Call of Duty fans have the same several questions every time a new entry is revealed, and one fairly contentious one involves the inclusion of crossover skins that break away from the franchise’s milsim aesthetic. If we take the word of Modern Warfare 4 developer Infinity Ward, the upcoming game will commit to authenticity.

Emphasizing that "every aspect" of Modern Warfare 4 is "anchored in the game's narrative," an X post from Infinity Ward reads: "Every feature, every decision needs to feel authentic to what Modern Warfare is, and that includes cosmetics and collabs. We're committed to keeping it grounded and transparent, and we want to hear from you on what you'd like to see in our game." 

In response to an X post lamenting the infamous Nicki Minaj skin in Modern Warfare 2, the Infinity Ward account replied: "Nah, no Nicki," before asking the user what they wanted to see in the game. When a different user replied (presumably jokingly) with a request for Beavis and Butthead (who showed up in Black Ops 6), the Infinity Ward account simply retorted: "Nope!"

https://twitter.com/InfinityWard/status/2060108836116349291?s=20

Of course, fans will recall that Activision made the same promise with last year’s Call of Duty entry, Black Ops 7. Developers Treyarch and Raven Software went back on their planned feature to carry over Black Ops 6 skins to 7, saying that "Black Ops 7 needs to feel authentic to Call of Duty and its setting."

It took only months for Black Ops 7 to incorporate a crossover severely out of place from the game’s futuristic battleground, with content based on the film Half-Baked and a skin modeled after noted transphobe Dave Chappelle.
From what we’ve seen of Modern Warfare 4 so far, it certainly looks like a gritty, grounded milsim. The game, set to launch on October 23, could very well change with updates and post-release content, but it’ll at least sport several improvements to the Modern Warfare formula.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 brings back the popular and fan-favorite character Captain Price, played by Barry Sloane, but for the events of MW4, he's a changed man.

Spoilers for the Modern Warfare series follow below.

At the end of the campaign for 2023's Modern Warfare 3, Price kills General Shepherd, and that's something that Price "can't really come back from," according to MW4 narrative director Jeff Negus. He said in an Xbox Wire interview that Price in MW4 will be "a different version" of the character based on his choice to murder Shepherd in MW3. 

"We get to forge a new path for him, and see what happens when he’s now in different conflicts --how does this version of Price resolve that conflict?" Negus said.

MW4's campaign follows multiple storylines, one being a group of young South Korean soldiers and the other following "a vengeful Captain Price" who is waging a "personal war from the shadows as he stays one step ahead of those hunting him." Eventually, the two stories will connect. "As Price's off-book mission collides with the forces behind the invasion, the war spreads beyond anyone's control," reads a line from MW4's story description.

The MW4 story description goes on to describe Price as an "operator-turned-outlaw" who is now working "outside the system he once served." 

"A hunt for revenge draws Price toward a weapon powerful enough to shift the balance of power, setting in motion a conflict far greater than he ever anticipated," the game's description continues. "Forced into uneasy alliances and illicit operations, Price is pulled deeper into consequences he can no longer escape."

MW4 launches on October 23 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. It's also coming to Nintendo Switch 2 at launch, with Activision's Digital Legends studio building the game's native edition for Switch 2.

Video game developers love to leave Easter eggs behind for longtime fans, and in 007 First Light, IO Interactive has resurrected one of its oldest jokes. Dating all the way back to 2006's Hitman: Blood Money, IO has regularly slipped in an inside joke revolving around Allan and his inability to add details to in-game assets. The tradition is alive and well in 007 First Light, cementing Allan's post-it note legacy.

Image credit: David Smith

During the 007 First Light campaign, you'll be tasked with searching through rogue MI6 agent 009's stash. Stare at the wall covered in post-it notes, and you'll see several pieces of paper with a polite reminder for Allan to add in some details. This joke and the line "Allan please add details" first surfaced in Blood Money, and could be found in a kitchen crate holding a lobster. In the HD version of Blood Money, the line was changed to "Any details yet, Allan?" and it would resurface in Hitman 2016.

A note with the familiar message was stuck on a computer monitor, and the phrase was also seen briefly in a trailer for the game. The official Hitman website also referenced the joke, this time with a plea for Allan to add some placeholder text.

https://www.reddit.com/r/GamingDetails/comments/ayrn04/hitman_series_theres_a_running_joke_about_the/

So who is Allan? That's one of the long-running mysteries in Hitman, with one of the theories revolving around two possible leads. As Reddit sleuths have discovered, Hitman: Blood Money lists two Allans, Hansen and Merrild. Merrild worked on Hitman: Blood Money and Absolution, while Hansen was an artist who worked on every Hitman game through 2012, with Absolution being his final job in the series. A poster for a street magician by the name of Allan Hansen could also be found in Hitman: Blood Money, possibly indicating that IO Interactive is continuing to honor the artist.

