Modern Warfare 4 Launch Guide: Platforms, Editions, Price

Modern Warfare 4 has been out for over two weeks. This guide covers the box: which platforms, which edition, and whether there is a Zombies mode. Everything below comes from Activision's own pages (callofduty.com, the Activision support editions page) plus the Steam store page for US prices, read on November 8, 2026. Anything I could not trace to one of those is listed at the end.

The short answer

Modern Warfare 4 launched worldwide on October 23, 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC (Battle.net and Steam) and Nintendo Switch 2. On Steam in the US the Standard Edition is $69.99, the Vault Edition is $99.99 and the Vault upgrade for Standard owners is $30. At launch the game shipped a Campaign, Multiplayer and a DMZ extraction mode. Activision's pages I read do not list a Zombies mode for Modern Warfare 4.

Release date and platforms

Activision's support page says the game "launches worldwide on October 23, 2026." Digital preorder buyers got the full Campaign early, from Friday, October 16 (PT), and DMZ early access from Tuesday, October 20 (PT). Both windows are over now. One oddity: the Steam page displays October 22, 2026 as the release date. Activision's October 23 worldwide launch date is the one to use.

There is no PlayStation 4 or Xbox One version listed. Activision's Warzone post says that game and Modern Warfare 4 are moving on from older generation hardware. Split-screen multiplayer (two players on one screen) is listed for Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 in Activision's FAQ.

Editions and prices

Activision's support page describes three ways to buy but gives no base price. Prices below are from the Steam US store on November 8, 2026 and may differ by platform and region.

Two rules worth knowing. Physical editions cannot be upgraded to the Vault Edition, so if you might want the extras, buy digital. And the Vault upgrade has to be on the same platform as the original purchase. Activision's 10 percent Vault loyalty discount for owners of Call of Duty releases from 2019 onward ran only until October 23, 2026, and was not available on upgrades.

What the Vault Edition adds

Per callofduty.com and the support page, the Vault Edition includes the Digital Standard Edition plus:

• Hostile Alliance Operator Pack: skins for Price (two variants), Valeria (two variants), Ghost and Blix.
• Special Forces Operator Pack: COM SFT (France), KSK Amphibious (Germany), South Korean Special Forces and SAS (United Kingdom), each with voice packs in local languages.
• Signature Weapon Collection: blueprints for the Kastov 762, ISO Nightshade, Rezi 12, Oris 8.6 and a Combat Knife.
• One season of BlackCell: 1,100 COD Points, 20 Tier Skips, BlackCell content and a full Battle Pass, redeemable for a single season only.
• DMZ Deployment Bonus: an extra Active Duty slot and a Deployment Kit.

The Operator packs and weapon collection arrive in Warzone starting in Season 1. The preorder bonuses (Hunter Killer skin, Gilded Pearl camo pack and the Inner Circuit M4 blueprint) went to preorder buyers of any digital edition, and Activision lists the Hunter Killer skin as redeemable until October 23, 2027.

What ships at launch

Activision's launch post names three pillars.

Campaign. Activision's launch post sets it up this way: Price is on the run, conflict has erupted on the Korean Peninsula, and a catastrophic weapon of war is on the verge of falling into the wrong hands.

Multiplayer. Activision counts 20 maps at launch: 12 new 6v6 maps, 4 Gunfight maps, 3 Ground War maps and the Kill Block modular training facility. It describes the combat as grounded and precise, built around fluid movement.

DMZ. An extraction mode where, in Activision's words, you operate as an off-the-books asset behind enemy lines and choose which objectives to pursue, what to secure and when to get out. The launch post puts it in Hajin.

What is not on that list: Zombies. The launch post, the Modern Warfare 4 hub page, the support editions page and the Season 1 posts I read do not mention a Zombies mode for this game. That is an absence on these pages, not a statement that none is coming.

How Modern Warfare 4 connects to Warzone

Warzone stays a separate, free-to-play game. What changed is that Activision calls Season 1 a full integration with Modern Warfare 4. Season 1 was scheduled to start at midnight ET on November 6 (9 PM PT November 5) across all platforms, per the November 2 Warzone post. At that point:

• Player Level resets, and you can level up and optionally Prestige across Multiplayer, DMZ and Warzone.
• All 33 Modern Warfare 4 launch weapons come to Warzone with Weapon Prestige and Warzone Mastery Camos, plus Apex Attachments and Season 1 Operators.
• Battle Pass and BlackCell progress carries into Warzone.
• Hajin (Battle Royale) and Zodiac (Resurgence) are new maps. Verdansk and Rebirth Island are listed as returning later in the season.
• Weapons from Modern Warfare II through Black Ops 7 move to a Legacy tab: still usable, but not editable in Gunsmith and without Mastery Camos or build codes.
• Warzone launches on Nintendo Switch 2 with the season, and stops being playable on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Progression carries over if you use the same linked Activision account.

Modern Warfare 4's own Season 1 content (new Multiplayer maps and modes, a new DMZ area and bosses, new weapons) is covered in Activision's Season 1 deep dive. This guide stops at the launch picture; check the Season 1 patch notes for the current state of play.

PC requirements and online rules

From the Steam page and Activision's support page:

PC players need TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot, and a linked mobile number may be required. Multiplayer (including Private Matches) and DMZ need a continuous internet connection because the game uses texture streaming. Console players need PlayStation Plus, Game Pass Essential or Nintendo Switch Online for online modes. Activision also notes that accounts permanently banned from certain previous titles may not be eligible for online modes.

What I could not confirm

• Console and regional prices. Activision's page gives no Standard price and I only read the Steam US store. PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo and physical retail prices may differ.
• Switch 2 launch-day parity. Activision lists the platform and the patch notes mention it, but I found no official feature comparison against PS5, Xbox or PC.
• Game Pass. I found nothing on an official page about whether Modern Warfare 4 is on Game Pass. Activision's pages mention Game Pass only for the loyalty discount.
• Zombies. Not on any official page I read for this game, which is not the same as confirmed absent.
• How well it plays. This is a buying and launch guide. I am not scoring the campaign or multiplayer here.