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Modern Warfare 4 launch: 23 October on PS5, Xbox, PC and Switch 2

Modern Warfare 4 unlocked on 23 October 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC and Switch 2, at midnight local time in most regions. Season 1 starts on 6 November.

By Rowan Ashby Published 21.10.26 10:03 UTC 8 min read

Large Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 promotional billboards at the Dolby Theatre complex in Hollywood, September 2026 — Guywelch2000 / Wikimedia Commons / CC0 · Source

Update, 24 October 2026

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is out. The full game unlocked across 22 and 23 October: first in New Zealand (11:00 UTC on 22 October), then Asia, Europe and South America at midnight local time, and finally North America at one fixed moment, 12:00 a.m. ET on 23 October (04:00 UTC), according to release-time guides from Game Rant and Screen Rant published on 20 October. Screen Rant puts the install at more than 100 GB on PC and consoles.

Activision's launch roadmap, reported on 14 October by Insider Gaming, Inven Global and Gameswelt, sets Season 1 for Friday, 6 November 2026, for both Modern Warfare 4 and Warzone. Before that, the Shipment map returns on 27 October, Possession mode on 29 October and Infected on 30 October. Vice and Windows Report say the game is not in Xbox Game Pass at launch and that Xbox lists Game Pass availability from "Holiday 2027". As of 08:00 UTC on 24 October we found no Activision statement about a widespread launch outage; Activision's online services page is the official place to check server status. Players without Game Pass may get another option: see Xbox Cloud Playtime prices.

Key takeaways

The MW4 release date was Friday, 23 October 2026, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC (Battle.net, Steam, Xbox on PC) and Nintendo Switch 2, according to Activision. The game is now available everywhere.
North America unlocked at 12:00 a.m. ET on 23 October (9:00 p.m. PT on 22 October); most other regions unlocked at midnight local time, according to Game Rant and Screen Rant.
Digital buyers had early access: the campaign from 16 October and DMZ from 20 October (Pacific Time), per Activision.
Season 1 starts on 6 November 2026 for MW4 and Warzone, with Shipment (27 October), Possession (29 October) and Infected (30 October) arriving first.
There is no PS4 or Xbox One version, and the game is not on Game Pass at launch; Xbox lists it for Game Pass from Holiday 2027.

MW4 release date

The Modern Warfare 4 release date was Friday, 23 October 2026, on every platform at once. Activision's editions support page says the game "launches worldwide on October 23, 2026". If you searched for "when does MW4 come out", the answer is that it already has: all modes, including standard multiplayer, are live for anyone who owns the game.

Activision revealed the game with a trailer and the 23 October date on 28 May 2026, as MP1st reported that day. Infinity Ward leads development. The game drops the previous console generation: MP1st and other outlets noted at the reveal that this year's Call of Duty is "skipping last-gen consoles", so there is no native PS4 or Xbox One version.

The campaign is set during an escalating war on the Korean Peninsula, according to coverage of Activision's reveal by Khaleej Times. Players take the role of a South Korean soldier, Private Park, while Captain Price pursues a dangerous weapon outside official channels. Locations named in the reveal include Korea, New York, Paris and Mumbai. Multiplayer launched with 12 core maps and a new gunplay system Activision calls "Ballistic Authority", and DMZ returns as an extraction mode that can be played solo or with a squad. Inven Global's summary of the roadmap lists Hijack, Inflation, Collateral and Ground War: Combat Outpost among the modes live from launch day.

When does MW4 come out in your time zone?

Activision did not publish its own country-by-country table. Game Rant and Screen Rant, both published on 20 October, describe the same model: a single moment for North America (12:00 a.m. ET on 23 October) and midnight local time for the rest of the world. The UTC column below is Bullquill's conversion of those local times.

City / region	Local unlock time	Equivalent in UTC
Wellington, New Zealand	12:00 a.m. NZDT, 23 Oct	11:00, 22 Oct
Sydney, Australia	12:00 a.m. AEDT, 23 Oct	13:00, 22 Oct
Tokyo, Japan / Seoul, South Korea	12:00 a.m. JST/KST, 23 Oct	15:00, 22 Oct
Dubai, UAE	12:00 a.m. GST, 23 Oct	20:00, 22 Oct
Paris, Stockholm / Johannesburg	12:00 a.m. CEST/SAST, 23 Oct	22:00, 22 Oct
London, UK	12:00 a.m. BST, 23 Oct	23:00, 22 Oct
Sao Paulo, Brazil	12:00 a.m. BRT, 23 Oct	03:00, 23 Oct
New York, US (Eastern)	12:00 a.m. EDT, 23 Oct	04:00, 23 Oct
Chicago, US (Central)	11:00 p.m. CDT, 22 Oct	04:00, 23 Oct
Mexico City, Mexico	10:00 p.m. CST, 22 Oct	04:00, 23 Oct
Denver, US (Mountain)	10:00 p.m. MDT, 22 Oct	04:00, 23 Oct
Los Angeles, US (Pacific)	9:00 p.m. PDT, 22 Oct	04:00, 23 Oct

Sources: Game Rant and Screen Rant (local times); UTC conversions by Bullquill. Data as of 24 October 2026, 08:00 UTC.

Not every guide agreed before launch. Some outlets, including Vice, described a single global unlock tied to midnight in New York, and PC Gamer had reported that Activision had not stated an exact hour. Either way, the game is now unlocked in every region. If your copy still will not start, the likely cause is an unfinished download or a pending update, not the launch time.

