MW4 Preload Starts Tonight: Global Times for Campaign, DMZ and Launch

Clear some drive space tonight. Activision has confirmed that the Modern Warfare 4 preload starts rolling out today, October 14, at 9 p.m. PT, IGN reports. It's the first step in a staggered launch on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2. Campaign Early Access opens October 16, DMZ follows on October 20, and the full game, including Multiplayer, arrives October 23.

Earlier PC-only reports pointed to an October 15 start (our earlier PC preload post has the full spec checklist). The confirmed schedule now puts preload on the evening of the 14th in the Americas.

Preload times around the world

According to IGN and The Double Kill, the rollout begins at:

• Los Angeles: 9 p.m. PDT, Oct 14
• Mexico City: 10 p.m. CST, Oct 14
• Bogotá: 11 p.m. COT, Oct 14
• New York: 12 a.m. EDT, Oct 15
• London: 5 a.m. BST, Oct 15
• Tokyo: 1 p.m. JST, Oct 15
• Auckland: 5 p.m. NZDT, Oct 15

When you set up the download you can pick which content to install, and that includes Warzone. Don't expect to play the new Warzone yet, though. IGN notes it won't be available until Season 1 begins.

Campaign and DMZ Early Access

• October 16: Campaign Early Access. This is for digital pre-orders of the Standard or Vault Edition. Activision's Editions page says every digital edition qualifies. Physical Standard pre-orders get no Early Access. Our Campaign Early Access guide covers what's included.
• October 20: DMZ Early Access. This is also for digital pre-orders. See our DMZ Early Access breakdown.

Edition prices, per IGN:

• Digital Standard: $69.99, includes Early Access, can be upgraded to Vault (Activision lists the upgrade at $30)
• Vault Edition: $99.99, adds both Operator Packs, the Signature Weapon Collection, one season of BlackCell and the DMZ Deployment Bonus
• Physical Standard: $69.99, no Early Access and no Vault upgrade

Launch day: midnight local on PC

The full game launches October 23. On PC it unlocks at midnight local time wherever you are, from 12 a.m. PDT in Los Angeles to 12 a.m. NZDT in Auckland. IGN's tip if it doesn't unlock right away is to fully exit Steam and relaunch it.

Some Xbox players change their console's time zone to New Zealand to start earlier. That's a community workaround reported by IGN, not something Activision recommends, so use it at your own risk.

Storage and PC specs

You'll need 115 GB of SSD space on PC, according to Activision Support. Activision adds that mandatory updates may need more.

• Minimum: Ryzen 5 1400 or Core i5-6600, 8 GB RAM, RX 470, GTX 970/1060 or Arc A580 (3 GB VRAM)
• Recommended (90 fps, High): Ryzen 5 3600 or Core i7-8700, 16 GB RAM, RX 6600 XT, RTX 3060 Ti or Arc B580 (8 GB VRAM)
• Also required: TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot

What's next

• Oct 14, 9 p.m. PT: preload rolls out
• Oct 16: Campaign Early Access
• Oct 20: DMZ Early Access
• Oct 21: NVIDIA's ASD-compatible driver, per Activision
• Oct 23: full launch with Multiplayer

Start the download tonight so you're ready when the campaign unlocks on Friday. We'll cover day-one patch notes as soon as Activision posts them.