In other 007 First Light news, the game is off to a strong start and is IO Interactive's fastest-selling game to date. The studio confirmed that it reached 1.5 million sales in just 24 hours, and 007 First Light reviews have been very positive so far.

007 First Light: Meet The Celebrity Cast Of The New James Bond Game View Images

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4's cast of actors is coming into focus, with Luke Tennie from the beloved Apple TV show Shrinking taking on a leading role and Beef and The Last of Us actor Young Mazino in the main role of Private Park.

Other actors with roles in the game include Prisca Kim (Beef, Loot), Lanny Joon (Baby Driver, Hollywood Wasteland), William Lipton (General Hospital), and Barry Sloane returning as Price. Variety confirmed the general casting details, and Resonate confirmed Mazino will play Park.

Tennie plays the character Lieutenant West in Modern Warfare 4. Posting on Instagram, Tennie said, "Pretty sure I made lifelong friends working on this."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3V6Y591Zrkg

Tennie plays Sean on Shrinking, and he's coming back to reprise the role for the upcoming fourth season, which features a time jump and a totally new story.

In addition to Tennie as Lieutenant West, MW4 features María Elisa Camargo reprising her role as Valeria. We aren't totally sure who Kim, Joon, and Lipton are playing, however.

Mazino, for his part, is known for playing Jesse on HBO's The Last of Us, so this is not the first time he's involved with a video game project.

See at Amazon

Modern Warfare 4 releases on October 23, which is about a month before GTA 6 arrives. The new Call of Duty game is coming to PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, as well as Switch 2. For more, check out GameSpot's hands-on preview of MW4.

Infinity Ward is bringing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 to Nintendo Switch 2, and that's a big deal since the CoD franchise hasn't been on a Nintendo platform since 2013. Infinity Ward co-studio head Jack O'Hara discussed the process of bringing MW4 to Switch 2 with a native version, saying it's been "so smooth." This came after former Xbox boss Phil Spencer said there was "definitely" work that needed to be done to get Call of Duty running on Switch. 

"The game got up and running on the platform really quickly once we got the hardware. So far it's been really good. To be honest, it's been really fun to be on a new platform," O'Hara told GamesRadar about bringing MW4 to Switch 2.

Also in the interview, O'Hara confirmed that cross-play between Switch 2 and the other console platforms and PC is currently supported, but, "We'll see at launch exactly where the mix ends up."

The Switch 2 is a relatively less powerful console than the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, but it remains to be seen what concessions the Nintendo console version will have.

Microsoft, which owns Activision and the Call of Duty franchise, first confirmed plans to bring Call of Duty to Switch in 2023 as a means to appease regulators and get its blockbuster deal for Activision across the line. At the time, Microsoft pledged that Call of Duty releases on Switch would arrive "the same day as Xbox, with full features and content parity."

The last time a Call of Duty game came to a Nintendo platform was in 2013 with the Wii U edition of Infinity Ward's Call of Duty: Ghosts. 

MW4 is launching on October 23 for Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. It is not coming to PS4 and Xbox One. Preorders are open now, but not on Switch 2. Activision has also confirmed a "Loyalty" discount for MW4 that allows people to get 10% off the game's Vault edition. 

The Witcher 3 may be getting a big new expansion almost 12 years after launch, but you shouldn’t expect that to be the norm for the series going forward. From Witcher 4 on, CDPR will focus on full games instead of developing expansions, the studio said.

In the Q&A section of CD Projekt Red’s latest earnings call, as reported by Games Radar, joint CEO Michał Nowakowski said that getting the next trilogy out on schedule will be the studio’s priority after Witcher 4. CDPR optimistically plans to release the full trilogy of Witcher 4, 5, and 6 within six years, which is a tight timeline even without taking time to release expansions.

“The plans are pretty ambitious--specifically, it's to release three Witcher games within a six-year period,” Nowakowski said. “It would be difficult, to be very honest, for us to add an expansion to the upcoming trilogy. This is where we are here and now with this particular issue.”

This is a major departure from what we’ve seen from the Witcher series in the past--The Witcher 3 received two major expansions in the years following release, with one more titled Songs of the Past now on the way over a decade later.