MW4 platforms

Platform	Available	Notes
PlayStation 5	Yes, 23 Oct	Digital and physical editions
Xbox Series X\|S	Yes, 23 Oct	Not in Game Pass at launch; Xbox lists Holiday 2027
PC (Battle.net, Steam, Xbox on PC)	Yes, 23 Oct	TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot required
Nintendo Switch 2	Yes, 23 Oct	First Call of Duty on Switch 2; online modes need Nintendo Switch Online
PS4 / Xbox One	No	No last-generation version

Sources: Activision Support editions page, Call of Duty blog, Vice, Windows Report.

Does the Switch 2 version ship on the same day?

Yes. The Call of Duty blog's August post about the Switch 2 beta gives Friday, 23 October as the Switch 2 release date, with the campaign, multiplayer and DMZ included. Activision's "Forward Operating Blog" for the game says Infinity Ward worked with Digital Legends to build the game natively for Switch 2. Activision has not published comparative performance targets such as resolution or frame rate, and we could not confirm a final Switch 2 download size from an official source.

How to download and start playing MW4

Check your edition. Digital editions (Standard and Vault) included pre-load and early access; physical copies did not get early access, according to Activision.
Free up space. Screen Rant reports the install is more than 100 GB on PC and consoles. Patches can change the figure, so leave extra room.
Download through the right launcher. Screen Rant notes that the earlier beta install does not unlock the full game; download Modern Warfare 4 itself through the Call of Duty launcher or your console store.
PC players: check requirements and drivers. Activision requires TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot. On Nvidia cards, install the latest Game Ready driver (see our guide to Advanced Shader Delivery and Nvidia's new driver).
Stay online. Multiplayer and DMZ need a constant internet connection; on Switch 2, online modes need Nintendo Switch Online.
If you cannot connect, check the official status page. Activision posts service status at its online services support page before you troubleshoot your own network.

MW4 Season 1 start date and launch roadmap

Activision's roadmap, published on 14 October and reported by Insider Gaming, Inven Global and Gameswelt, gives these dates. No start hour for Season 1 had been announced as of 24 October, and Activision had not yet detailed Season 1 content.

Date (2026)	What arrives	Status
15 October	PC pre-load for digital buyers	Done (reported by GAMES.GG)
16 October (PT)	Campaign early access, digital editions	Done (Activision)
20 October (PT)	DMZ early access, digital editions	Done (Activision)
23 October	Full launch: multiplayer, campaign, DMZ for all buyers	Done (Activision)
27 October	Shipment map returns	Scheduled (roadmap)
29 October	Possession mode	Scheduled (roadmap)
30 October	Infected mode	Scheduled (roadmap)
6 November	Season 1 for Modern Warfare 4 and Warzone	Scheduled (roadmap)

Sources: Activision Support, Insider Gaming, Inven Global, Gameswelt, GAMES.GG. Data as of 24 October 2026.

Editions, prices and Game Pass

Activision sells a Digital Standard edition, a physical edition for PS5 and Xbox Series X, and a digital-only Vault Edition. The physical edition cannot be upgraded to the Vault Edition. Digital Standard owners can buy a Vault upgrade for "$30 (Suggested Retail Price) or your regional equivalent." A 10% loyalty discount on the Vault Edition ran until 23 October for players who owned and had played a qualifying recent Call of Duty game on the same platform account. The editions page does not list base prices, which vary by store and region.

Modern Warfare 4 is the first Call of Duty under Xbox's new policy of not adding the series to Game Pass on day one. Vice and Windows Report say Xbox's own notice to members gives "Holiday 2027" as the start of Game Pass availability, without an exact date. Until then, Game Pass members need to buy the game to play.

What it means

For players, the waiting is over: the 23 October release date applied to every format, including the first Switch 2 Call of Duty, and all modes are now live. The next fixed date is 6 November, when Season 1 begins for both Modern Warfare 4 and Warzone; the Shipment, Possession and Infected drops in late October fill the gap. Anyone still deciding between buying now and waiting for Game Pass faces a long wait, since Xbox points to Holiday 2027.

For the industry, Modern Warfare 4 is the series' first release built only for current-generation hardware and its first on Nintendo's new console, making it an early test of a single launch across four ecosystems. Microsoft's decision to keep it out of Game Pass at launch is a break from recent entries and matters for both subscription numbers and full-price sales. How the Switch 2 version performs and sells will be watched as a signal for other large third-party releases on Nintendo's platform.

Frequently asked questions

What is the MW4 release date?

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 released on Friday, 23 October 2026, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC (Battle.net, Steam and Xbox on PC) and Nintendo Switch 2, according to Activision. It is now available on all of them.

What time did Modern Warfare 4 come out?

According to Game Rant and Screen Rant, North America unlocked at 12:00 a.m. ET on 23 October (9:00 p.m. PT on 22 October, 04:00 UTC), while most other regions, including the UK, Europe, Australia, Japan and Brazil, unlocked at midnight local time.

When does MW4 Season 1 start?

Activision's launch roadmap sets Season 1 for Friday, 6 November 2026, for both Modern Warfare 4 and Warzone. Shipment returns on 27 October, Possession on 29 October and Infected on 30 October. No start hour had been announced as of 24 October.