Modern Warfare 4 Campaign Early Access started today, October 16, so anyone who pre-ordered a digital copy can play the whole single-player story a week before the full launch on October 23, per Activision. The catch for Xbox players landed a day earlier: Activision and Xbox confirmed Modern Warfare 4 is a standalone purchase and won’t join Game Pass until Holiday 2027.
Who gets in early
Early access covers any digital edition on any platform, which means PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC through Steam or Battle.net, and Nintendo Switch 2 through the eShop. The Standard edition is $69.99 on Steam, and the pricier Vault Edition qualifies too. Physical pre-orders don’t get the early window, and you can’t upgrade a disc copy to the Vault Edition later.
This week is campaign only. DMZ, the extraction mode, opens to digital pre-orders on Tuesday, October 20, and multiplayer waits for the October 23 launch. Pre-loads are already live, so a pre-order should be ready to start without a long wait.
What the campaign is about
You play as Private Park, a young South Korean soldier seeing combat for the first time when North Korea launches a full-scale invasion. Elsewhere, Captain Price is working outside the system he once served, chasing a weapon powerful enough to shift the balance of power. Infinity Ward is asking players not to spoil the story for each other this week.
Why Game Pass is sitting this one out
Black Ops 6 and Black Ops 7 both launched straight into Game Pass. Modern Warfare 4 breaks that pattern. If you want to play at launch, you buy it like any other game, and the subscription version isn’t planned until Holiday 2027. Game Pass Ultimate still has Black Ops 7, Black Ops 6, and Modern Warfare III if you just want your Call of Duty fix.
Xbox players do get one small perk for pre-ordering. Every digital edition includes the Inner Circuit M4 blueprint, and on Xbox Series X|S it shows up in a see-through green finish for Xbox’s 25th anniversary. It works the same as everyone else’s version and just looks different.
Things to know before you buy
PC: Modern Warfare 4 isn’t sold on GOG.com, so your options are Steam, Battle.net, or the Xbox app on PC, where Xbox Play Anywhere gives you the console version too. TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot are required, and Call of Duty says those need to be switched on by the time DMZ Early Access opens on October 20. We covered the full Modern Warfare 4 PC requirements if you want to check your rig.
Consoles: Pre-orders are open on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and Switch 2. Online modes need PlayStation Plus, Game Pass Essential, or Nintendo Switch Online. Split-screen multiplayer is supported on Xbox Series X|S and PS5.
Online: Multiplayer and DMZ need a steady internet connection, since the game pulls some texture data online to keep the install size down.
The game is rated M for Mature, with blood and gore, intense violence, strong language, and drug use. If you were counting on Game Pass for this year’s Call of Duty, a digital pre-order is the way in this week, and the subscription route opens up in Holiday 2027.