Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 campaign early access begins in October

Activision and Infinity Ward have announced that digital preorders for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 will grant early access to the campaign starting on October 16, one week before the official release on October 23. This early access is exclusive to digital preorders.

Modern Warfare 4 is the first Call of Duty title not to be released on last-generation consoles. It will be available on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC through platforms such as Xbox on PC, Steam, and Battle.net.

With digital preorders, players will have full access to the campaign beginning on October 16, along with announced operator bundles. They will also have standard access to multiplayer and DMZ modes when the game officially launches on October 23.

Please note that physical preorders do not qualify for early access.

Although Modern Warfare 4 is a first-party title from Microsoft, it won’t be available on Xbox Game Pass or PC Game Pass until October 23, 2027, a year after its release.

This delay is part of Microsoft’s recent restructuring of Game Pass following the October 2025 price hike, which led to subscriber loss.

Furthermore, new Call of Duty releases were pulled from day-one Game Pass access amid the reduction of the Game Pass Ultimate subscription fee to $22.99 per month.

The story follows Private Park, a young soldier from South Korea, who faces live combat after North Korea launches a full invasion of the South, becoming the game’s central focus.

Captain Price, voiced by Barry Sloane, returns, seeking revenge for Soap MacTavish’s death at the hands of the series’ antagonist, Makarov. The reveal trailer shows Price teaming up with former TF141 rival Valeria “El Sin Nombre” Garza. It also includes a scene in which Price and Ghost discuss the rules, with Ghost accusing Price of breaking them. Price replies, “No more rules.”

Infinity Ward has openly shared details about the campaign’s story during its pre-release promotion. With early access now available a week before the official launch, players who wait for the public release may risk spoilers from streams, social media, and forums.

The Modern Warfare 4 reveal trailer has garnered 58 million views on YouTube in just two weeks, outpacing the 49 million views of the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 trailer nine months earlier. This positive feedback has fueled discussions about the game’s commercial potential.

Fans can now pre-order Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 through participating retailers, platform stores, or directly on CallofDuty.com.