Modern Warfare 4 Skipping Game Pass at Launch, Activision Confirms
Activision said Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 must be purchased when it releases on October 23, with Game Pass arrival set for late next year.
Activision has reminded players that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 will not be available on Xbox Game Pass when it launches, confirming in a new blog post that the only way to play the game at release is to buy it. The post was reported by GameSpot.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 releases on October 23. Pricing starts at $70 for the base edition and runs up to $100 for the Vault edition. Campaign early access begins on October 16.
The game will come to Xbox Game Pass at some point at the end of next year, according to Activision.
A change from recent entries
Activision had been warning players for months that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 would not be on Game Pass. The series had launched directly into the service with 2024's Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, the first entry to do so, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 followed the same approach in 2025.
Earlier in 2026, Microsoft announced that new Call of Duty titles would no longer debut in Game Pass, alongside a price cut for the subscription service. It was reported that Black Ops 6 arriving on Game Pass in 2024 amounted to Microsoft missing out on hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma is undertaking a reset of the Xbox business, and cutting new Call of Duty games from Game Pass is part of that effort.
Game Pass Ultimate's current catalog still includes Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Black Ops 6, Modern Warfare 3, WW2, Vanguard, Black Ops Cold War, Modern Warfare (2019) and Modern Warfare II (2022).
Quick answers
When does Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 release?
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 releases on October 23. Campaign early access begins on October 16.
Is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 on Xbox Game Pass at launch?
No. At release, the only way to get the game is to purchase it. Activision said it will come to Xbox Game Pass at some point at the end of next year.
How much does Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 cost?
The base edition starts at $70, and the Vault edition is priced at up to $100.