MW4 Release Date, Time and Early Access Countdown

MW4 release date and time: the short answer

Modern Warfare 4 launches on Friday, October 23, 2026, and DMZ is part of the launch. Activision's wording is that the full game releases “at midnight local time”, so the countdown above ends at midnight wherever you are. If you see a single worldwide unlock time on other sites, it is a guess: Activision has not published one.

Release time by platform

The table under the countdown shows every date by platform, with the time Activision has given and what that is where you are. Where it says “not announced yet”, Activision has not given a time; we add it the day it does, and the countdown switches to it on its own.

MW4 Early Access: Campaign October 16, DMZ October 20

On October 9 Activision confirmed DMZ Early Access. If you pre-ordered or pre-purchased the Standard Digital Edition or the Vault Edition on any platform, you can play all of DMZ (see which MW4 edition gets what) from Tuesday, October 20, 2026 at 10 AM PT, three days before launch. Activision says DMZ Early Access goes live globally, at the same moment for every player in the world. XP and weapon XP earned during it, camo progress included, carry over to the full game. Campaign Early Access started earlier, on October 16, 2026. Activision says Campaign and DMZ Early Access start on different dates, and that actual play time, platform availability and start dates may change or differ by time zone.

PC preload

Digital pre-orders on PC can preload from October 15, 2026 at 9 AM PT. The world clock above converts that to other cities. On PC, Activision also suggests installing the Xbox PC app before launch if you want its Advanced Shader Delivery to download precompiled shaders, and updating your graphics drivers. Check your PC against the official specs on our MW4 system requirements page. MW4 on PC will not play online without TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot; if it reports a Failed Attestation Status, our fix for MW4 failed attestation goes through each message.

After launch: Season 1

Activision has not given a Season 1 date yet. The Battle Pass and BlackCell start with it, and Hajin joins Warzone as a Battle Royale map. Our MW4 updates and Season 1 page collects every update as it is announced.

Platforms

• PlayStation 5
• Xbox Series X|S
• PC: Battle.net
• PC: Steam
• PC: Xbox app (Xbox on PC)
• Nintendo Switch 2

There is no PlayStation 4 or Xbox One version in Activision's platform list.

What to do before launch

Learn the map first. Our interactive Hajin map shows where each point of interest sits, and the DMZ beginner's guide covers the Forward Operating Base, the stations you unlock at each level and how exfil works. Common questions about price, solo play and cross-play are in the MW4 DMZ FAQ, and is MW4 DMZ free explains what you have to buy to play it.

Questions