The first beta weekend for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is set to begin on August 21, with Activision providing essential details for players preparing to jump in. This includes information on how to preload the beta, potential rewards for participation, and the specific PC requirements necessary to play.

The beta will be available to those who have preordered the game on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. The first beta period will run from April 21 to April 25. More comprehensive details regarding the full beta schedule and its content are available elsewhere.

Beta Rewards and Progression

Players will have the opportunity to earn cosmetic rewards by participating in the Modern Warfare 4 beta. To ensure these rewards are correctly attributed, it is advised to log in with an Activision account. This account linkage allows for progression to carry over across supported platforms, ensuring that progress and eligible beta rewards are tied to the player's Activision ID. This also facilitates continued progression if a player switches between different platforms.

Creating a free Activision account is recommended for all players to safeguard their progression and earned rewards. The beta is a separate download available through each platform's digital storefront by searching for "Modern Warfare 4 beta." Players can choose to preload the beta before a weekend begins or at any point during the beta periods. Early access preloads are scheduled to begin at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET on Thursday, August 20, for all platforms with the exception of Nintendo Switch 2. For all other players, the open beta preload will commence at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET on Thursday, August 26. Those participating in both beta weekends need only download the game once, as content and progression will carry over.

Twitch Drops and In-Game Cosmetics

Linking an Activision account to a Twitch account can unlock additional cosmetic items. Watching specific Call of Duty: NEXT and beta streams can yield rewards such as the "Gas Ready" Emblem and "Rapple Repel" Calling Card for watching 15 and 30 minutes respectively during Call of Duty: NEXT. During the Modern Warfare 4 beta streams, viewers can earn the "Get Tactical" Emblem and "Clearing House" Calling Card under similar viewing conditions. Watching for 45 minutes during either event will grant a "Ghost Helmet" Charm or an "Action Ready" Charm.

PC Specifications and Requirements

PC players preparing for the Modern Warfare 4 beta must meet certain hardware and software specifications.

The minimum specifications are as follows:

  • OS: Windows 10 64 Bit (latest update)
  • CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1600 or Intel Core i5-8400
  • RAM: 12GB
  • Video Card: AMD Radeon RX 470, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 / 1060, or Intel Arc A580
  • Video Memory: 3GB
  • Storage Space: SSD required
  • Network: Broadband Internet connection
  • Sound Card: DirectX Compatible

The recommended specifications are:

  • OS: Windows 11 64 Bit (latest update)
  • CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 or Intel Core i7-8700
  • RAM: 16GB
  • Video Card: AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, or Intel Arc B580
  • Video Memory: 8GB
  • Storage Space: SSD required
  • Network: Broadband Internet connection
  • Sound Card: DirectX Compatible

Additionally, all PC players must have a DirectX 12 compatible system and a broadband internet connection. A crucial requirement for booting the beta is the presence of TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot. These PC security features, which Activision began mandating last year to support its Ricochet anti-cheat system, ensure a secure and cheat-free gaming environment. Players actively engaged with Black Ops 7 and Warzone on PC likely already have these features enabled. If TPM 2.0 or Secure Boot are not enabled, players will be unable to access the beta. Information on enabling Secure Boot is available in a separate guide.

Shader Preloading

Shader preloading will be available on PC for the Modern Warfare 4 beta, a feature intended to reduce the waiting time between launching the game and entering a match. While this process utilizes system resources, its impact is designed to be minimal, allowing users to continue PC activity in the background. This feature can be adjusted or disabled in the game's settings.

On Battle.net, shader preloading initiates automatically upon the beta's installation. For Steam users, shader preloading is enabled, but a one-time shader compilation is still required on the first game boot. Subsequent game launches after updates will utilize the shader preloading feature.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is slated for release on October 23 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch 2. The full game will include a campaign, multiplayer mode, and the DMZ extraction mode.