Modern Warfare 4 release date: Oct. 23, with campaign early access from Oct. 16

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 comes out on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026, worldwide, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC and Nintendo Switch 2. If you pre-order any digital edition, you can start the campaign a week early, on Friday, Oct. 16, and jump into DMZ on Tuesday, Oct. 20. The standard edition costs $69.99, and this year the game is not on Game Pass.

Modern Warfare 4 release date and early access

1. May 28, 2026Reveal trailer; first digital pre-orders open
2. Aug 26, 2026Pre-orders open on Nintendo Switch 2
3. Oct 16, 2026Campaign Early Access for digital pre-orders (PT)
4. Oct 20, 2026DMZ Early Access for digital pre-orders (PT)
5. Oct 23, 2026Worldwide launch on all platforms

Activision’s date is Oct. 23 for every platform. On Steam, the US store page lists Oct. 22 for the PC version. Early access is tied to digital pre-orders only: buying a disc at a store gets you the game on launch day, not a week early. Activision notes that early access start times can vary by time zone.

Price and editions

Every digital pre-order includes the two early access windows, the Hunter Killer Operator skin and a camo pack for Black Ops 7 and Warzone, and the Inner Circuit M4 blueprint at launch. The Vault Edition adds eight Operator skins, among them Price and Ghost, five signature weapon blueprints, one season of the BlackCell battle pass with 1,100 COD Points and 20 tier skips, and an extra Active Duty slot plus a gear kit in DMZ.

Is Modern Warfare 4 on Game Pass?

No. Microsoft’s own store listing says Modern Warfare 4 is “Not on Xbox Game Pass this year.” Game Pass still counts for the loyalty discount: active Ultimate, Premium and PC Game Pass members who played an eligible Call of Duty through the service get 10% off the Vault Edition when they pre-order on Xbox. Buying on Xbox also covers the PC version through Xbox Play Anywhere.

Modern Warfare 4 on Switch 2

Nintendo calls it the return of Call of Duty to its platform, and the Switch 2 version arrives the same day as everywhere else. Nintendo says the Switch 2 version has cross-play, cross-progression and optional Joy-Con 2 mouse controls. Online play requires a Nintendo Switch Online membership. There is no PS4 or Xbox One version: Activision lists only current consoles, PC and Switch 2.

Campaign, Multiplayer and DMZ

The campaign opens with North Korea’s full-scale invasion of South Korea. You fight as Private Park, a young South Korean soldier seeing combat for the first time, while Captain Price, now an outlaw, runs his own off-the-books war. Missions move from trenches in Korea to New York, Paris and SAS night raids in Mumbai.

Multiplayer brings back large maps with vehicles, and DMZ returns as the extraction mode: you loot, fight and get out with what you can carry. Split-screen multiplayer is available on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Two technical notes before launch day. Multiplayer, including private matches, and DMZ need a constant internet connection, because the game streams textures to save storage. On PC, Activision requires TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot, and on every platform a phone number linked to your account may be required.

Four weeks before GTA 6

Modern Warfare 4 lands 27 days before the year’s other giant, GTA 6, which launches Nov. 19 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Unlike GTA 6, Modern Warfare 4 is on PC and Switch 2 from day one.

This page is updated as soon as Campaign Early Access goes live on Oct. 16 and Activision publishes exact unlock times for launch day.