Modern Warfare 4 launch guide: release date, early access and your first DMZ session

The dates that matter

Modern Warfare 4 launches on 23 October 2026. Digital pre-orders open the door earlier, and the schedule in launch coverage is: PC preload from 15 October. Campaign early access from 16 October. DMZ early access from 20 October, three days before launch. Full launch, multiplayer included, on 23 October. As of 17 October the campaign window is already open. If you pre-ordered, DMZ is the next unlock, and that is the date our team has circled. Start times are reported as 10:00 Pacific on the early access days. Check your store page, because times can differ by platform and region.

FOB and progression →

Platforms and where to buy

Modern Warfare 4 is built for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2. It skips PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. On PC it is sold through Steam, the Microsoft Store and Battle.net. Infinity Ward leads development, with Beenox on the PC version and Digital Legends on the native Switch 2 version. Launch coverage also reports that the game is not on Xbox Game Pass at launch, and that Xbox Play Anywhere covers Xbox Series and Windows with one purchase. Treat both as reported until you see them on your own store page.

Editions and early access

Two digital editions are reported: Standard at 69.99 US dollars and Vault at 99.99 US dollars. Launch coverage says both include early access to the campaign and DMZ, so you do not need the Vault Edition to get into DMZ early. Reported pre-order extras include an operator skin, a camo pack and a weapon blueprint. The Vault Edition adds operator packs, signature weapons, a battle pass season and DMZ extras such as a third starting operator slot and a one-time survival kit. These prices and contents come from launch coverage, not from a price list our team has checked against a store, so confirm them before you buy. Owners of earlier Call of Duty titles are reported to get 10 percent off the Vault Edition until launch.

What is in at launch

The campaign follows Task Force 141, as the official Campaign Trailer above shows. Multiplayer is reported to ship with 12 core 6v6 maps, and Kill Block is a new battleground in the Westbridge Training Facility with 3v3 and 10v10 modes. DMZ is the extraction mode: you deploy solo or in a squad, loot, fight and extract. Infinity Ward describes every deployment as having changing weather, dynamic military objectives and moving hostile forces. DMZ is reported to run on its own level track, 1 to 70, separate from multiplayer. The map is Hajin, and the infil screen offers Story Missions, Dynamic Ops and Free Roam. Lobbies hold up to 60 players, 20 squads of three.

Casual mode, PvE and bounties → Dev Q&A: 17 confirmed details →

Your first DMZ session: a plan

This is the plan our team is using for our first deployment, built from what the other guides on this site cover. Before you deploy. Preload, check your storage, and set your keybinds and HUD scale. At the FOB, pick an operator and a loadout, and decide what you can afford to lose. Pick one goal. Choose Story Missions for a first run. Objectives are directed, and you are less likely to meet gunfights than in Free Roam. Learn the map by landmarks. Open the tac map before you move, note where extraction is, and plan a route. The Hajin guide lists the locations. Extract early. A short run you survive beats a long run you lose. Your first aim is to bank progress back at the FOB. Expect busy lobbies. Early access lobbies lean toward the most committed players, so treat the first days as scouting.

Infil planning → Hajin map → Interactive Hajin map →

Preload and install notes

Reported install sizes are about 150 to 160 GB on PS5 including 45 to 50 GB of Warzone, about 194 GB on Xbox Series including 60 GB of Warzone, and about 77 to 85 GB on Switch 2 with Warzone optional. We have not confirmed a PC figure. Sizes change with patches, so check your platform's store page for the number that applies to you, and start the preload as soon as your platform allows it.

Where Wing Mait fits

Wing Mait reads the picture you see and speaks short callouts. Today it does that for WARDOGS: it reads the minimap and tells you what it sees, so you hear a spotted enemy and where it is before you walk into them. DMZ support is in development. The DMZ HUD prints a lot of what a new player needs as plain text and clear icons, such as the location name and threat level under the compass and the tac map markers. Those are exactly what our team is studying for the DMZ pack, and early access is when we start reading them for real. Wing Mait does not read game memory, inject anything or send inputs.

Callouts and team GPS → HUD explained →