If you digitally pre-ordered Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, DMZ Early Access went live on Wednesday, 21 October 2026. That’s 4am AEDT (Australian Eastern Daylight Time), which is 1am Wednesday in Singapore. The full game follows on 23 October 2026 worldwide, and the sixteen-mission campaign is playable now.
There’s a practical reason to play that campaign before DMZ arrives. Campaign completion rewards, including Base Operators and Double XP (experience points) Tokens, carry over into multiplayer and DMZ at launch, so an evening of story missions banks you a head start on the grind.
Sixteen Missions, Live Right Now
Campaign Early Access has been running since 17 October AEDT for anyone who digitally pre-ordered or pre-purchased the Standard Digital Edition or Vault Edition. That covers PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Steam, Battle.net and Nintendo Switch 2. All sixteen missions are open, and they move across the Korean Peninsula, Paris, New York and Mumbai as a full-scale invasion unfolds.
You play as Captain John Price, the series regular who returns from earlier Modern Warfare games, alongside new characters such as Private Park Hyun Jun and his squad. Windows Central puts the run at roughly six to eight hours, with a mostly linear structure, cinematic set pieces and AI squadmates. That’s a weekend’s worth of play, or one very committed night before DMZ opens.
Critics have mostly liked what they’ve played. IGN gave the campaign 8/10 and called its large behind-enemy-lines mission, which borrows ideas from DMZ, a highlight. GameSpot scored it 7/10 and named it the strongest Call of Duty campaign since 2019’s Modern Warfare, while GamingTrend praised that DMZ-style area as a purpose-built story experience.
The reservations are worth knowing about. GamesBeat gave it 4.5/5 but felt the open-world sections slowed the story, and PC Gamer argued that Price becomes less relevant in the second half. Players on Steam sound happier: GameStar, citing SteamDB figures from 20 October, reported an 89% positive rating from more than 3,900 reviews, with a peak of about 108,000 concurrent players on 17 October.
Keep in mind that those scores cover the campaign alone, since outlets are holding their verdicts on multiplayer and DMZ until the whole package is playable. Our take is that the behind-enemy-lines mission is the best prep you’ll get for DMZ, because reviewers singled out its stealth, scavenging and exploration.
DMZ Unlocks Overnight
DMZ is the extraction mode Infinity Ward first introduced alongside Modern Warfare II in 2022. This version is rebuilt as a standalone experience set in the Hajin Exclusion Zone, with persistent progression, crafting, equipment management and narrative missions. Activision calls it Call of Duty’s “definitive” extraction experience, which is a bold promise to make before anyone has extracted anything.
Before you queue, check your subscriptions. DMZ needs an internet connection, and on console you’ll need PlayStation Plus, Game Pass Essential on Xbox, or Nintendo Switch Online on Switch. Xbox has confirmed the game isn’t on Game Pass at launch, so your subscription covers online play but not the game itself.
Xbox’s guide says every digital pre-order or pre-purchase gets DMZ Early Access. If you want to learn the ground first, study the official Hajin DMZ Tac Map and our Hajin briefing for Singapore players. Anyone who played the MWII DMZ Beta gets rewards in the new version, too.
Classic or Regular Prestige?
Multiplayer runs on 55 levels that unlock weapons, equipment, perks and killstreaks, while DMZ has its own separate 70-level track. Past level 55, you choose between Classic and Regular Prestige across 10 Prestige levels and 1,000 Prestige Master levels. Activision says offering that choice is a first for Call of Duty.
On top of that sit Weapon Prestige, the full camo grind and Calling Card challenges. If you play for unlocks, this is where your month disappears.
Our advice is to read the Progression and Prestige guide before you reach level 55. It lays out how each route works, and it’s better to make that call with the facts in front of you than in a lobby at 2am.
Gunny, Apex and 33 Guns
The launch roster has 33 Operators and 33 weapons, and the unlock criteria for each are in the Operators, Weapons and Equipment guide. Apex Attachments are the new tier. Every weapon has its own unique Apex Attachment, which you earn by fully levelling a supported weapon, and it takes a separate slot instead of using one of your standard attachments.
Gunny is the feature we’d point newer players to first. It’s an attachment optimiser that builds a suggested loadout in a single input, which means less time stuck in menus and more time in matches, especially if a dozen attachment stats make your eyes glaze over.
Camo hunters get plenty to chase in DMZ as well. The HAN 86 alone has eight special finishes, ranging from Fire Topo to Dread Plague.
Operator Kyle, With a Purpose
The C.O.D.E. Valor Pack is available in Season 1. C.O.D.E. stands for the Call of Duty Endowment, which funds organisations that place military veterans in jobs. Stars and Stripes reports that all proceeds go to the Endowment, while Activision covers its operating costs.
That makes it the easiest cosmetic in the game to justify. You’d probably spend money on a skin anyway, and this one sends the whole amount somewhere useful.
What It Costs
Vault adds one season of BlackCell, 20 Battle Pass tier skips, 1,100 COD Points, the Special Forces Operator Pack with four Operators, a Signature Weapon Collection with Apex Attachments, and a DMZ Deployment Bonus.
Those BlackCell, Battle Pass, COD Points and tier-skip perks only activate when the Season 1 Battle Pass goes live. That’s why we’d only upgrade if you already planned to buy a Battle Pass. Everyone who pre-orders gets the Hostile Alliance Operator Pack, and PC players should clear 115GB on an SSD, plus extra room for mandatory updates.
🗓️ Date: DMZ Early Access from Wednesday, 21 October 2026; full launch on Friday, 23 October 2026
⏰ Time: DMZ unlocks at 4am AEDT (1am Singapore time)
📍 Location: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Steam, Battle.net and Nintendo Switch 2
🎮 Early Access: Digital pre-orders of the Standard Digital Edition or Vault Edition
💰 Price: Standard Digital Edition and Vault Edition; check your store for current pricing
❤️ Charity Pack: C.O.D.E. Valor Pack, from Season 1
So here’s the plan: work through the campaign tonight, bank those Double XP Tokens, and be ready when DMZ opens. The official Campaign Early Access post has the rest of the details you need before deploying. Then gather your squad, pick your Prestige route, and see whether Hajin lives up to Activision’s promise!
Photos and Visuals courtesy of Activision.
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