Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4

Story and setting

The campaign begins with North Korea launching a full-scale invasion of South Korea, pushing the Korean Peninsula into a wider international crisis. One side of the story follows Private Park Hyun Jun and a squad of South Korean soldiers facing live combat for the first time, including joint US and South Korean operations, trench warfare and an amphibious assault.

The other follows John Price, now operating outside official channels after the events of Modern Warfare III. Price is being hunted by former allies while working with Valeria Garza and the Las Almas cartel. The confirmed campaign locations include Korea, New York, Paris and Mumbai, while a dangerous weapon being moved towards an enemy known as the Archer links the two storylines.

How it plays

Modern Warfare 4 combines a traditional solo campaign with a full online multiplayer suite. The campaign footage shown so far focuses on close-quarters fighting, large assaults, vehicle-supported battles and fast-moving set pieces, while the multiplayer aims for grounded movement, precise gunplay and greater control over weapon handling.

Multiplayer launches with 12 Core 6v6 maps, Search and Destroy, Gunfight, Gunfight 10v10, standard respawn modes, Party Modes and Ground War: Combat Outpost, which combines infantry combat, vehicles, large maps and airborne Killstreaks. Kill Block is the most distinctive addition: its modular arenas change between rounds, altering routes, cover and sightlines. Activision says more than 500 configurations are possible.

DMZ is a paid part of Modern Warfare 4 rather than a separate free-to-play release. It is an extraction shooter set in the Hajin Exclusion Zone, where players can deploy alone or with a squad, complete missions, fight other players and AI forces, recover technology, and extract with whatever they manage to carry out. Weather, military objectives and hostile activity can change between deployments.

Trailers and showcases

The 28 May 2026 reveal introduced the Korean invasion, Price’s outlaw status and the wider conflict, alongside the first campaign footage. The 7 June Xbox Games Showcase delivered the first DMZ look, showing solo and squad deployments, looting, negotiations, betrayals and extraction in a shifting combat zone.

The 15 July Kill Block presentation explained the changing modular map system and its 3v3 and 10v10 Gunfight formats. On 30 July, the Losing Ground campaign first look showed a mission set during the Korean conflict. Call of Duty: NEXT on 21 August focused on movement, gunplay, weapons, Apex Attachments, Ground War and the 12-map launch line-up. The Tokyo Games Show campaign trailer, released on 17 September, expanded the story around Price, Valeria, Park and the Archer’s weapon.

Platforms, editions and UK price

Modern Warfare 4 launches on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC through Steam, Battle.net and Xbox on PC. It does not have confirmed PS4 or Xbox One versions. Infinity Ward leads development, with Beenox supporting the PC release and Digital Legends working with Infinity Ward on the native Switch 2 version.

The UK Standard Edition RRP is £69.99 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Switch 2, or £59.99 on Windows PC. The digital Vault Edition is £99.99 on console and Switch 2, or £89.99 on Windows PC. It adds the Hostile Alliance Operator Pack, Special Forces Operator Pack, five Signature Weapons, one season of BlackCell and a DMZ Deployment Bonus. The Vault Edition is digital-only. Physical Standard Editions are confirmed for PS5 and Xbox Series X, with Switch 2 physical availability handled through participating retailers.

Pre-orders are available through the PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, Nintendo eShop, Steam, Battle.net and participating UK retailers. Digital Standard and Vault pre-orders include Campaign Early Access from 16 October, plus launch bonuses including the Hunter Killer Operator Skin and Gilded Pearl Camo Pack.

What remains unconfirmed

Activision has not published the exact UK unlock time for the full game, so the confirmed information is the date rather than a specific BST launch hour. The game’s final campaign length, complete mission list, detailed performance targets for each platform and the full post-launch roadmap also remain undisclosed.

There is no confirmed campaign co-operative mode or separate Spec Ops-style mode. DMZ does support squad deployments, but that should not be treated as confirmation of a conventional co-op campaign. Activision has also not officially identified Modern Warfare 4 as using the IW Engine by name; its public material instead refers to a unified Call of Duty technology base and the Ballistic Authority weapon technology stack.