Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 launches on October 23rd, 2026, with 33 weapons: 24 primaries, eight secondaries, and one melee weapon. None of them are behind challenges or store bundles at launch. Every gun unlocks by earning XP and reaching a set player level between 4 and 55. That ladder tops out right before Prestige.
Quick answer: Reach Player Level 4 to unlock Create-a-Class and nine starter weapons. The rest unlock one or two at a time up to Level 55, where the Cronen Squall finishes the set.
Modern Warfare 4 starter weapons at Level 4
Levels 1 through 3 run on premade default loadouts. You can’t build your own class yet. Create-a-Class opens at Player Level 4, and that same level gives you one weapon from almost every category:
- Han 86 (assault rifle)
- ISO Nightshade (SMG)
- Rezi 12 (shotgun)
- FiNN LMG (LMG)
- MAR-9 (marksman rifle)
- KG-7 Vulcan (sniper rifle)
- SANG 9mm (pistol)
- PILA (launcher)
- FSS Carbon Edge 1095 (melee knife)
That covers all nine weapon classes in one go. Everything after Level 4 adds depth within a class rather than opening a new one.
MW4 weapon unlock levels from Level 7 to Level 55
The remaining 24 weapons unlock in this order. Some levels unlock two guns at once, and a few stretches have no weapon unlocks at all, such as Levels 14 through 21.
| Player Level | Weapon | Class |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Krait P68 | Pistol |
| 9 | Type 73 | LMG |
| 11 | Oris 8.6 | Marksman rifle |
| 13 | VEL 46 | SMG |
| 14 | M4 | Assault rifle |
| 21 | Hyeon Burst | Assault rifle |
| 21 | Wz. 55 Striga | SMG |
| 23 | RPG-8 | Launcher |
| 25 | Astaroth .57 | Sniper rifle |
| 27 | Patriot XMR | Assault rifle |
| 27 | PPSh-41 | SMG |
| 32 | Warlord | Shotgun |
| 34 | Kastov 762 | Assault rifle |
| 34 | X-58 Nyx | SMG |
| 36 | Mosin-Nagant | Marksman rifle |
| 39 | Oden | Assault rifle |
| 41 | .50 GS | Pistol |
| 43 | JOKR | Launcher |
| 44 | APOC-338 | LMG |
| 48 | Mojave .357 | Pistol |
| 50 | Signal 50 | Sniper rifle |
| 52 | Axion | Assault rifle |
| 54 | PM-40 Anvil | Launcher |
| 55 | Cronen Squall | Assault rifle |
The back half of the ladder is where things slow down. After Level 34 you get roughly one weapon every few levels, and three of the final four unlocks are an assault rifle or a launcher.
The in-game Progression menu shows each weapon’s required level. If a level there ever differs from the table above, trust the in-game number for your build of the game.
When each MW4 weapon class is complete
If you only care about one class, you don’t need to hit 55. Here’s how many weapons each class has and the level that finishes it.
| Class | Weapons | Class complete at |
|---|---|---|
| Assault rifles | 8 | Level 55 |
| SMGs | 5 | Level 34 |
| Shotguns | 2 | Level 32 |
| LMGs | 3 | Level 44 |
| Marksman rifles | 3 | Level 36 |
| Sniper rifles | 3 | Level 50 |
| Pistols | 4 | Level 48 |
| Launchers | 4 | Level 54 |
| Melee | 1 | Level 4 |
SMG players get the shortest grind, with all five unlocked by Level 34. Assault rifles take the longest, since the class is spread across the entire ladder from the Han 86 at Level 4 to the Cronen Squall at Level 55.
Open Beta unlock levels no longer apply
If you played the Open Beta, expect your muscle memory to be wrong. The Beta used a shorter ladder capped at Level 30, and the launch game spreads the same weapons much further apart. Beta weapon levels and unlocks also don’t carry into the full game, so everyone starts from zero.
| Weapon | Beta unlock | Launch unlock |
|---|---|---|
| M4 | Level 9 | Level 14 |
| Kastov 762 | Level 21 | Level 34 |
| .50 GS | Level 23 | Level 41 |
| Signal 50 | Level 30 | Level 50 |
| Axion | Default Loadout only | Level 52 |
| Wz. 55 Striga | Campaign mission only | Level 21 |
The Axion and the Wz. 55 Striga are the biggest shifts. Both were restricted in the Beta, and now both are regular unlocks you can build in Create-a-Class.
How Prestige affects your MW4 weapon unlocks
Level 55 is the last military rank before Prestige, and the choice you make there decides whether you keep your guns. Modern Warfare 4 offers two paths.
- Classic Prestige resets your Create-a-Class unlocks, including weapons, in exchange for higher XP rates.
- Regular Prestige keeps everything you’ve unlocked.
- After 10 Prestiges you reach Prestige Master, which lets you keep leveling up to 1,000.
If you choose Classic Prestige, you climb the same Level 4 to 55 ladder again for each Prestige.
How to confirm a weapon is unlocked
Open the Progression menu to see your current player level and the next weapon in line. Once you pass the required level, the weapon becomes selectable in Create-a-Class. From there, a new grind begins. Each weapon has its own weapon level, and maxing it out unlocks that gun’s Apex Attachment. Launchers and the knife are the exception because they have no Apex Attachment.
