Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4’s extraction mode goes live before the rest of the game. DMZ early access starts on Tuesday, October 20th. It opens at the same moment everywhere, so your local start time depends only on your time zone. The Campaign has been open for pre-order owners since October 16th. Multiplayer and the full launch follow on Friday, October 23rd.
Quick answer: DMZ early access starts October 20 at 10AM PT / 1PM ET / 5PM UTC for anyone who has digitally pre-ordered any edition of Modern Warfare 4.
Release time: Tuesday, October 20, 2026, 10AM PT / 1PM ET / 5PM UTC
Modern Warfare 4 DMZ early access start times by region
The unlock is global, not a rolling midnight release. That means players in Asia and Oceania get in during the early hours of October 21st, while the Americas play on the afternoon of the 20th.
| Region | Local start time | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles, US | 10AM PDT | October 20 |
| Mexico City, Mexico | 11AM CST | October 20 |
| Chicago, US | 12PM CDT | October 20 |
| New York, US / Quebec City, Canada | 1PM EDT | October 20 |
| São Paulo, Brazil | 2PM BRT | October 20 |
| London, UK | 6PM BST | October 20 |
| Paris, Berlin, Stockholm | 7PM CEST | October 20 |
| Johannesburg, South Africa | 7PM SAST | October 20 |
| Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | 8PM AST | October 20 |
| Dubai, UAE | 9PM GST | October 20 |
| New Delhi, India | 10:30PM IST | October 20 |
| Beijing, Hong Kong, Manila | 1AM CST / HKT / PHT | October 21 |
| Seoul, Tokyo | 2AM KST / JST | October 21 |
| Sydney, Australia | 4AM AEDT | October 21 |
| Auckland / Wellington, New Zealand | 6AM NZDT | October 21 |
Because every region unlocks at once, there is no legitimate way to start DMZ earlier than this, whether by switching your console region or picking a different storefront. Activision does note that the actual start date and platform availability can still shift, and that outages may affect play time.
Who gets DMZ early access in Modern Warfare 4
Access depends on how you bought the game, not which edition you bought. Any digital pre-order or pre-purchase qualifies. The pricier Vault Edition does not get you in any sooner.
- Digital Standard Edition: includes Campaign and DMZ early access.
- Digital Vault Edition: includes the same early access, plus extras such as a DMZ Deployment Bonus, operator packs, and a season of BlackCell.
- Physical copies: do not include the digital pre-order early access benefit.
- Game Pass: Modern Warfare 4 isn’t on the service at launch. It requires a separate purchase, with Game Pass availability set for Holiday 2027.
DMZ’s early access is playable on PS5, Steam, Nintendo Switch 2, Battle.net, Xbox on PC, and Xbox Series X|S. Digital copies are sold by those platforms’ storefronts, retailers that offer digital codes, and the official pre-order page.
On PC, Modern Warfare 4 requires TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot. Check both before October 20th so they don’t hold up your first deployment.
Modern Warfare 4 release schedule: Campaign, DMZ, and multiplayer
Modern Warfare 4 unlocks in three stages. Pre-downloads are already live, so the install can be finished well before DMZ opens.
| Content | Date (2026) | Who can play |
|---|---|---|
| Campaign early access | October 16 (live) | Digital pre-order, any edition |
| DMZ early access | October 20, 10AM PT | Digital pre-order, any edition |
| Multiplayer and full launch | October 23 | All owners |
Campaign early access stays open until launch, so you can finish the 16-mission story and still move straight into DMZ on the 20th. Campaign completion rewards, including base operators like “Cho” and “Park” and Double XP tokens, become usable in Multiplayer and DMZ once the full game launches. For PC players, the published requirements list 115GB of free storage.
How to know DMZ early access is working
Once the unlock time passes, DMZ shows up as a playable mode alongside the Campaign. From there you can deploy into Hajin before the October 23rd launch. If you bought digitally and the mode still appears locked after the start time, restart the game and check for an update. Multiplayer will stay locked until launch day for everyone, and that’s expected.
What you can play in DMZ early access
All of DMZ is open during early access, not a trimmed-down slice. It’s a PvPvE extraction shooter. You drop into Hajin, fight AI forces and rival operators, grab weapons and valuables, complete objectives, and then try to reach an exfil helicopter with your haul. If you die before getting out, you lose the gear you were carrying.
Hajin is an Exclusion Zone set after the events of the Campaign. It holds 60 players in 20 squads and stretches across towns, river valleys, industrial sites, the Fallout reactor, a Prison complex, the ruins of Hajin City, and a Military Base. Some points of interest can only be reached by water. You can play solo or in squads of up to three, and Squad Assimilation can bring a team up to four players. A smaller Exclusion Zone, XO1, is set to arrive with Season 1 on November 6th.
DMZ deployment types and activities
- Story Missions: replayable narrative deployments that pay out high-value gear and DMZ Cash. Some require prerequisites to unlock.
- Dynamic Operations: multi-step objectives you pick in the field, rewarding DMZ XP, Cash, and a Supply Drop.
- Free Roam: no set objective, just exploration and fights on your terms.
- Side Ops and operator bounties: hunting marked operators raises your notoriety and puts a price on your own head.
- Lieutenants: boss fights against armored soldiers, minigun Juggernauts, and ghillie-suited ambushers, unique to each Exclusion Zone.
Forward Operating Base and 3D Printer crafting
Between runs you return to the Forward Operating Base (FOB). It houses the 3D Printer crafting station, The Stash, weapon purchasing, a firing range, and bounty boards, and more systems unlock as you level. Looted items break down automatically into Resources. Rarer 3D Printer Ingredients turn up only in specific parts of the map, and the printer hints at where to find them.
| Material type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Resources | Synthetics, Electronics, Chemicals, Metals |
| 3D Printer Ingredients | Binding Catalyst, Biomaterials, Detonators, Control Units |
When you craft, you pick how many copies to make and whether each item goes into your Stash or straight onto your operator for the next deployment. DMZ also has its own Gunsmith crafting, plus camo challenges and a mastery grind.
Persistent operators, Traits, and MIA recovery
Progress in DMZ is permanent, which is why the three-day head start matters. You begin with two Active Duty operator slots and unlock a third as you rank up. Each operator keeps its own backpack, loadout, and progression, while the Bank and Stash are shared across your roster. Every successful exfil raises an operator’s Dog Tags and earns Trait Points, with a cap of 18 points spread across three Trait Trees that hold more than 60 Traits between them.
| Trait Tree | Focus | Example Traits |
|---|---|---|
| Warfighter | Combat | Combat Resistance, Quick Fix, Viper Sense |
| Scout | Looting and recon | Thermal Padding, UAV Upgrade, Field Crafting |
| Survivalist | Survival | Faster and Free Revives, Consumable Duration |
When an operator doesn’t extract, they receive MIA status. Spend DMZ Cash to bring them back, or dismiss them. The recovery price rises with the operator’s Trait count. They retain their Traits after recovery, but lose their gear. Permanent Prestige Traits provide an additional layer of long-term progression. Progress made from October 20th through launch carries over to the full game on October 23rd.