Given CDPR was specific about calling Songs of the Past an expansion rather than a DLC--classing the latter as a smaller content update generally released for free--there may be hope that the next Witcher trilogy will still get some kind of post-launch content.

Songs of the Past will release in 2027, meaning that we’re not likely to see The Witcher 4 until at least 2028--but between the new expansion and the upcoming trilogy, it’s a great time to be a Witcher fan.

Grand Theft Auto 6 is still on-track to release in just under six months. And while it’s too soon to claim the title will receive the same critical acclaim that Grand Theft Auto 5 received in 2013, Strauss Zelnick--the CEO of Rockstar Games’ parent company, Take-Two Interactive--is confident the sequel will receive high reviews. He also believes the glowing response to Rockstar’s previous games reflects well on the company itself. 

“Rockstar’s scores are typically in the mid-90s, sometimes high 90s,” Zelnick said during an interview with The Game Business. “Not many games can say that. And that’s a reflection on Rockstar’s commitment to quality.”

Zelnick also acknowledged that great reviews still matter for games like GTA 6, but his fellow guest, Future content director Dan Dawkins, suggested that the gaming media landscape has greatly changed in the 13 years since GTA 5 was released. 

“The media and cultural environment has completely transformed,” Dawkins said. “At that point in time ... it was easier--not easy, but easier--to handpick the journalists you wanted to review that game ahead of time. I was one of those journalists. Social media is so noisy. And someone has to be first to say the thing you like is rubbish. Someone will do that. All narratives are available at once now, about everything. Rockstar are going to get, from the gates, some dissenting voices.”

Regardless, Zelnick remains bullish about GTA 6’s prospects, even in the face of rising costs for everyday needs. 

“If you give people what they want in the entertainment business, they will come out for it,” Zelnick told IGN earlier this week. He also hinted that GTA 6 will have a “reasonable price,” but has yet to specify what it will be.

If GTA 6 hadn’t been delayed, it would have released earlier this week. Instead, it will launch on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 on November 19. Rockstar recently reaffirmed that release date in the face of another rumored delay.

It's been a hot minute since we've heard anything from Atlus about Persona 6--or whatever it ends up being called--other than reassurances of, "It's coming, guys, we swear!" However, it seems now that fans who have been eagerly waiting for years might have a tiny little taste of what to expect when the upcoming RPG does get its full reveal.

The leaks come in the form of screenshots that appear to have surfaced on Chinese forums, but may originally have come from Chinese social-media-sharing site RedNote, according to reposters on ResetEra.

Among the images seen in the links are concept-art and graphic-design reference sheets of a blonde-haired character with a bowl cut, who is believed to be the game's protagonist. This character is pictured in another image staring wistfully out of a bus or train window in a rough sketch for either an animated sequence or promotional art. Another image shows a female character who has dark hair with red highlights at the tips next to the blonde-haired male. She also has a character sheet showing a variety of different expressions. Some fans are speculating that she may be an additional or selectable protagonist, while others think she might be the primary companion to the main character.

There's also a screenshot of a list of file names that seem to be art assets, containing several potential character names in Japanese last-name-first order: Kujo Inko, Karaki Toma, Ogami Renji, Nishiura Akari, Engoku Hana, Sentaka Shino, Hiruma Yumi, and Satozaki Oguriri. There also appears to be a file for a mascot-type character (similar to Persona 4's Teddie and Persona 5's Morgana) named Nilfer. Finally, there's a concept drawing of a train station, which some online observers have said looks similar to the Sakuragicho station in Yokohama, Japan.

So when will we be able to verify that this information is legit? 2026 is the Persona series' 30th anniversary, and Atlus has been promoting this fact with events across the globe. An announcement showcasing the first official P6 reveal would be a great way to cap off the celebrations. Of course, it's all speculation at this point, but if the leaks have any veracity to them, Persona fans can be comforted in knowing that at least development seems to be moving along.

The Best RPGs To Play In 2026 View Images

Fortnite is holding what Epic Games is calling a "community day" on Saturday, May 30, and that means there will be free cosmetics for everyone who logs in that day, more free stuff for anyone who earns a win in Battle Royale, and a bonus style for The Foundation (Reforged) for battle pass owners. There's a gameplay component to the event as well, as the community day will also add some interesting new one-day-only gameplay changes and our first teaser for the upcoming Chapter 7 Season 3.

Free cosmetics for Fortnite community day

Anyone who logs in to Fortnite between 9 AM ET on May 30 and 9 AM ET on May 31 will receive the Reflector weapon wrap and the Community Brella. The Reflector wrap is all silver and was added to the game files as part of the Silver Surfer's set in 2020, but it was never released. The Community Brella is an all-black umbrella glider that is very similar to the old One Shot John Wick umbrella, and it also comes with an additional style.

