A physical Standard Edition pre-order does not include Campaign Early Access. To play the campaign before launch, you need a digital pre-order or pre-purchase of the Standard Digital Edition or Vault Edition. Downloading the game ahead of release does not bypass that requirement.
Modern Warfare 4 preload and access schedule
These are the key dates for October 2026. Campaign, DMZ and multiplayer open separately, so having one mode available does not unlock the others.
| Milestone | Date and time | Access requirement or platform |
|---|---|---|
| PC preload | October 15 at 9:00 a.m. PT | Steam, Battle.net and Xbox on PC |
| Campaign Early Access | October 16 | Digital pre-order or pre-purchase of the Standard Digital Edition or Vault Edition |
| DMZ Early Access | October 20 | Eligible digital pre-order |
| Full launch, including multiplayer | October 23, midnight local time | All owners on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2 |
The 9:00 a.m. PT preload time applies to PC. It covers the three PC storefronts listed above; do not use it as a console preload schedule.
Unlock times: keep full launch separate from early access
The full game unlocks at midnight local time on October 23. That means the calendar date in your region matters, rather than everyone waiting for midnight Pacific time.
Do not apply that midnight timing to the October 16 campaign window or the October 20 DMZ window. For the precise early-access countdown, use the timer in your platform launcher where available. Likewise, the PC preload start is a download time, not permission to launch the campaign.
DMZ opens three days before the full release. Campaign access on October 16 does not bring DMZ forward, and neither early-access window includes launch multiplayer.
PC readiness checklist: reserve 115 GB on an SSD
- Make 115 GB of SSD space available. This is the PC installation requirement, rather than a download-size estimate.
- Use the storefront account holding your eligible digital purchase. A preload on another account does not establish Campaign or DMZ Early Access eligibility.
- Finish downloading the relevant content before its access window. Reaching the unlock time will not make an incomplete installation playable.
If the full-release unlock has passed but Steam still shows the game as unavailable, relaunching Steam may be needed to refresh its release status. If only DMZ remains locked during campaign early access, its separate October 20 start date explains the difference.
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