Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is less than two weeks away. The campaign opens in early access on Friday, October 16, and the full game, with multiplayer and DMZ, arrives on October 23 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC and Nintendo Switch 2.

This guide covers what you need to play the story a week early: who qualifies, when to download, what your PC needs and how much each edition costs.

Who can play the campaign on October 16

Campaign early access is available to anyone who digitally pre-orders Modern Warfare 4. Activision has confirmed that both the standard edition and the Vault Edition qualify.

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Physical pre-orders do not include early access, since discs are only delivered on launch day. If you want to play on the 16th, buy digitally on PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, Steam or Battle.net.

Only the campaign is playable during that week. Multiplayer, DMZ and the other modes unlock on October 23.

Modern Warfare 4 campaign scene set during the war on the Korean Peninsula
The campaign is the only part of Modern Warfare 4 unlocked during the October 16 early access.

Timing: what is confirmed and what is not

On PC, preload starts on October 15 at 9 a.m. Pacific time, which is 12 p.m. Eastern.

Activision has confirmed the early access date but, at the time of writing, has not published an exact unlock time. In previous entries, campaign early access opened at 10 a.m. Pacific (1 p.m. Eastern). Treat that as an estimate until Activision announces the official time.

Console preload dates have not been announced yet. We will update this guide when Activision shares them.

Urban firefight on a European street in Modern Warfare 4
The campaign takes players through several urban settings.

Modern Warfare 4 PC requirements

Activision has published the final PC specs. Every tier requires 115 GB of free SSD space, DirectX 12, a broadband connection and, importantly, TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot enabled in Windows.

Minimum

Windows 10 64-bit (latest update); AMD Ryzen 5 1400 or Intel Core i5-6600; 8 GB of RAM; AMD Radeon RX 470, Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 or GTX 1060, or Intel Arc A580 with 3 GB of video memory.

Recommended

Windows 11 64-bit (latest update); AMD Ryzen 5 3600 or Intel Core i7-8700K; 16 GB of RAM; AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti or Intel Arc B580 with 8 GB of video memory. According to Activision, this tier targets 90 frames per second.

The game includes a built-in benchmark tool, handy for checking performance before you start the campaign.

A squad inside a helicopter in Modern Warfare 4
Digital buyers can play the campaign a week early.

Edition prices

In the United States, the standard edition costs $69.99 and the digital-only Vault Edition costs $99.99.

Is Modern Warfare 4 on Game Pass?

Not at launch. Modern Warfare 4 is not a day-one Xbox Game Pass release. Eligible Game Pass Ultimate, Premium and PC members who have played a qualifying Call of Duty through the service get a loyalty discount of roughly 10% on the Vault Edition.

Soldiers advance through a forest in Modern Warfare 4
Plan your disk space: the game asks for 115 GB on an SSD on PC.

Checklist for October 16

Make sure your pre-order is digital and the payment has gone through.

On PC, free up at least 115 GB on an SSD and confirm TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot are enabled before October 15.

Update your graphics drivers during launch week.

Leave your console or launcher running on preload day so the install finishes before the unlock.

If you are still deciding, our Modern Warfare 4 release date, platforms and editions guide and our report on the campaign shown at TGS 2026 explain what to expect from the story.