And for those who have the battle pass, either by purchasing with V-Bucks or an active Fortnite Crew subscription, you'll also be awarded with the tie-wearing, office-ready variant of The Foundation (Reforged) when you log in.

There's also another set of three items you can earn by winning a round of Battle Royale during the community day event: The Lemmie Axe pickaxe, the Space Blaster weapon wrap, and the Loons back bling. Like the Reflector wrap, these items were all originally added to the game files years ago but weren't released, and one of them is particularly interesting--The Loons back bling dates all the way back to 2019, and the skin it belongs to, Brilliant Bomber, still hasn't been released.

Lastly, we've got a set of Twitch drops you can earn by watching Fortnite content creators on Twitch. These items are the accessories from the Metal Menace item shop bundle. If you get these drops, you'll be able to buy the bundle, with the Skulldroid skin, for 200 V-Bucks next time it rotates into the shop.

Fortnite community day gameplay changes

Battle Royale will be full of new wrinkles and loot for the community day event, with golden fireworks guns, finger guns, and supercharged pizza joining the loot pool, and the map being filled with blue chests. 

And Fortnite will hold a special new Power Hour in Battle Royale from 12:30 PM PT to 1:30 PM PT on May 30, with all players starting each match with a self-res, a Cube Rifle, and an Infinity Blade. The Power Hour will also start the final stretch of the season with some sort of in-game teaser for the Season 2 finale event next Friday. That teaser should also give us our first meaningful clues about Chapter 7 Season 3, which starts just a week after the community day event on June 6.

One of the first decisions that Xbox CEO Asha Sharma made after becoming the new boss earlier this year was to cut the price of Xbox Game Pass significantly. In a memo to staff recently, Sharma explained the thinking behind the price cut and talked about the impact it's making so far, saying it's helping move Xbox in the right direction.

“Growth slowed down and subscriber loss accelerated after the pricing and SKU changes last year,” Sharma said in the memo obtained by The Verge. “Since our price reduction we have seen acquisitions grow and retention improve, which is a good first step.”

Also in the memo, Sharma said Game Pass still has a challenging road ahead.

“We will not solve this in one moment or one launch,” Sharma said. “We will have to outwork the problem in front of us in our path to restore durable growth.”

The next evolution of Game Pass launched today, with Discord Nitro members now getting access to a starter version of Game Pass for no extra charge. Looking further out, a top boss at Netflix has said Sharma is considering bundling more services into Game Pass to draw people in.

Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters said he and Sharma have “kicked around ideas” for how Netflix and Xbox could work together on subscription bundles. Nothing has been confirmed, but Peters said he “wouldn’t eliminate any possibilities.”

“You would have to do it in a way that works for the consumer and works for both companies, and frankly, I think Microsoft’s still trying to figure out how to make the Game Pass bundle work for Microsoft,” Peters said. “But what I like about Asha’s thinking is, it’s all about, ‘How do we do more?’ And it’s already been exciting to watch.”

The executive also discussed her decision to rebrand Xbox as XBOX.

"We are building a stronger XBOX. That means making hard choices about what we build, where we invest, and what kind of company we need to be going forward,” she said. “That is part of what you are starting to see in the shift from Xbox to XBOX. It reflects a decision to be deliberate in how we show up for the players who care most about this brand.”

Beyond the Game Pass price cut and the decision to change the styling of Xbox to XBOX, Sharma was personally responsible for killing off the controversial "This is an Xbox" marketing slogan.

It's a big year for Xbox, as 2026 marks the 25th anniversary of the brand. Microsoft's next big Xbox event is the Xbox Games Showcase on June 7, so be sure to keep checking back with GameSpot for more.

007 First Light was already shaping up to be one of the biggest games of 2026, and its launch-day sales numbers indicate it could very well live up to that high standard.

As shared by IO Interactive--who both developed and published the game--First Light managed to sell 1..5 million units in its first 24 hours. The game was initially available on May 26 for those who preordered it digitally, with the full launch following one day later.

https://twitter.com/007GameIOI/status/2060058908014551246

"Thank you for showing up to the launch of 007 First Light, for your overwhelming enthusiasm, and for sharing your experience with the game," IO said in the announcement post.

