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Modern Warfare 4CampaignChecked 19 October 2026

COD MW4 Campaign: Missions, Length and Reviews

The COD MW4 campaign is playable now for anyone who pre-ordered a digital edition: campaign early access opened on Friday 16 October 2026 (Pacific time), a week before the full game launches on 23 October. It follows a young South Korean squad through a North Korean invasion of Hajin City, and a rogue Captain Price in New York, Paris and Mumbai.

MW4 campaign release and early access

WhatWhenSource
Campaign early access, full campaignFri 16 Oct 2026 (PT)Official
DMZ early accessTue 20 Oct 2026 (PT)Official (countdown)
Full launch, all modesFri 23 Oct 2026Official

Early access covers the Standard Digital and Vault editions bought before launch on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, PlayStation 5, Battle.net, Steam and Nintendo Switch 2. Physical disc pre-orders wait until 23 October. MW4 is not on PS4 or Xbox One, and it is not on Xbox Game Pass at launch. If you only want the campaign, the edition and price guide lists what each edition includes.

What the MW4 campaign is about

Activision’s own synopsis: war erupts on the Korean Peninsula when North Korea launches a full-scale invasion of the South. You play Private Park, a South Korean soldier seeing combat for the first time with his squad. Infinity Ward named the squad as Park, Jay, Cho and Moon, with embedded US Marines West and Dunn. In parallel, Captain Price, now working outside the system after the events of Modern Warfare III, hunts for revenge and a weapon that could shift the balance of power.

The official settings are trench warfare in Korea, close-quarters fighting in New York, chases through Paris and SAS night raids in Mumbai. The story opens with the invasion of Hajin City, the same city that becomes the DMZ exclusion zone. If you play DMZ after the campaign, you are walking through the aftermath: the Hajin map shows the city, the river and the North Korean side you fight through in the story.

How many missions are in the MW4 campaign?

16 missions, confirmed by Call of Duty when early access opened, set across the Korean Peninsula, Paris, New York and Mumbai. The full order, from Mayhem to Greater Good, comes from guides written from the released game; only three names appear in official material: Losing Ground, Traffic and Entrenched, the mission from the summer beta. Each mission’s setting is on the MW4 campaign mission list.

MW4 campaign length at a glance

Reviewers report about 6 to 8 hours for one playthrough. Insider Gaming finished in just under six hours on the easiest difficulty; PowerPyx puts a first run with collectibles at about 8 hours and every trophy at 15 hours or more. There is no official runtime. The MW4 campaign length guide breaks this down by play style.

MW4 campaign review scores so far

Reviews of the campaign alone started on 16 October, and several outlets marked theirs as in progress until the multiplayer and DMZ servers go live. Insider Gaming gave it 9/10 and IGN 8/10 marked “not final”. Metacritic still shows “tbd” because it needs four critic reviews on one platform. The MW4 campaign review round-up tracks the scores with dates.

Collectibles and trophies

The campaign has its own trophy list: 18 trophies, no Platinum, all earned in the campaign. Most collecting happens in mission 10, Stranded, an open area behind North Korean lines with 58 notes, yellow supply crates and supplies for repairing your base camp. The MW4 campaign collectibles guide lists which missions hold what.

MW4 campaign rewards for Multiplayer and DMZ

Finishing missions unlocks rewards that carry over to Multiplayer and DMZ when the full game launches on 23 October. Call of Duty lists them in the order you earn them: “Cho” Base Operator, “No More Rules” Calling Card, Double XP Token, “Dallas” Base Operator, “Ready Line” Loading Screen, “Luca” Base Operator, “Gone Dark” Emblem, “Oh-Ji” Base Operator, Double XP Token, “Kal” Base Operator, Double Weapon XP Token, “Dunn” Base Operator, Double Weapon XP Token, “West” Base Operator, Double XP Token, “Park” Base Operator. That makes the campaign worth playing before DMZ even if you only care about Hajin: it gives you squad Operators and XP tokens for launch.

Is there campaign co-op?

Nothing official we have read mentions co-op for the MW4 campaign, and the guides describe it as a solo story. If you want to play Hajin with friends, that is DMZ, which opens on 20 October for digital pre-orders.

Sources: Campaign early access post, Activision editions page, official MW4 site, story so far blog, Xbox Wire, Windows Central, PowerPyx, CODMunity, Metacritic. All read 19 October 2026.

MW4 campaign questions

Is the MW4 campaign out?

Yes, for digital pre-orders. Campaign early access opened on Friday 16 October 2026 (Pacific time). Everyone else, including physical copies, gets it with the full launch on 23 October 2026.

How many missions does the MW4 campaign have?

Sixteen. Call of Duty confirmed the count when campaign early access opened on 16 October 2026.

How long is the MW4 campaign?

About 6 to 8 hours for one run, based on reviewer playtimes. A full trophy run takes 15 hours or more. There is no official runtime.

Who do you play as in the MW4 campaign?

Mainly Private Park, a young South Korean soldier (official). According to the walkthrough guides, some missions put you in the role of Captain Price and one in the role of a North Korean operative.

Does the MW4 campaign connect to DMZ?

Yes. Activision says the Hajin exclusion zone in DMZ was formed by the aftermath of the campaign, so the campaign’s Hajin City is the DMZ map.