in
34days to go
34days
00hours
00minutes
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first regionlast region
Midnight arrives region by region, over roughly a day.
Launch moment: midnight local time on Friday, October 23, 2026. Activision has not published unlock times yet; recent Call of Duty launches unlocked around midnight local time on consoles and at a fixed Pacific time on PC. The countdown assumes midnight in your time zone and will be corrected when the launch schedule is posted.
Unlock time
When MW4 unlocks where you are
| Where | Unlocks at | After the first zone |
|---|---|---|
| New ZealandPacific/Auckland | 00:00 local | first |
| Australia (east)Australia/Sydney | 00:00 local | 2 h later |
| Japan & KoreaAsia/Tokyo | 00:00 local | 4 h later |
| PhilippinesAsia/Manila | 00:00 local | 5 h later |
| IndiaAsia/Kolkata | 00:00 local | 7 h 30 m later |
| MoscowEurope/Moscow | 00:00 local | 10 h later |
| Central EuropeEurope/Berlin | 00:00 local | 11 h later |
| UKEurope/London | 00:00 local | 12 h later |
| BrazilAmerica/Sao Paulo | 00:00 local | 16 h later |
| US EasternAmerica/New York | 00:00 local | 17 h later |
| US PacificAmerica/Los Angeles | 00:00 local | 20 h later |
This one unlocks at midnight local time, so the date is Friday, 23 October 2026 wherever you are but the moment is not. That is also the one case where changing your console or store region does something: a zone that has already passed midnight is already playing.
Key facts
What is confirmed about MW4
PlatformsPlayStation 5 · Xbox Series X|S · PC (Battle.net, Steam, Xbox on PC) · Nintendo Switch 2
Release23 October 2026
Campaign early access16 October 2026 (digital pre-orders)
PlatformsPS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch 2
No PS4 or Xbox One. Switch 2 version by Digital Legends with optional Joy-Con 2 mouse controls.
ModesCampaign, 6v6 multiplayer (12 core maps), Gunfight, Big War, DMZ extraction
Open beta21 August to 1 September 2026
Early access 21–27 August for pre-orders, open 28 August to 1 September.
Game PassAt least a year after launch
Cross-play and cross-progressionAll platforms, Switch 2 included
Timeline
Dates that matter
- Announcement
- Beta early access (pre-orders)
- Open beta
- Beta ends
- Campaign early access (digital pre-orders)In 27 days
- LaunchIn 34 days
Editions
Which edition unlocks what
Prices are US list prices where the publisher has stated them; regional pricing differs.
Vault Edition (digital)
Standard plus $30 upgrade- Hostile Alliance Operator pack (4 skins)
- Special Forces Operator pack (4 operators)
- Signature Weapon collection (5 blueprints)
- One season of BlackCell
- DMZ deployment bonus
- 10% loyalty discount for owners of recent Call of Duty titles
Physical Edition
- Full game on PS5 and Xbox Series X disc
- Open beta early access
Confirmed
- 12 core 6v6 maps at launch, a Gunfight map pool and Big War large-scale maps.
- Kill Block: a map with more than 500 dynamic configurations.
- Hip-fire bloom removed; movement adds ledge hanging and shimmying.
- DMZ returns as a 20-squad extraction mode with up to three players per squad, a Forward Operating Base hub and operator trait trees.
- Beta included a campaign mission and a new Warzone Resurgence map.
- Shared Call of Duty control layout with Default and Tactical presets; slide and dive are separate binds.
Not confirmed yet
- Exact unlock times per region, and whether PC opens on a fixed Pacific schedule while consoles unlock at local midnight — recent Call of Duty launches have split that way.
- Preload date and install size. Activision has not announced either; the last two launches opened preload a few days ahead, and the shared Call of Duty HQ install with Warzone has run to well over 100 GB, so free the space early rather than on launch night.
- Retail default deadzone values (the beta defaults may change).
- Ranked play launch timing.
Get ready
Launch checklist
Everything here runs in the browser and takes minutes, so the first hour with the game is spent playing.
Quick answers
When does Modern Warfare 4 come out?
23 October 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC and Nintendo Switch 2. Anyone who pre-orders a digital edition can play the campaign from 16 October.
Is Modern Warfare 4 on Switch 2?
Yes, for the first time in the series. The Switch 2 version is developed by Digital Legends, supports cross-play and cross-progression with every other platform, and offers optional Joy-Con 2 mouse controls.
What is in the Vault Edition?
Two operator packs (Hostile Alliance and Special Forces), five signature weapon blueprints, one season of the BlackCell pass and a DMZ deployment bonus. It is a $30 upgrade on the digital Standard Edition, with a 10% loyalty discount for owners of recent Call of Duty games.
Will Modern Warfare 4 be on Game Pass at launch?
No. Activision has said MW4 arrives on Game Pass at least a year after release, unlike Black Ops 6 and 7.
What changed in the gunplay?
Hip-fire bloom is gone, so the reticle shows the real spread; movement adds hanging and shimmying on ledges, and slide and dive are separate inputs. The controls page lists the beta layout and settings.
When can I preload Modern Warfare 4?
Activision has not announced a preload date, and anyone stating one now is extrapolating from previous years rather than quoting a schedule. What is worth acting on is the size: Call of Duty installs through a shared Call of Duty HQ launcher alongside Warzone, and the last two launches ran well past 100 GB. Clear the space in advance — a download that starts on launch night after a disk cleanup is the slowest way to play.
