Ranks and Unlocks

0:30 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4's max Player Level is 55, "Commander", and every level from 1 to 55 unlocks at least one item: a weapon, a perk, a lethal or tactical, a Field Upgrade or a killstreak. Infinity Ward's progression blog (Oct 19, 2026) calls the track "Private I" at Level 1 to Commander at Level 55. Create-a-Class opens at Level 4; before that you pick from premade Default Loadouts. Once you reach 55 you can enter Prestige, and Prestige Master continues the count to Level 1,000. This page lists what each level unlocks, how the XP is earned across modes and what carries over.

Quick facts

How Player Level works

0:51 The Player Level is shared across modes. Infinity Ward's progression blog (Oct 19, 2026) says XP from Multiplayer and DMZ counts toward Levels 1 to 55 at launch, and Warzone XP joins it from Season 1 on Nov 6, 2026. DMZ also has its own 70-level track: DMZ XP counts toward both, but Multiplayer and Warzone XP do not count toward the DMZ level. Weapon levels, attachments and camos earned in DMZ early access (from Oct 20) carried into Multiplayer at launch on Oct 23, as the same post states.

Every level from 1 to 55 has one or more unlocks, so the order below is the order in which your Create-a-Class options grow. A Weapon Blueprint bought in the Store or earned in a Battle Pass makes its base weapon permanently available even before you reach that weapon's level, which matters if you choose Classic Prestige later.

Two premade Default Loadouts unlock before Create-a-Class: Demolition at Level 2 (heavy damage, holding lanes and protecting the team from killstreaks) and Sniper at Level 3, per the same blog. The first Create-a-Class items, at Level 4, include the Han 86, ISO Nightshade, Rezi 12, FiNN LMG, MAR-9, KG-7 Vulcan, Sang 9mm, PILA and FSS Carbon Edge 1095, the perks Quick Fix, Overkill, Hardline, Blood Rush, Lethal Reach and Combat Grid, and the UAV, Artillery Beacon and Attack Helicopter killstreaks, as the Oct 19 Create-a-Class blog lists them.

Unlocks by level

Sources: Call of Duty, progression and Prestige blog (Oct 19, 2026); Call of Duty, Create-a-Class blog (Oct 19, 2026).

The progression table prints Warlord and Tracker under a second Level 31; the weapon and perk lists in the Create-a-Class blog put both at Level 32, which this table follows. The same blog's "Available Criteria" lines give other levels for a few weapons (the VEL 46 at 13, for example); Vi.ki follows the level tables, which the blog's progression appendix repeats. Full weapon stats are on Weapons, perks on Perks, equipment on Equipment and Field Upgrades and streak costs on Killstreaks.

Key unlocks to aim for

The early levels hand out most of what outlets call the launch meta. The ISO Nightshade and Han 86 are there from Level 4 and the VEL 46 arrives at Level 5; Dexerto's tier list (Oct 23, 2026) puts all three, with the M4 (Level 14), Kastov 762 (Level 34) and Mosin-Nagant (Level 36), in S tier. Among perks, Dexerto's perk tier list (Oct 24, 2026) rates Bomb Squad (Level 16), Ghost (Level 24) and Ninja (Level 30) highest. The Best Weapons and Best Loadouts pages carry the builds.

The last stretch is mostly heavy killstreaks and specialist weapons: the Gunship at 51, the Axion assault rifle at 52, and the Cronen Squall with the Air Lockdown streak at 55. If you plan to Prestige the Classic way, these are the items you lose first, which is why the blog suggests spending a Permanent Unlock Token on a perk, Field Upgrade, killstreak or piece of equipment rather than a weapon (see Prestige).

After Level 55

1:53 Reaching Level 55 lets you enter Prestige 1. Modern Warfare 4 has 10 Prestige levels and 1,000 Prestige Master levels, and for the first time in the series you pick one of two paths each time: Classic Prestige, which resets level unlocks and Create-a-Class for a 20% XP boost, a Permanent Unlock Token and extra cosmetics, or Regular Prestige, which restarts the level at 1 but keeps every unlock. Prestige Master begins at Level 56 after Prestige 10. The rewards and the choice are explained on Prestige, and ways to climb faster on How to Level Up Fast.

Frequently asked questions

What is the max level in Modern Warfare 4? The max Player Level in Modern Warfare 4 is 55 (Commander). After that come 10 Prestige levels and Prestige Master, which runs to Level 1,000.

When does Create-a-Class unlock in MW4? Create-a-Class unlocks at Player Level 4 in Modern Warfare 4. Before that you choose from premade Default Loadouts, with Demolition at Level 2 and Sniper at Level 3.

What level does the M4 unlock in MW4? The M4 unlocks at Player Level 14 in Modern Warfare 4. The VEL 46 comes at Level 5 and the Kastov 762 at Level 34.

Does DMZ XP count toward my Modern Warfare 4 level? Yes. DMZ XP counts toward the Level 1 to 55 Player Level in Modern Warfare 4, and DMZ also has its own 70-level track that Multiplayer XP does not fill.

Does Warzone XP level up MW4? From Season 1 on Nov 6, 2026, Warzone XP counts toward the Modern Warfare 4 Player Level. At launch only Multiplayer and DMZ do.

Did my beta level carry over to Modern Warfare 4? No. Beta ranks and unlocks did not carry over to Modern Warfare 4; only the cosmetic beta rewards did.

Sources

• Ready for Launch: Modern Warfare 4 Progression and Prestige, Call of Duty, Oct 19, 2026
• Ready for Launch: All Modern Warfare 4 Operators, Weapons, Equipment, and Multiplayer Create-a-Class Features, Call of Duty, Oct 19, 2026
• Call of Duty: NEXT and Modern Warfare 4 Beta: Early Intel, PC Specs, Pre-loading, and More, Call of Duty, Aug 19, 2026
• Best guns in Modern Warfare 4: Meta weapon tier list, Dexerto, Oct 23, 2026
• Best Perks in Modern Warfare 4: Tier list, Dexerto, Oct 24, 2026
• How the New Prestige & Mastery Camos Work in MW4!, TheXclusiveAce, Oct 19, 2026 (video)