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.