Modern Warfare 4 launches October 23, with campaign early access for digital pre-orders open now

Release date and platforms

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is due on Friday, October 23, 2026, according to Activision's announcement on callofduty.com, dated May 28. The game is aimed at Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, PC and Nintendo Switch 2, and is not coming to PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. ^[1]

Full launch is at midnight local time on the morning of October 23, Forbes and Pure Xbox both report. Infinity Ward leads development, with Beenox working on the PC version and Digital Legends on the Switch 2 version, and Activision publishes. ^{[1] [3] [4]}

Early access

Campaign early access went live October 16, Activision said in a post dated that day. It is open to anyone who digitally pre-orders or pre-purchases the game. The post says the campaign has sixteen missions set across the Korean Peninsula, Paris, New York and Mumbai, and that finishing it unlocks operators and other rewards for use in multiplayer and DMZ at full launch. ^[2]

DMZ early access begins October 20 for digital pre-orders, per Activision's October 15 post. That post notes that start dates differ by region and are subject to change. Physical copies do not include campaign early access, Forbes and Pure Xbox report. ^{[5] [3] [4]}

Activision has not published an exact unlock hour in the posts reviewed. Pure Xbox cites an official countdown suggesting 10am PDT, while Forbes said before the date that the hour had not been announced, so the time is not confirmed here. ^{[3] [4]}

Price and editions

Forbes lists the digital Standard Edition at $69.99 and the digital Vault Edition at $99.99, both with campaign early access, and the physical Standard Edition at $69.99. Pure Xbox gives the same digital prices and says a Standard digital copy can be upgraded to Vault for $30, while physical copies cannot. ^{[3] [4]}

Activision's own posts reviewed here point to pre-order details elsewhere and do not state prices, so the figures rest on the two outlets. ^{[1] [5]}

Game Pass and background

Activision's October 15 post says Modern Warfare 4 is a standalone release that will not come to Game Pass until Holiday 2027. Game Pass Ultimate subscribers keep access to Black Ops 7, Black Ops 6 and Modern Warfare III. ^[5]

The campaign follows a young South Korean squad during an invasion of the Korean Peninsula while John Price pursues the person behind it, according to Activision's announcement. Searches for the release date and early access are consistent with the October 16 campaign unlock, though no source here measures why interest rose. ^{[1] [2]}