Modern Warfare 4 Beta Dates Are Locked: Early Access August 21, Open Beta August 28 With Switch 2

We finally have dates. Activision confirmed on the Call of Duty blog that the Modern Warfare 4 beta runs across two weekends in August, and for the first time in the series, the beta unlocks the moment the Call of Duty: NEXT broadcast wraps on August 21.

Video: Call of Duty on YouTube

Two weekends, and Switch 2 gets the second one

Weekend one is the early access beta, from August 21 to August 25, reserved for players who preorder the game on PS5, Xbox Series X|S or PC. Weekend two is the open beta, from August 28 to September 1, and it is open to everyone on every platform with no preorder required. That includes Nintendo Switch 2, a first for the franchise, though Nintendo Switch Online is required to play there.

Activision says the beta will offer multiple multiplayer maps and modes, a selection of new operators, and as many as 19 weapons, spanning everything from 3v3 skirmishes to large tactical battles with tanks. Vault Edition preorders also unlock that edition's operators during the beta. Switch 2 preorders for the full game open separately on August 26, with Infinity Ward and Digital Legends handling the native port.

The numbered camo with a July 23 deadline

There is also an unusual preorder hook with a very near deadline. Digitally preorder Modern Warfare 4 before Black Ops 7 Season 05 launches on July 23 and you instantly get the Moonlit Pearl universal camo in Black Ops 7. A season challenge then unlocks a second camo, Gilded Ruin, and the first 100,000 players to complete it receive a variant engraved with a unique serial number. Both camos carry into Modern Warfare 4 when it launches on October 23. You can still preorder after July 23, but Activision warns your odds of landing a numbered camo drop sharply.

Our take

The structure is familiar, one weekend gated behind preorders and one open to all, but the details matter this year. Launching the beta straight out of the NEXT broadcast is smart, and putting Switch 2 in the open weekend gives Nintendo players a real chance to judge the port before preorders even settle. The serialized camo is the part we would not chase. A numbered cosmetic for the first 100,000 finishers is a collector gimmick built to rush preorders two days from now, and preordering a Call of Duty game in July to earn a camo in a different game has a certain absurdity to it. The beta is free on every platform in weekend two. Waiting for it costs you nothing.