Release Date and Launch Times

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 released worldwide on Oct 23, 2026, unlocking at midnight local time on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC and Nintendo Switch 2. Digital pre-orders could play the campaign from Oct 16 and DMZ from Oct 20, and Season 1 starts on Nov 6, 2026.

0:44 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 released worldwide on Friday, Oct 23, 2026, unlocking at midnight local time on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC (Steam, Battle.net and Xbox on PC) and Nintendo Switch 2. Activision had announced the date with the game on May 28, 2026 and marked the launch with its "now live worldwide" post on Oct 23. Players who digitally pre-ordered got in earlier: the whole campaign from Oct 16, and DMZ from Oct 20. Multiplayer had no early access and opened at launch. Season 1 begins on Nov 6, 2026. The clip is the end of the Vault Edition trailer, whose title card gives the date: October 23.

Quick facts

Buy	Steam, PlayStation Store, Xbox, Battle.net, Nintendo eShop
Release date	Friday, Oct 23, 2026, worldwide, every platform
Unlock time	Midnight local time in each region
Announced	May 28, 2026, 8:00 AM PT
Console pre-install	From Oct 14, 2026, 9 PM PT
PC pre-load	From Oct 15, 2026, 9 AM PT
Campaign Early Access	Oct 16, 2026 (10 AM PDT per PC Guide)
DMZ Early Access	Oct 20, 2026 (10 AM PT per Insider Gaming)
Multiplayer	Oct 23, 2026; no early access
Shipment	Oct 27, 2026
Season 1	Nov 6, 2026

Sources: Call of Duty (Sep 29, 2026), Infinity Ward's launch patch notes (Oct 21, 2026), PC Guide (Oct 16, 2026), Insider Gaming (Oct 19, 2026), Insider Gaming (Oct 22, 2026).

Launch time: midnight local

Activision's PC post set the full launch for Oct 23 at midnight local time, so the game unlocked as each time zone reached Oct 23, starting with New Zealand and the Pacific and ending in the Americas. Insider Gaming reported on Oct 21, 2026 that the midnight-local launch applied to every region "for the first time ever", Multiplayer included. Game Rant wrote midnight Eastern for North America; Activision's own wording is midnight local.

Where	Modern Warfare 4 unlocked
New Zealand	Oct 23, 12:00 AM NZDT
Japan and South Korea	Oct 23, 12:00 AM JST/KST
UK	Oct 23, 12:00 AM BST
Central Europe	Oct 23, 12:00 AM CEST
US East	Oct 23, 12:00 AM ET
US West	Oct 23, 12:00 AM PT

Source: Call of Duty (Sep 29, 2026): midnight local time, applied here to each zone.

Why Steam says Oct 22

Steam's store page lists the release date as Oct 22, 2026, and OpenCritic does too. That is not a different launch: Steam dates releases in US time, and the first regions reached midnight on Oct 23 while it was still Oct 22 in the United States. The game was not playable anywhere before Oct 23 local time except through early access. On Steam, Modern Warfare 4 runs inside the shared "Call of Duty" app (app 1938090) with Warzone and Black Ops 7, which is why its own store app shows almost no players; see Steam Player Count.

Pre-loading

Console pre-installation began rolling out on Oct 14, 2026 at 9 PM PT, as Activision's @CODUpdates account announced the day before, and PC pre-loading opened on Oct 15 at 9 AM PT. Modern Warfare 4 installs as part of the connected Call of Duty install alongside Warzone, so you can choose which content packs to download. On PS5, automatic downloads could start the pre-install without letting you pick packs, and Activision advised turning automatic downloads off first (launch notes). Choosing Warzone during the pre-install installs today's Warzone; the Modern Warfare 4 version of Warzone arrives with Season 1. On PC Activision recommends installing the Xbox PC app whatever store you bought from, so precompiled shaders arrive at install. Download sizes are on PC Requirements and Install Size.

Early access dates and times

Campaign Early Access opened on Friday, Oct 16, 2026 for everyone who digitally pre-ordered or pre-purchased the Standard Edition or Vault Edition on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, PS5, Battle.net, Steam or Switch 2, and gave the whole sixteen-mission campaign a week before launch. PC Guide gave the start as 10 AM PDT, one moment worldwide; Activision's own posts we read give the date only.

