Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 has made its DMZ mode available for early access to players who have pre-ordered the game. This addition follows the previously announced early access for the campaign, offering pre-order customers a chance to experience new content ahead of the full release.
Early access for the DMZ mode begins on Tuesday, October 20, shortly after the campaign early access, which starts on Friday, October 16. The full game, including all multiplayer components, is scheduled to launch on Friday, October 23. This rollout applies to all platforms, including PC, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
The DMZ mode, first introduced in 2022's Modern Warfare 2, aimed to offer an extraction shooter experience. While it received expansions, it was met with mixed reception and its support concluded in late 2023. Infinity Ward is positioning the DMZ in Modern Warfare 4 as a significant evolution, describing it as the series' "definitive extraction shooter experience." The mode will feature persistent progression within the Hajin Exclusion Zone, an open-world combat environment.
Studio multiplayer creative director Joe Cecot noted that lessons learned from the DMZ beta informed the development of the new iteration. "Certain things we wanted to do, we couldn't do," Cecot stated in a behind-the-scenes video. "At the end of the day, we learned a lot: That we made a very approachable, fun sandbox that was fun to fight in, to explore, to make friends in, to get into fights in. There's a bunch of stuff we left on the table, so as soon as we finished with the last game, we were just gung-ho on, 'OK, we know what we want to do.'"
Modern Warfare 4 is set to launch on October 23. Information regarding the game's extraction mode, DMZ, has been shared previously, including gameplay reveals and details on Infinity Ward's efforts to combat wall-hack cheats.