Modern Warfare 4 release time: early access, preload, launch
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 launches on Friday, October 23, 2026, and Activision says the full game "releases on October 23 at midnight local time" (Call of Duty blog, September 29). Before that, digital pre-orders get the campaign a week early, from Friday, October 16, and PC players can preload from Thursday, October 15 at 9 am PT. Here are the dates, what each one means in your time zone, the editions and prices, and what is confirmed about Game Pass.
Key dates
| When | What | Who |
|---|---|---|
| Thu, Oct 15, 9:00 am PT (16:00 UTC) | PC preload opens | Digital pre-purchases on Battle.net, Steam and Xbox on PC |
| Fri, Oct 16 (Pacific time) | Campaign early access | Every digital pre-order, on all platforms |
| Fri, Oct 23, midnight local time | Full launch: campaign, multiplayer and DMZ | Everyone |
The PC preload time is from the official PC blog. The early-access date comes from Activision's editions page, which says "starting Friday, October 16 (PT)" without giving an hour; we will add it when Activision does. As of October 9, the official blog has not posted a console preload date.
What "midnight local time" means
It means the game unlocks at 12:00 am on Friday, October 23 wherever you are: Sydney first, then Tokyo, Riyadh, Paris, London, New York and finally Los Angeles, each at its own midnight. If you are in New York, that is Thursday evening 11:00 pm Central, and so on. Activision's PC blog uses the same wording for PC; if the PC unlock turns out to be a single worldwide time instead, we will update this page.
The PC preload at 9:00 am PT on October 15 is 12:00 pm in New York, 5:00 pm in London, 6:00 pm in Paris, 7:00 pm in Riyadh, 8:00 pm in Dubai, 9:30 pm in New Delhi and 3:00 am on Friday in Sydney.
Platforms
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC (Battle.net, Steam and Xbox on PC, as an Xbox Play Anywhere title) and Nintendo Switch 2 (Xbox Wire). No PlayStation 4 or Xbox One version is listed. Switch 2 pre-orders opened on August 26 on the Nintendo eShop and at retail (Call of Duty blog).
Editions and prices
- Standard Edition: $69.99 in the US. Digital pre-orders get campaign early access, the Inner Circuit weapon blueprint at launch, and the Hunter Killer operator skin and Gilded Pearl camo pack for use now in current Call of Duty titles (Xbox Wire).
- Vault Edition: $99.99. Adds the Hostile Alliance operator pack (Price, Valeria, Ghost and Blix), the Special Forces operator pack, the Signature Weapon Collection and one season of BlackCell. Players who own and have played a Call of Duty title released in 2019 or later on the same platform account get 10 percent off the Vault Edition at participating digital stores (Activision).
Prices in other countries are set by each platform store. The 10 percent loyalty discount also applies to active Game Pass subscribers who played a qualifying Call of Duty game through Game Pass.
Is Modern Warfare 4 on Game Pass?
Not at launch. Unlike Black Ops 6 and Black Ops 7, Modern Warfare 4 is not a day-one Game Pass title, and Windows Central reports it is not expected on Game Pass until October 2027 at the earliest (Windows Central). The only way to play the campaign early is a digital pre-order.
What is in the game
- Campaign: developed by Infinity Ward, it continues Captain Price's story in a conflict on the Korean Peninsula. You play Private Park, a young South Korean soldier in his first combat, after North Korea launches a full-scale invasion (Xbox Wire).
- Multiplayer: the open beta ran in August. Activision highlights a new mode called Collateral, described as high-stakes, single-life play, with more detail promised closer to launch.
- DMZ: the extraction mode returns, set in the Hajin Exclusion Zone (Call of Duty blog).
PC requirements
From the official PC blog. All tiers need 115 GB on an SSD, a broadband connection, DirectX 12, and TPM 2.0 with Secure Boot turned on.
| Minimum | Recommended (90 fps, High) | |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 64-bit | Windows 11 64-bit |
| CPU | Ryzen 5 1400 or Core i5-6600 | Ryzen 5 3600 or Core i7-8700K |
| RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB |
| GPU | GTX 970 or 1060, RX 470, Arc A580 (3 GB) | RTX 3060 Ti, RX 6600 XT, Arc B580 (8 GB) |
Activision's "ultra" tier for high-quality ray tracing at upscaled 4K lists a Ryzen 7 3700X or Core i7-10700K, 32 GB of RAM and an RTX 5070 Ti or RX 9070 XT. Intel Arc cards need Resizable BAR, and only Intel and AMD processors with AVX are supported. If your Windows 10 PC is not eligible for Windows 11, see what the end of Windows 10 support means.
Quick answers
- What time does Modern Warfare 4 come out? Midnight local time on Friday, October 23, 2026, according to Activision's PC blog.
- When is the campaign early access? Friday, October 16 (Pacific time), for anyone who pre-ordered a digital edition on any platform.
- When can I preload? PC: Thursday, October 15 at 9 am PT. Consoles: not announced as of October 9.
- Is it on Game Pass? Not at launch.
- How much is it? $69.99 standard, $99.99 Vault Edition in the US, with 10 percent off the Vault Edition for returning players.
Sources
- Call of Duty blog: PC trailer, tech updates and more (September 29), Campaign early access confirmed (June 12) and Latest official intel (updated October 5)
- Activision Support: Modern Warfare 4 editions
- Xbox Wire: First details on the campaign (May 28)
- Windows Central: When is the campaign early access
