Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4: Release, Modes, Platforms and Game Pass

The 2026 Call of Duty is Modern Warfare 4, and it is the series' most confident release in years. Infinity Ward leads development again, the game launched on 23 October 2026, and the early verdict is clear: a strong campaign, a solid if thinner multiplayer suite and a business model that has changed for Xbox players.

The essentials

• Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC and Nintendo Switch 2. There is no PS4 or Xbox One version.
• Campaign: a North Korean invasion of the Korean Peninsula, told through South Korean soldier Private Park and a rogue Captain Price, with stops in Korea, New York, Paris and Mumbai.
• Multiplayer: 12 core 6v6 maps at launch, plus Gunfight maps, larger Big War maps and a new Kill Block mode, per Activision's PlayStation Blog briefing.
• DMZ: the extraction mode returns, with changing weather and dynamic objectives behind enemy lines.
• Early access: pre-orders unlocked the beta and, according to launch coverage, the campaign a week before release.

Game Pass: not on day one

This is the change that matters most to Xbox owners. Despite Microsoft owning Activision, Modern Warfare 4 is not included in Game Pass at launch; Xbox told members they need to buy it separately to play from day one. As a gesture, eligible players who played a qualifying Call of Duty from 2019 onwards, including through Game Pass, get 10% off the Vault Edition. Reports point to Game Pass availability much later, around late 2027, but there is no official date.

The campaign is back to being a reason to buy Call of Duty, not a tutorial for multiplayer.

How it landed

• Critics: an 84 on OpenCritic at the time of writing, among the best-reviewed entries in recent series history.
• The praise: a tense, cinematic campaign that many reviews compare to the best of the original Modern Warfare era.
• The criticism: a thin map rotation at launch and uneven performance, plus familiar complaints about aim assist on PC.
• The context: it follows Black Ops 7, which divided players, so the bar for a rebound was low and Infinity Ward cleared it.

Should you buy it? If you play for story, yes, and soon, before spoilers spread. If you live in multiplayer, the smarter move is to wait for the first season's maps and fixes. And if you were counting on Game Pass, budget for a purchase or settle in for a long wait, because this year Call of Duty is a paid ticket.