Players have had a pretty fixed impression of Call of Duty betas: a handful of multiplayer maps, run for a few days, mainly to stress-test servers—and that's it. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is breaking that pattern this time. Activision has announced that the upcoming beta will include a full single-player campaign mission called "Entrenched." According to Activision, this marks the first time in the franchise's history that a complete campaign has been included in a beta.
The first test weekend runs from August 21 to 25, open exclusively to players who've pre-ordered the Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, or PC version. Besides the "Entrenched" campaign mission, this weekend will also feature five 6v6 multiplayer maps: Rooftops, Silkworm, Transit 213, Cachette, and Lotus. Activision wrote on its official X account: "A first for the franchise: multiplayer, campaign, and Call of Duty: Warzone, all packed into one beta."
The second test weekend runs from August 28 to September 1, and this time there's no pre-order requirement—all players can join in. This round also adds Nintendo Switch 2 access to the mix, with officials teasing more multiplayer maps and modes to come, though details haven't been revealed yet.
According to the schedule Activision has released, Modern Warfare 4 will officially launch on October 23 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2. Players who pre-order will get early access to the single-player campaign starting October 16. This also marks the Call of Duty franchise's first return to a Nintendo platform since 2013—though PlayStation 4 won't be getting a version this time. As for players hoping to play it through Xbox Game Pass, they'll have to wait a bit longer: following adjustments to the subscription service's lineup, Microsoft says the game won't join Game Pass until winter 2027.
In other news, the Call of Duty movie adaptation, slated for a 2028 release, has also been confirmed to be set within the Modern Warfare universe.
