Activision has finally revealed Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, the next mainline entry in the first-person shooter franchise due out later in 2026.
Developed by Infinity Ward, the main studio behind the Modern Warfare sub-series, Modern Warfare 4 ditches the last generation of consoles to focus on the current-gen — and it’s also coming to Nintendo Switch 2 day one.
Three main modes are included in the package: Campaign, Multiplayer, and DMZ, the latter of which is Modern Warfare’s extraction mode. The setting this time around is Korea amid a full-scale invasion of South Korea. Activision describes the campaign as returning to the series’ roots, with “dark, gritty storytelling, cinematic set pieces, and immersive gameplay moments.” Expect missions in Korea, New York, Paris, and an SAS night raid in Mumbai.
Here’s the official blurb:
As for Multiplayer, the headline change is that weapon bloom has been removed from hipfire, which means “every shot tells the truth.” Shots “feel more connected to where the weapon is pointed while delivering consistent, predictable, and fair gunplay.”
At launch, expect 12 all-new core 6v6 maps, dedicated Gunfight maps, multiple Big War maps built for vehicle and infantry combat, and Kill Block, a dynamic battleground with more than 500 configurations that reshape routes, sightlines, and cover to keep players adapting round after round.
There are two Prestige paths: Classic Prestige and Regular Prestige. Classic Prestige delivers the traditional reset experience, relocking Create-a-Class progression in exchange for increased XP earn rates and access to exclusive Prestige rewards. Check out IGN's impressions of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Multiplayer right here.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 development is led by Infinity Ward, and will be available globally on Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Battle.net, Xbox on PC, Steam, and Nintendo Switch 2 on Friday, October 23, 2026. Crucially for Activision and Microsoft, that’s four weeks before the attention-sucking GTA 6 comes out.
The PC version is built with the help of Beenox, which has worked on PC versions of Call of Duty for some time now. The Nintendo Switch 2 version is developed in partnership with Digital Legends, the Barcelona-based Activision-owned studio which worked on the now shuttered Call of Duty Warzone Mobile.
It’s worth noting that this year's Call of Duty will not launch day one on Game Pass, Microsoft's subscription service. New Xbox boss Asha Sharma had decided to pull new Call of Duty launches out of Game Pass, instead adding them in a year later, while cutting the price of a sub as part of a wider effort to rebuild the brand in the eyes of hardcore fans.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
Continue reading...