It's certainly been a long time since we've gotten a new James Bond game, and even longer since we got one truly worthy of the 007 name. 007 First Light seems to fit fully into the "truly worthy" category, with a snappier combat system than we saw in the Hitman games but with a healthy dose of improvisation and creative stealth thrown in for good measure. In our 007 First Light review, Mark Delaney said it "wisely repurposes what works in both [007 and Hitman] universes but isn't afraid to reimagine or ditch those parts that don't."

007 First Light is available now for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, with a Nintendo Switch 2 version arriving at a later date. It just received a new patch, as well, aimed at fixing several pesky crashes.

Players who hated the omnimovement of Black Ops 6 and 7 can rejoice, as today's reveal of Modern Warfare 4 confirmed that player movement will be dialed back for this new year of Call of Duty.

Introduced just two years ago, Treyarch's omnimovement allowed for player movement in any direction, and actions could be chained together to create some really fancy plays reminiscent of action movies. Players could dive backwards to avoid grenades or commit to a series of complicated wall jumps and slides. Omnimovement allowed the recent Black Ops games to cater to the "sweaty" movement kings of Call of Duty. While no one was required to perform these actions in game, there are likely players who will be happy to see the movement scaled back for Modern Warfare 4.

Of course, this doesn't mean Modern Warfare 4's movement will feel clunky or stale. Developers at Infinity Ward told GameSpot the studio changed its approach to player movement, with a heavier emphasis placed on "making Modern Warfare 4's movement as fast and fluid as possible." They said they felt that, with Modern Warfare 2, the team had made choices that restricted players, like slowing them down as they went through doors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj1RQW7phc0

Modern Warfare 4 does remove omnimovement and the wall-jump capability, so this is very much a boots-on-the-ground Call of Duty, but it will still feature refined parkour-style movement. Players will still be able to perform fluid mantling, sliding, and grabbing ledges, and the game adds the ability to climb up pipes for even more interesting engagement opportunities.

In other news, Modern Warfare 4 will allow players to choose a progression path for prestiging, and the campaign will also be playable offline, so players won't need to have an internet connection just to enjoy the game's story.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 launches on October 23 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch 2. Unfortunately, this means the old generation of consoles are losing support, and Warzone will also no longer be playable on PS4 and Xbox One after Season 1 of Modern Warfare 4.
Like previous years, Modern Warfare 4 will feature an open beta ahead of launch, and more details on that hands-on opportunity will be revealed soon.

As part of the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 announcement today, Activision unveiled what it called a "Loyalty" discount that will allow certain people to get the game's $100 Vault Edition for 10% off. That's not a whole lot, but it's enough to offset the tax you'd pay, and in a world where seemingly everything is getting more expensive, it's a notable discount if you want the more expensive version of the game. The discount does not apply to the game's $70 base edition. 

There are a couple ways to get 10% off Modern Warfare 4's Vault Edition with this program. First, Activision is offering 10% off for anyone who owned and played a Call of Duty game digitally or physically going back to 2019's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. The full list of qualifying titles is below--note that Call of Duty: Warzone is not included because it's free, nor are any Call of Duty games for mobile.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj1RQW7phc0

Another way to score the discount on the Vault Edition is to have played one of the qualifying games on Xbox Game Pass and have an active subscription to Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, or PC Game Pass. You also qualify for the discount if you claimed a qualifying title from PlayStation Plus. 

Something further to note is that the 10% discount only applies to preorders and only within the same platform and on the same account. The discount does not apply to the $30 Vault Edition upgrade offering.

If you meet all of those criteria, you should see the 10% discount on your preferred digital store. Here is an image of what it should look like:

Qualifying Call of Duty titles for the Loyalty discount

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered (2020)
• Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
• Call of Duty: Vanguard
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (2023)
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 7

Modern Warfare 4's Vault Edition includes the base game, along with a series of extras, including weapons, cosmetics, and Season 1's BlackCell bundle, among other things. Additionally, people who preorder any edition of Modern Warfare 4 get early access to the open beta and the Hunter Killer operator skin that can be used immediately in Black Ops 7 and Warzone.

Modern Warfare 4 launches on October 23 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. It's also coming to the Nintendo Switch 2 the same day, and that's notable because the Call of Duty series has been absent from Nintendo's platforms since 2013.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt hasn't just been one of CD Projekt's most critically acclaimed games in the years since it was first released, but also a consistent best-seller. The company has revealed that the game has reached a new sales milestone, selling 65 million units globally. To put this into perspective, that's another 5 million sales in just one year.

While this figure is impressive, it won't budge The Witcher 3 out of its current eighth-place position on the list of best-selling video games. Terraria is still in seventh place with 70 million lifetime sales to date, and it's probably a safe bet that Geralt's adventure won't be unseating Tetris (520 million lifetime sales) or Grand Theft Auto V (230 million lifetime sales).

