Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Starts Its Campaign – But Not On Game Pass
TheXboxHub News...PC NewsPlayStation NewsXbox Series X News By Neil Watton - October 16, 2026 Our HubsThe next chapter of the Modern Warfare story begins today for players who have pre-ordered digitally, with Call…
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October 16, 2026Our Hubs
The next chapter of the Modern Warfare story begins today for players who have pre-ordered digitally, with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 opening the doors to its campaign ahead of the full launch on October 23rd.
Activision’s latest military shooter takes the fight to the Korean Peninsula, while Captain Price wages a separate war from the shadows.
There’s a significant change for Xbox players this year, too: Modern Warfare 4 will not be launching on Xbox Game Pass this year, meaning subscribers will need to purchase the game separately if they want to join the fight.
At A Glance
- Game: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4
- Publisher: Activision Publishing Inc.
- Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, Play Anywhere
- Price: £69.99 Standard Edition / £99.99 Vault Edition
- Campaign Early Access: October 16th for digital pre-orders
- DMZ Early Access: October 20th
- Full Release: October 23rd
- Genre: First-Person Shooter
War Comes To Korea As Captain Price Returns
Modern Warfare 4 centres on a full-scale North Korean invasion of the Korean Peninsula, an attack that threatens to destabilise the wider world. Players will follow a young squad of South Korean soldiers fighting to survive as the front lines collapse, while Captain Price pursues a personal mission away from the official battlefield.
As these two stories collide, the conflict escalates beyond anyone’s control, bringing long-running storylines towards what Activision describes as an emotional breaking point. The campaign promises a varied tour of modern warfare, from trench fighting in Korea and close-quarters combat in New York to high-speed chases through Paris and SAS night raids in Mumbai. Players will also take part in city-wide assaults aimed at reclaiming occupied territory.
It’s a darker direction for the series, with the consequences of the invasion and Price’s off-the-books operation driving the narrative.
Multiplayer And DMZ Offer Different Ways To Fight
The campaign is only part of the package. Modern Warfare 4’s multiplayer focuses on precise gunplay, fluid movement and greater player control during engagements, with the aim of making encounters feel grounded while leaving room for different approaches.
DMZ takes players behind enemy lines as off-the-books operatives. Each deployment into contested territory presents a risk-and-reward decision: which objectives are worth pursuing, what supplies should be secured, and when is it time to extract before things go wrong?
Players who have digitally pre-ordered can access the campaign from today (October 16th), while DMZ early access begins on October 20th. Those who haven’t pre-ordered will need to wait for the full launch on October 23rd.
Modern Warfare 4 Standard And Vault Editions
The Standard Edition costs £69.99, while the £99.99 Vault Edition bundles in additional operator, weapon and seasonal content.
- Vault Edition – £99.99
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4
- Hostile Alliance Operator Pack: Four Operator Skins for Price, Valeria, Ghost and Blix
- Special Forces Operator Pack: Four Operator Skins representing the UK, Germany, France and South Korea, with voice packs in their respective languages
- Signature Weapon Collection: Five Signature Weapons
- BlackCell (One Season): Battle Pass, 20 Tier Skips, 1,100 CP and more
- DMZ Deployment Bonus: Additional DMZ content
Digital pre-orders also come with the Inner Circuit Weapon Blueprint for Modern Warfare 4 at launch, alongside items for immediate use in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Call of Duty: Warzone. The pre-order bonuses include the Hunter Killer Operator Skin and the Gilded Pearl Camo Pack, with the Moonlit Pearl camo immediately available and the Gilded Ruin camo available to unlock.
No Xbox Game Pass Launch This Year
One of the biggest talking points for Xbox players is the absence of Modern Warfare 4 from Game Pass this year. Subscribers who have come to expect access to major Call of Duty releases through the service will need to budget for a separate purchase instead.
With the Standard Edition priced at £69.99 and the Vault Edition at £99.99, that’s a considerable cost for players who want to jump in at launch.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 comes to Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2, with Xbox Play Anywhere support. If you’re ready to return to the battlefield, the campaign early access window is now open.
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- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4
- pc
- Playstation 5
- Xbox Series X