Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 Release Schedule: Early Access and Full Release Date Countdown

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4’s launch rollout will differ significantly from previous Call of Duty games, as Activision is offering early access to both the campaign and the new DMZ mode. Although Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 releases globally on October 23, 2026, you can start playing the campaign and the DMZ extraction mode around a week before.

So, here’s the complete Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 release schedule, covering early access and the full launch, with countdown timers for each.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 Early Access Times

Activision has confirmed that players who pre-order Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 digitally before its October release will get early access to the campaign on October 16, 2026, at 10 AM PT/1 PM ET and DMZ on October 20 at 10 AM PT/1 PM ET.

This applies to both the digital Standard and the Vault Edition, excluding the physical. So, here are the release times you should follow for Modern Warfare 4’s simultaneous early access global release for campaign and DMZ on all platforms:

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 Campaign Early Access Countdown Timer

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4’s campaign early access begins on October 16, and this countdown timer shows exactly how long you have to wait until you can jump in. It automatically adjusts to your local time, so there’s no need to convert release times manually:

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 DMZ Early Access Countdown Timer

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4’s DMZ early access starts four days after the campaign early access on October 20. With this countdown timer, you can check the time left until the highly anticipated mode unlocks on your platform:

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Full Release Times

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4’s release schedule concludes with the full release on October 23, 2026, which includes access to the campaign, DMZ mode, and multiplayer. Unlike campaign and DMZ early access, Activision has confirmed that the full release will follow a midnight local schedule on PC.

While the studio hasn’t confirmed the console launch times, the game should launch at midnight local time on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2. We’ll update this table with more info if Activision states otherwise. So, here are the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 release times across major regions:

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 Release Countdown Timer

Following a midnight local time release is much harder than a simultaneous worldwide unlock, so this Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 countdown timer should let you keep tabs on when the game unlocks in your region:

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 Preload Size

Fair warning: you’ll need plenty of storage space to download Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4. Activision has revealed the Modern Warfare 4 download size, and it exceeds 100 GB without Warzone. Preloads are already available on all platforms, and here’s how much storage space you need:

• PS5: approx. 120 GB
• PC: 115 GB available space
• Xbox Series X|S: approx. 120 GB
• Nintendo Switch 2: approx. 85 GB

Downloading COD HQ with MW 4 is mandatory, but you can choose whether to install Warzone alongside it. However, you can only launch the new Warzone when Season 1 releases on November 6, 2026. So, selecting Warzone will install the current version of it.

Modern Warfare 4 Campaign Overview

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4’s Campaign early access begins a week before full release on October 16, giving you ample time to complete it. The campaign takes the series into a new fictional conflict on the Korean Peninsula, with North Korea invading the South. Meanwhile, John Price is on the run after being outlawed for assassinating General Shepherd.

As a rogue agent, Price teams up with the Las Almas cartel, as seen in Modern Warfare 4’s “Traffic” teaser, and hunts down a world-ending weapon while his trusted allies track him down. As a sequel to Modern Warfare 3, the upcoming shooter shares two perspectives: rookie South Korean soldier Private Park Hyun Jun and the outlawed Captain John Price.

The campaign spans various global locations, including New York, Paris, and Mumbai. While familiar faces like Ghost, Gaz, and Makarov return, the biggest surprise of the campaign is its mysterious “The Archer” antagonist, played by Mads Mikkelsen in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4.

So, with Modern Warfare 4’s release schedule, you can probably beat the main campaign before the game fully releases. However, it depends on how long the campaign actually is.

Modern Warfare 4 DMZ Overview

Starting October 20, you can access Modern Warfare 4’s DMZ mode if you’ve pre-ordered the game. According to Activision’s DMZ deep dive, Players deploy solo or in squads, explore abandoned settlements and military installations, gather valuable loot, complete objectives, and fight AI enemies and rival Operators.

The mode also includes the brand-new Hajin map in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4. This map offers a wide range of locations to explore, including Chang-san Air Base, 14th Political Prison, rural farmland, urban districts, industrial facilities, and the Haneul Nuclear Reactor. Each area has its own “Threats”, so players can either avoid combat to gain more loot or go guns blazing.

Story Missions advance narrative objectives, while Dynamic Operations offer rewards such as DMZ Cash, XP, and increasingly valuable Supply Drops. At the same time, Side Operations let players uncover new intel and hunt high-value Lieutenants and Commanders.

Players will have a Forward Operating Base (FOB) to manage their Operators, resources, loadouts, and prepare for the next run. So, DMZ is already shaping up to be an exciting Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 game mode that you can access early thanks to the release schedule.

Modern Warfare 4 Multiplayer Overview

Infinity Ward and Activision will officially launch Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 on October 23, thus ending the launch rollout. The full release includes the campaign, the DMZ, and the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 multiplayer.

At launch, Modern Warfare 4’s multiplayer will include five categories and 17 modes. Of course, the developers will add more modes for the game’s post-launch support, but for now, here’s what they confirmed:

• Respawn
  • Team Deathmatch
  • Domination
  • Hardpoint
  • Kill Confirmed
  • Free for All
  • Counter Attack
  • Inflation
  • Hijack
  • Frontline
• Round-Based
  • Search and Destroy
  • Gunfight
  • Gunfight 10v10
  • Arms Deal
• Big War
  • Combat Outpost
  • Frontal Assault
• Party
  • Gun Game
  • Drop Zone
• Training
  • Mobility Course

If you’re on PC, you should definitely check out our Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 system requirements guide to see whether your PC is ready for the next chapter in the Modern Warfare series.

That said, have you pre-ordered Call of Duty: Modern Warfare yet for early access to the campaign and DMZ? Or are you waiting for the full release? Tell us in the comments section below.