Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Campaign Early Access starts tomorrow, Friday, October 16, a full week before the game launches on October 23. It covers the entire campaign, and you get it by pre-ordering any digital edition.
Here is every date you need, and what Game Pass subscribers should know: Modern Warfare 4 is not on Game Pass at launch.
Modern Warfare 4 key dates
| What | When |
|---|---|
| PC pre-load | Thursday, October 15, 9am PT (12pm ET / 5pm UK / 6pm CEST) |
| Campaign Early Access | Friday, October 16 |
| DMZ Early Access | Tuesday, October 20 |
| Full launch | Friday, October 23, midnight local time on PC |
Activision has not given an exact unlock hour for Campaign Early Access, only the date in Pacific Time, so players in Europe and Australia may get in later in their day than they expect. Pre-load timing on consoles depends on your store, so check your console’s store page once you have pre-ordered.
How to get Campaign Early Access
- Pre-order or pre-purchase any digital edition of Modern Warfare 4, on any platform.
- The physical Standard Edition does not include it. If you want to play on October 16, buy digital.
- Early Access gives you the full campaign, with no chapters held back. Multiplayer and Warzone stay locked until October 23.
- Digital pre-orders also get DMZ Early Access from October 20.
Is Modern Warfare 4 on Game Pass?
No. Modern Warfare 4 is not included in any Game Pass tier at launch, so a subscription alone does not get you Campaign Early Access or the October 23 release. Activision says it will come to specific Game Pass tiers at a later date, but it has not announced when.
That is a change from the last two Call of Duty games, which launched straight into Game Pass Ultimate. If you want a big shooter on Game Pass right now, Battlefield 6 joined Ultimate and PC Game Pass on October 13.
Which platforms?
Modern Warfare 4 launches on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC. It is not coming to PS4 or Xbox One.
Get your connection ready
Launch weeks are when NAT problems show up: long matchmaking, failed party invites and no voice chat. If your NAT type is Strict or Moderate, our NAT fix guide for Modern Warfare 4 and Black Ops 7 has the ports for every platform.