Nevertheless, CDPR says that the game has built a massive network of players since its 2015 launch, and it expects to see more people return to the game when it releases the new expansion--don't call it DLC--Songs of the Past in 2027. Co-developed with Fool's Theory, the new expansion will continue the tale of Geralt. "The return of Geralt after more than one decade will be an excellent adventure, and a trip down memory lane, before we pass the baton to Ciri in the upcoming The Witcher 4," CDPR Joint-CEO Michał Nowakowski said in a statement.

The Witcher 3 built up those sales over a long period of time, with re-releases on multiple platforms and big discounts, not to mention the influence of The Witcher on Netflix. The game is usually available at a bargain price on sites like GOG whenever there's an annual sale, and with all of those factors added up, it's no wonder that it reached such high sales numbers.

CDPR also provided an updated look at how its development teams are split across several projects. Development teams have increased slightly for games like The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2, with the only exceptions being Project Hadar's team shrinking by two people, and the unit dedicated to "other" projects at CDPR hasn't changed at all.

As of April 30, 2026, here's what those numbers look like:

Several CDPR teams have grown.

• The Witcher 4: 513 people
• Cyberpunk 2:  163 people
• Project Sirius (The Witcher multiplayer game): 83 people
• Project Hadar (original IP): 24 people
• Shared services: 173 people
• Other: 19 people

Several other projects are also in development currently. The first Witcher game is also getting a remake, and the first look at the second season of the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners anime series will be shown off at Anime Expo 2026 on July 3.

Best-Selling Games Of Each Year Since 1998 In The US View Images

Activision officially revealed Modern Warfare 4 today, and we learned several new details about what to expect for a new year of Call of Duty, including a promising new change for how players progress in multiplayer.

Modern Warfare 4 arrives on October 23, featuring campaign, multiplayer, and the return of DMZ. While we don't have the full details of how progression will work, or if it will be available across all modes, we did learn that Modern Warfare 4 will give players the choice of two separate progression paths: classic or regular.

Call of Duty's classic prestige system is a popular choice in the community, which delivers the traditional reset experience, relocking a player's create-a-class progression in exchange for increased XP earn rates and access to exclusive rewards.

However, not everyone wants to deal with the hassle of a reset and lose all their progress. The option to choose Modern Warfare 4's "regular" path will still allow players to restart from level one without resetting their create-a-class content and losing everything. This path gives a flexible way to reward continued progression and offers its own set of prestige rewards and progression milestones.

Additionally, Modern Warfare 4's big reveal confirms there will be open-beta early access prior to release. It's also worth noting that Call of Duty is leaving the old console generation behind, and Warzone will no longer be playable on PS4 and Xbox One after Season 1 of Modern Warfare 4.

The full version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 will be available for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Switch 2, and PC. Multiplayer launches with 12 core multiplayer maps for standard-size matches, and some additional modes are planned for 3v3 and 10v10 experiences as well. The campaign includes a mix of legacy characters like Captain Price and Ghost alongside brand-new characters fighting in a Korean war.

One of the big gripes around last year's Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 was its always-online requirement for its campaign. Progress was often tedious--especially if you had a spotty online connection--and you couldn't even pause the game without risking death and a checkpoint restart. Fortunately, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 looks set to rectify that point of content, as its single-player campaign will be playable offline.

As confirmed by Insider Gaming, players will have the option to untether themselves from the internet if they want to play through the single-player campaign, which is particularly good news for anyone looking to experience the game through a mobile gaming PC like the Steam Deck or the Nintendo Switch 2 edition of Modern Warfare 4. Maintaining a stable connection on those platforms isn't always possible, so the removal of the always-online requirement means that users will have one less hurdle to worry about.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 players can attest to just how annoying this feature was. Originally, the idea for the game's campaign was to promote co-op play over solo missions, but this also meant that players working through a corridor of bullet-sponge enemies could be booted back to the previous checkpoint if their internet connection dropped. Open channels also meant that fellow players could talk over cutscenes, an issue that wasn't too bad if you were playing with friends. But if matchmaking paired you with someone unaware of just how bad their background noise was? It was absolute hell on the ears.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj1RQW7phc0&pp=ygUIZ2FtZXNwb3Q%3D

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 launches on October 23 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch 2. Developer Infinity Ward has described the campaign as a dark and dangerous tale, partly told from the perspective of a South Korean soldier as his country faces a full-scale invasion by North Korea. The game will also feature Call of Duty's signature action, without you needing to worry about a car chase being derailed by a bad internet connection.