DMZ Early Access followed on Tuesday, Oct 20, 2026 for the same pre-orders. Insider Gaming and Game Rant gave the time as 10 AM PT, 1 PM ET, 6 PM BST and 5 PM UTC, simultaneous worldwide, which was the early hours of Oct 21 in East Asia and Australia. Physical copies got neither early access. How to start each is on Early Access.

Date	What opened	For whom
Oct 16, 2026	Campaign, all 16 missions	Digital pre-orders (Standard or Vault)
Oct 20, 2026	DMZ	Digital pre-orders (Standard or Vault)
Oct 23, 2026	Full game, Multiplayer included	Everyone who owns it

Sources: Call of Duty (Oct 16, 2026), Call of Duty (Oct 9, 2026), Insider Gaming (Oct 21, 2026).

After launch: Shipment, Halloween and Season 1

Infinity Ward posted its launch roadmap on X on Oct 14, 2026. Shipment arrives on Tuesday, Oct 27, 2026, as a 13th Core 6v6 map. The new Possession mode and the returning Infected arrive "just in time for Halloween", and the launch notes said "next week"; Game Rant read the roadmap as Oct 29 for Possession and Oct 30 for Infected.

Season 1 begins on Friday, Nov 6, 2026 for Modern Warfare 4 and Warzone on every platform, two weeks after launch. Activision has announced no hour as of Oct 25, 2026; Insider Gaming estimates 9 AM PT from past seasons, which is a guess, not an announcement. Season 1 brings the first Battle Pass and BlackCell and starts the Warzone integration. See Season 1 and Roadmap.

Key dates

Date	Event
May 28, 2026	Announcement, reveal trailer, pre-orders open
Aug 21 to 25, 2026	Early Access Beta, Weekend One
Aug 26, 2026	Switch 2 pre-orders open
Aug 28 to Sep 1, 2026	Open Beta, Weekend Two, Switch 2 included
Oct 14, 2026	Console pre-install; roadmap posted
Oct 15, 2026	PC pre-load
Oct 16, 2026	Campaign Early Access
Oct 20, 2026	DMZ Early Access
Oct 21, 2026	Launch patch notes published
Oct 23, 2026	Worldwide launch
Oct 27, 2026	Shipment
Nov 6, 2026	Season 1
Holiday 2027	Earliest Game Pass date
Oct 23, 2027	Last day to redeem the Hunter Killer Operator Skin in Black Ops 7 or Warzone

Sources: Call of Duty (May 28, 2026), Call of Duty (Aug 20, 2026), Call of Duty (Aug 26, 2026), Call of Duty (Oct 15, 2026), Insider Gaming (Oct 22, 2026).

The beta is covered on Open Beta, and the road from reveal to launch on Development and Reveal.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Modern Warfare 4 release date? Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 released on Friday, Oct 23, 2026, worldwide on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC and Nintendo Switch 2.

What time did Modern Warfare 4 unlock? Modern Warfare 4 unlocked at midnight local time on Oct 23, 2026 in every region, per Activision, so New Zealand played first and the US West Coast last.

Why does Steam say Modern Warfare 4 came out on Oct 22? Steam dates releases in US time, and the first regions reached midnight on Oct 23 while it was still Oct 22 in the US. MW4's launch date is Oct 23, 2026.

When did MW4 early access start? MW4 Campaign Early Access started on Oct 16, 2026 and DMZ Early Access on Oct 20, 2026, both for digital pre-orders of the Standard or Vault Edition. Multiplayer had no early access.

When could I pre-load Modern Warfare 4? Console pre-installation for Modern Warfare 4 began on Oct 14, 2026 at 9 PM PT, and PC pre-loading on Oct 15 at 9 AM PT.

When is Modern Warfare 4 Season 1? Modern Warfare 4 Season 1 starts on Nov 6, 2026, per Infinity Ward's roadmap. No start hour had been announced as of Oct 25, 2026.

Is Modern Warfare 4 on Game Pass? No. Modern Warfare 4 launched as a standalone purchase and will not join Game Pass until Holiday 2027 at the earliest, per Activision.