After-action
How to Play the Modern Warfare 4 Beta
The Modern Warfare 4 beta was two weekends: Early Access August 21–25, 2026 for pre-orders and code holders, Open Beta August 28–September 1 for everyone on a supported platform. Game Pass did not get a special lane. This page is the after-action so you know what you played, what you missed, and what still applies on October 23.
Access questions that are still live — leftover retailer strings, not a closed playlist — sit on beta codes. The video in the middle is Arekkz Gaming’s June 2026 overview of campaign, multiplayer, and DMZ, not a post-patch class bible. For the actual nerfs, beta patch notes.
How people got in
Digital pre-order: automatic. Physical: 13-character code at callofduty.com, then a platform token email. Open Beta: download the client, no purchase. Pre-download opened a day before each weekend. If you are installing a leftover build now, you may still reach Entrenched offline; multiplayer playlists will not be there.
What was in the client
Weekend one maps: Rooftops, Silkworm, Transit 213, Cachette, Lotus, Kill Block. Modes: TDM, Domination, Hardpoint, Kill Confirmed, Inflation, Search and Destroy, Gunfight, Mobility Course, plus Entrenched. Weekend two added Lithium, Hijack, Combat Outpost on Imjin Farmland and Wolves Stadium, and Warzone Resurgence Zodiac. Level cap 20 then 30.
Weapons are listed on the weapons hub. If you want to keep using those classes, copy loadouts into launch. Kill Block practice is how to play Kill Block.
What was worth doing
Beta rewards were cosmetics and a head start on muscle memory. They are not Vault. Maxing the KG-7 Vulcan in the test was a flex, not a requirement. If you skipped the beta, you are not behind on unlocks that matter — you are behind on movement feel. Fix that with movement, not with a FOMO thread.
Related intel
Section hub
Field questions
Frequently asked questions
Is the MW4 beta still on?+
The live playlists ended September 1, 2026. Some clients could still launch Entrenched offline.
Did Game Pass include the beta?+
Not Early Access, and not a unique Game Pass track. Open Beta was free for everyone on supported platforms.
Did beta progression carry to launch?+
Treat beta levels as a test. Launch progression is its own track unless Activision later confirms a carry-over, which they did not promise as a full transfer.