The Modern Warfare 4 launch arrives tonight in the US, and it’s the moment multiplayer and DMZ open to everyone, not just the digital pre-order crowd who have been playing the campaign since October 16. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 releases October 23 on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, PC and Nintendo Switch 2, and in the US the console stores unlock it at 9pm PT tonight.
When it unlocks
Activision lists October 23 as a worldwide launch but hasn’t posted an official console launch hour, so the store listings fill in that part. In the US, both the Xbox Store and the PlayStation Store show the game unlocking at 9pm Pacific on Thursday, October 22, which is midnight Eastern. On PC (Steam, Battle.net and the Xbox app), the full game unlocks at midnight local time on October 23, which is 12am PT on the West Coast and 12am ET on the East Coast. Activision confirmed the PC timing in its Modern Warfare 4 PC blog post. The Switch 2 eShop page only shows a date. If you pre-ordered digitally and played the early access, most of the game may already be installed.
What the full launch opens up
Everyone can now play all three parts of the game. The campaign covers sixteen missions across the Korean Peninsula, Paris, New York and Mumbai, following a young South Korean soldier, Private Park Hyun Jun, while Captain Price runs his own off-book hunt. Multiplayer gets its first public day, and DMZ, the extraction mode where you head behind enemy lines, decide what to grab and then try to get out, opens to physical copies and late buyers after three days of early access.
A few launch-day rules are worth knowing before you sit down. Multiplayer, including private matches, and DMZ need a constant internet connection, because the game pulls in textures online to save drive space. Online play on console needs PlayStation Plus, Game Pass Essential or Nintendo Switch Online. Split-screen multiplayer is supported on Xbox Series X|S and PS5. On PC, TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot have to be switched on, which we covered along with the rest of the hardware list in our Modern Warfare 4 PC requirements story.
Price and editions
The Standard Edition is $69.99 on Xbox, PlayStation and Steam, and the Nintendo eShop lists the Switch 2 version at $69.99 too. It’s the full game, and digital copies bought before launch also carry the pre-order extras, like the Hunter Killer Operator skin and the Inner Circuit M4 blueprint, which gets an OG Green look on Xbox Series X|S.
The Vault Edition is $99.99, or a $30 upgrade if you already own the digital Standard Edition. It adds two operator packs, a collection of five weapon blueprints and one season of the BlackCell Battle Pass, which comes with 1,100 COD Points and 20 tier skips. It also includes a DMZ Deployment Bonus: one extra Active Duty slot and a Deployment Kit with two Weapon Insurance Contracts, two Operator Rescue Beacons, two Fulton Drop Markers, two Medium Backpacks and two 2-Plate Carriers. Physical copies are sold for Xbox Series X and PS5, and those can’t be upgraded to the Vault Edition later.
Like recent Call of Duty games, Modern Warfare 4 has optional in-game purchases, including COD Points, a seasonal Battle Pass and an in-game store. It’s rated M for Mature for blood and gore, intense violence, strong language and drug use.
Game Pass and where to buy
On Xbox, keep in mind that this one isn’t on Game Pass. Activision and Xbox confirmed it’s a standalone purchase that won’t join Game Pass until Holiday 2027, which we broke down in our Modern Warfare 4 Campaign Early Access story. Buying it on the Xbox Store gets you Xbox Play Anywhere, so the same copy works on your console and the Xbox app on PC.
Modern Warfare 4 isn’t on GOG, so PC players have Steam, Battle.net or the Xbox app. On console it’s on the PlayStation Store for PS5 and the Nintendo eShop for Switch 2. It’s not coming to PS4 or Xbox One.
Launch nights for Call of Duty usually come with a queue or two, so give the servers a little patience. Once you’re in, enjoy those first lobbies before everyone figures out the meta. More launch coverage lives in our Xbox, PC, PlayStation and Nintendo hubs.