Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 – Release Date, Switch 2, Campaign and Early Access

Modern Warfare 4 launches October 23 – and for the first time in over a decade, Call of Duty comes to Nintendo. Here's the date, platforms, campaign setting and early access.

Call of Duty's biggest sub-series is back. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 launches on October 23, 2026, developed by Infinity Ward – and for the first time in more than a decade, a new Call of Duty is also launching on Nintendo hardware, with a native Nintendo Switch 2 version.

The essentials

Campaign: war on the Korean Peninsula

Modern Warfare 4's campaign centers on a large-scale modern conflict as war breaks out on the Korean Peninsula. You'll follow South Korean soldiers on the front lines, while Captain Price pursues a personal mission of his own. Infinity Ward describes the direction as darker and more grounded, aiming to bring long-running storylines to big emotional moments.

Digital pre-orders unlock the campaign a week early, from October 16.

Multiplayer and DMZ

Alongside traditional multiplayer, Modern Warfare 4 brings back DMZ, the extraction-style mode. After launch, the game ties into Call of Duty: Warzone, with Season 1 bringing Modern Warfare 4 content – and the open beta already gave players a taste of Warzone Resurgence on a brand-new map called Zodiac.

Call of Duty returns to Nintendo

The Switch 2 version is the headline for many. It's a native version developed in partnership with Digital Legends, and supports:

• Joy-Con 2 mouse controls and gyro aiming
• The Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller
• HDR and handheld play
• Cross-play and cross-progression with other platforms

Switch 2 players also got into the August open beta without needing a pre-order or beta code.

A bigger team than ever

Infinity Ward leads development, but Modern Warfare 4 is very much an Activision-wide effort. Beenox, Raven Software, Sledgehammer Games and Treyarch are among the studios supporting the project, alongside Digital Legends on the Switch 2 version.

The open beta ran from August 28 to September 1, with pre-loading from August 26. Besides multiplayer maps, it included a campaign mission called "Entrenched" – an unusual move that gave players an early look at the story mode before launch.

Next-gen only

Modern Warfare 4 drops support for PS4 and Xbox One, a sign that the series is finally leaving the last console generation behind. That frees the developers from older hardware limits, but it also means players still on last-gen consoles will need to upgrade.

What we don't know yet

Activision hasn't confirmed every detail at the time of writing – for example, whether the game will arrive on Game Pass on day one, or full details on post-launch seasons. We'll update as official information arrives.

Should you be excited?

• Campaign fans get a new setting and the return of Captain Price.
• Switch 2 owners finally get a full, modern Call of Duty on the go.
• DMZ players get their favorite mode back.

With Infinity Ward at the helm and a launch on more platforms than ever, Modern Warfare 4 looks set to be one of the biggest releases of the fall.

This article was written by AI (Claude) and checked against the sources above. Games are updated regularly, so details may change.