Modern Warfare 4 Patch Notes (October 25, 2026): S&D XP Tripled, Bomb Fix Rolled Back, Hijack Spawns Fixed

Modern Warfare 4 has been out since October 23, and Infinity Ward has been patching it almost every day since. Three updates landed on October 23, 24 and 25, 2026, all logged on the official launch patch notes page on callofduty.com. None of them are headline balance patches – there's no weapon tuning yet – but together they change how Search and Destroy levels you up, fix the worst Hijack spawns, close a nasty DMZ party bug and add a new stash rule you need to know about before your next deployment.

Here's what changed, in order of how much it matters.

TL;DR

• Kill XP in Search and Destroy and Collateral tripled, from 100 to 300 per kill (October 25).
• The Search and Destroy "bomb stretching" fix was rolled back because it stopped players from picking up the bomb in some spots. A new fix is coming.
• Hijack spawns and respawn timing improved (October 24).
• DMZ: Party Leaders can no longer pull teammates out of a match without consent – a bug that marked their Active Duty Operators as MIA.
• DMZ: you now must clear your Overflow Stash before deploying.
• Free-for-All now allows parties of up to four.
• Weapon tuning is still under review for a future update. No buffs or nerfs to guns yet.

The biggest change: Search and Destroy XP

Round-based modes have always been the slowest way to level in Call of Duty, and Modern Warfare 4 was no exception. The October 25 update raises the XP for a single kill from 100 to 300 in both Search and Destroy and Collateral. If you've been avoiding S&D because weapon and account levels crawl there, this is the update that makes it worth queueing again. It won't put S&D on par with respawn modes for pure grinding, but the gap is much smaller.

The same update has a less welcome note. The October 24 patch stopped players from defusing the bomb from an unintended distance or position, and a related fix targeted "bomb stretching". That fix had a side effect – players couldn't pick up the bomb in certain positions – so Infinity Ward rolled it back on October 25. In practice, the stretching issue is back in the game until a new fix ships, and no date has been given.

Collateral also gets a fix for the bomb disappearing after a player interacted with it.

Multiplayer fixes worth knowing

• Hijack: spawn locations and respawn timing were improved.
• Free-for-All: parties of up to 4 players can now queue together.
• Portable Radar: the Field Upgrade now works in Free-for-All and shows the minimap in Hardcore matches.
• Deathstalker: the Killstreak can no longer fly outside the map on Rooftops, and an invisible collision that blocked calling it in near the Barracks on Summit is gone.
• Loadouts: a brief freeze when editing a loadout for the first time in a match is fixed, and Favorite Operators now equip properly in Collateral.
• Announcer: the mode introduction now plays at the start of Frontline and Hijack.
• Spectating: players were being AFK-kicked while spectating in some modes; the October 25 notes list this as addressed.

DMZ changes

DMZ got the longest lists, and two items stand out.

The MIA bug is fixed. Before October 24, a Party Leader could pull teammates out of DMZ without their consent, and the game would mark those players' Active Duty Operators as MIA. That's no longer possible.

New Overflow Stash rule. As of October 25, you can't deploy with items still sitting in your Overflow Stash. Reconcile it before your next run, or you won't be able to deploy.

Other DMZ changes:

Infinity Ward also closed "various exploits" in DMZ across the 24th and 25th without naming them, fixed AI reinforcements spawning too often in the Shopping Mission, and fixed the Philanthropist Order on Page 19 so it counts Weekly Mission Challenges you finished before unlocking it.

Gunsmith and menu fixes

• Weapon stats now show for locked Gunsmith attachments, so you can compare before you grind for them.
• Prestiging now properly resets loadouts and attachments, and Military Camos and Apex Attachments no longer relock after prestiging a weapon.
• The Patriot XMR, Oden and Cronen Squall were wrongly labeled as Battle Rifles; that's corrected.
• Some DMZ camos and reticles no longer charge DMZ cash when applied, and DMZ Weapon Builds no longer show up as usable in core Multiplayer.
• On Xbox and PC, players using the full Korean language setting can launch Black Ops 7 from Modern Warfare 4 again.

Known issues

The October 24 notes list a few problems still being worked on:

• The regional map animation in the lobby is temporarily disabled while a possible fix for hitching is tested.
• On PC, extracting from DMZ with a looted Dog Tag may cause a network error.
• Enemy AI cars in DMZ sometimes drive without a driver or get stuck; fixes have been released and are being monitored.

The early-season Apex Attachments that appeared in the beta have also been removed for now. Activision says they'll return soon, but there's no date.

On Nintendo Switch 2, the October 24 update rolled out as well. Nintendo Life reports a download of around 30 GB, though Activision hasn't confirmed the size.

What it means for players

These are housekeeping patches, but useful ones. The S&D XP boost is the change most players will notice, and the DMZ MIA fix removes a bug that could cost you an Operator through no fault of your own. Just remember the Overflow Stash rule before you queue into DMZ.

What's still missing is the thing most of the community is waiting for: weapon balance. The October 23 notes said Infinity Ward is reviewing weapon performance, with separate tuning for Multiplayer and DMZ, and the October 25 notes say changes are being considered for a future update. No weapons or numbers have been named. Until then, the launch meta stays as it is.