Modern Warfare 4 beta begins August 21

The Modern Warfare 4 beta begins with preorder early access from August 21 through August 25. A second weekend opens to all eligible players from August 28 through September 1, with no preorder required for that public window.

Modern Warfare 4 beta: confirmed details

Early access covers Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 5 and PC through Battle.net, Xbox on PC or Steam. Nintendo Switch 2 preorders begin August 26, and that platform joins the open weekend on August 28. Activision lists the full game launch for October 23.

What changes for players

Separating the weekends gives preorder players an earlier test while preserving a no-purchase route one week later. The public period is the better measure of matchmaking load because it removes the preorder gate. Feedback from both windows can still affect launch tuning, but a beta should not be mistaken for final performance.

Timing and wider context

Territory availability can vary, and Activision says dates are subject to change. Retail preorder codes are delivered separately, while digital storefront purchases are automatically validated on supported platforms. Preload details were not final on the official beta page.

The feature list and timing above reflect the developer’s announcement published on August 18, 2026. Future hotfixes can adjust balance or availability, so live values should be checked against the current client.

Source: official Modern Warfare 4 beta page. All release dates, named features and numerical values in this report come from that primary source; the analysis is our own.

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