Like previous years, an open beta for the game will kick off ahead of its launch--with more details on that to be revealed soon--and Modern Warfare 2's DMZ mode will be making a return.

Best Call Of Duty Games, Ranked View Images

As part of the announcement of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 today, Activision also confirmed that Call of Duty: Warzone is going away on legacy platforms.

Starting with MW4 Season 1 (which itself is expected "shortly" after the game releases on October 23), Warzone will no longer be playable on PS4 and Xbox One. The game itself will be delisted for new downloads on those platforms on June 4, though anyone who still has the game can keep playing. Items like Call of Duty Points bundles will be removed on PS4 and Xbox One as well.

Then on June 25, the in-game store for Warzone on PS4 and Xbox One will be removed. Players will still be able to progress through the free Battle Pass, however.

People playing Warzone on PS4 and Xbox One who hold a Call of Duty Points balance when the game closes aren't completely out of luck. That's because content purchased with Call of Duty Points is connected to your Activision account, so as long as you're playing with the same account, your currency balance and purchased content should still be there. You can visit Activision's support page to get more specifics about this.

Activision also announced that when MW4 Season 1 launches, content from that game will begin to appear in Warzone.

Modern Warfare 4 launches on October 23 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Switch 2. An open beta is coming ahead of launch, and you can get in early.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 was officially announced today, and it'll be releasing in October. Prior to its full launch, however, the game will have an open beta, and as per usual, you're going to have an opportunity to get in early.

The open beta was confirmed via a post on the official Call of Duty blog, but Activision went short of saying exactly when the beta will be. In the past, beta tests have been held several weeks before launch, which would put the window here at sometime in September or very early October.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLbst85USN8

If you want to play even earlier than that date, you can preorder Modern Warfare 4 for open-beta early access. The open beta will run for at least two days, and because Modern Warfare 4 is not going to be on Game Pass at launch, preordering it is likely necessary to play early.

The full version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 launches on October 23 for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Switch 2, and PC. Multiplayer will include a number of new and updated modes, including a 10-on-10 version of Gun Game. The campaign, meanwhile, will feature of a mix of legacy characters like Captain Price alongside low-level "grunts" in a renewed Korean War.

Activision has officially announced Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, which is being led by series creator Infinity Ward. The game is set for release this October, and Activision is surely hoping the game performs better than 2025’s Black Ops 7--that game had the series’ worst sales-year ranking since 2008.

In this post, we’re rounding up everything we’ve heard so far. You can also read GameSpot's hands-on preview of MW4.

When will Modern Warfare 4 be released?

Modern Warfare 4 releases on October 23, 2026. That's about a month before GTA 6 launches on November 19.

Who is making Modern Warfare 4?

Infinity Ward is leading the development of Modern Warfare 4. The studio created the Call of Duty sub-brand and is working alongside a number of other teams on it. 

In alphabetical order, these include Activision Central Design, Activision Central Technology, Activision QA, Activision Shanghai, Beenox, Demonware, High Moon Studios, Raven Software, Sledgehammer Games, and Treyarch. 

MW4 trailers

You can check out the announcement trailer for MW4 below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLbst85USN8 MW4 platforms

Modern Warfare 4 is coming to all the major modern platforms, including PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Switch 2. The Nintendo release is notable given that Call of Duty has been absent from Nintendo's platforms since 2013's Wii U version of Call of Duty: Ghosts. Microsoft pledged to bring Call of Duty to Switch as part of its appeal to regulators to approve the company's blockbuster buyout of Activision, and now it's finally happening.

The Switch 2 edition is a native version, Activision said. Additionally, the company said the PC version of MW4 is being developed by Beenox and that MW4 in general has been "built with the PC community in mind." To that end, Activision said PC players can expect "more ways to tune performance, visual fidelity, responsiveness, and customization."

Modern Warfare 4 won’t be on Game Pass

All of Microsoft’s first-party new releases come to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate on day one–or at least that used to be the case. In April this year, Microsoft announced drastic changes to Game Pass that included a price decrease and the announcement that new Call of Duty games will no longer launch into Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass. They will, however, arrive on Game Pass after about a year. What this means for MW4 is that anyone hoping to play it as part of their Game Pass subscription is out of luck and will need to pay for it outright.

Modern Warfare 4 preorders

Preorders for Modern Warfare 4 are not yet open, so there is no word yet on the game's various editions and their price points. 

