The annual Call of Duty beta calendar is set. Activision confirmed the Modern Warfare 4 (Ed: Hasn’t this game already been released a couple times?) beta schedule on Monday via the official Call of Duty blog, anchoring the multiplayer test to the Call of Duty: NEXT event on August 21 and running through two weekends.
Weekend one is early access only, beginning August 21 and closing August 25. Pre-ordering Modern Warfare 4 on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, or PC gets you in; Nintendo Switch 2 is excluded from early access this cycle. Weekend two runs August 28 to September 1 as a proper open beta, available on all platforms including Switch 2 with no pre-order required.
The first hands-on with Modern Warfare 4 multiplayer came at Fanatics Fest, where Activision showed off Kill Block, a modular map built inside a military training facility. Kill Block’s distinctive gimmick: the map’s layout dynamically swaps chunks between rounds, meaning you can load into a round playing on a 1:1 recreation of Crash from the original 2007 Modern Warfare and have the layout shift for the next round. It’s an experimental design that worked better in practice than it might sound on paper. PC Gamer’s preview from May had positive early words for it.
One notable wrinkle this year: Xbox Game Pass subscribers get no special beta treatment. In prior cycles, Game Pass Ultimate members have received early access without a pre-order, but that perk is absent from the 2026 beta structure.
Modern Warfare 4 is developed by Infinity Ward with contributions from Beenox, Raven, Sledgehammer, and others. It launches October 23, 2026 on Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC (Battle.net, Xbox on PC, Steam), and Nintendo Switch 2, marking Call of Duty’s return to a Nintendo platform for the first time in years under Microsoft’s 10-year commitment following the Activision acquisition.
If you want in on the beta without spending on a pre-order, August 28 is your date.
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