Modern Warfare 4 story, setting, and characters

As rumored, Modern Warfare 4 centers its action on the Korea peninsula, with players taking on the role of Private Park. He is a young Korean "grunt" soldier who is going to battle for the first time. Park and his team are trying to overcome impossible odds in what Activision described as a "zero-to-hero" journey. 

One of the most famous members of Modern Warfare's Task Force 141, Captain Price, returns for Modern Warfare 4, but he's no longer part of the team. While the game is centered on Korea, Modern Warfare 4 will put players into battles in various places around the world, including New York, Paris, and Mumbai. 

What's new for multiplayer?

Multiplayer is Call of Duty's bread and butter, and of course it's returning for Modern Warfare 4. Activision said players can expect multiplayer that feels "grounded," which would be in keeping with tradition for the Modern Warfare series. This may be welcome news to those who do not enjoy the futuristic setup in the recent Black Ops games where players can run on walls and use cloaking devices, among other things. 

Activision is promising the "most authentic" Modern Warfare gunplay in Modern Warfare 4, with updates coming for bullet trajectory, weapon motion, Operator stance, camera, audio, FOV, and target visibility. Additionally, there is no more weapon bloom for hipfire. 

In terms of maps, there will be 12 all-new core 6v6 maps at launch, and that's notable because some previous Call of Duty games launched with recycled maps from previous games. Beyond the core modes, MW4 has dedicated Gunfight maps and Big War maps featuring vehicles and large-scale battles. There is also a new "Gunny" system for weapon customization, along with new "Apex" attachments that players unlock when they reach max weapon progression. 

Open beta

An open beta for MW4 was confirmed by Activision, but there is no word yet on any specifics like what it will include or when it will begin.

The return of DMZ

DMZ was a new mode for 2022’s Modern Warfare II, and while some people enjoyed and embraced it, others said it felt like a half-baked idea. The large-scale extraction-based mode had players amassing contracts, taking on missions, and fighting enemies in a variety of settings. As rumored, DMZ is returning in Modern Warfare 4, but that's the extent of what we know so far. Presumably more details about DMZ will be divulged later on.

Not expected to outsell GTA 6

The Call of Duty franchise is a juggernaut, but Call of Duty games are not known to outsell new releases from Rockstar Games, and that trend is expected to continue this year with MW4. For example, GTA 5 was the No. 1 best-selling game in the US in 2013, with Call of Duty: Ghosts ranking No. 2. In 2018, when Rockstar released Red Dead Redemption II, the open-world Western outsold Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 in the US.

It doesn’t take a Rockstar release to beat Call of Duty any more, though, as 2023 saw Hogwarts Legacy outsell Modern Warfare 3 and 2025 had Battlefield 6 as the No. 1 game, with Black Ops 7 all the way down to No. 5 for the year.

GTA 6 is coming to market with a seemingly unprecedented level of hype behind it, and it’s unthinkable that it wouldn’t be the No. 1 game of 2026.

How Modern Warfare 4 could use AI

Unlike other studios that either do not discuss AI or reject it outright, Activision has freely acknowledged that it uses generative AI to create some content in Call of Duty games. For Black Ops 7, the developer said they also used AI technologies, but also stressed, “Everything that goes into the game is touched by the team a hundred percent.” We do not know anything for certain yet about Modern Warfare 4 and AI, however.

Keep checking back with GameSpot for more on Call of Duty 2026 as more information becomes available.

Activision has officially announced Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, and it's being released slightly earlier than some might expect. MW4 is set for launch on Friday, October 23 across PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch 2.

That's 27 days before GTA 6 releases on November 19. For comparison, 2025's Black Ops 7 launched on November 14.

An October release date for a new Call of Duty game is not unprecedented, of course, as 2024's Black Ops 6 launched on October 25.

Given the enormous hype and unprecedented demand for GTA 6, game companies are generally avoiding launching new titles near the game. GTA 6 is currently the only major new release set to launch on November 19.

Not on Game Pass

Another notable development for MW4 is that it will not be available on Xbox Game Pass. As Microsoft announced previously, new Call of Duty games are no longer included with Game Pass, and instead won't come to the subscription program for about a year. This is part of a new "windowing" strategy whereby Microsoft excludes certain key games from Game Pass at launch.

MW4 will, however, be available on Nintendo Switch 2. That's notable because the Call of Duty series hasn't shown up on a Nintendo platform since 2013.

MW4's development is being led by Infinity Ward, the studio that created the sub-brand. The game's campaign puts players in the boots of the rookie soldier Private Park, with the story centering on the Korean peninsula. MW4 brings back multiplayer, of course, as well as the DMZ mode.