MW4 Drivers: Which Graphics Driver to Use
MW4 drivers matter on PC: Activision lists a minimum graphics driver for each brand (NVIDIA 616.56, AMD 26.7.1, Intel 32.0.101.8974), and its crash guide tells players to update to those versions first. All three brands have since shipped newer drivers that name Modern Warfare 4 in their notes.
| GPU brand | Activision’s listed version | Newer MW4 drivers | Where to update |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA GeForce | 616.56 | 621.01 (21 Oct) and 617.42 (6 Oct) | NVIDIA app, or nvidia.com drivers page |
| AMD Radeon | 26.7.1 | Adrenalin 26.10.1 (20 Oct) | AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition |
| Intel Arc | 32.0.101.8974 | 32.0.101.9150 (12 Oct) | Intel Graphics Software, or Intel Driver & Support Assistant |
The MW4 driver versions Activision lists
The official MW4 PC requirements page ends with a short list of recommended video card drivers: AMD 26.7.1, NVIDIA 616.56 and Intel 32.0.101.8974. Treat these as the floor. Activision’s crashes and freezes article for Modern Warfare 4 says to make sure your video card drivers are updated to the recommended versions before trying anything else. If your driver is older than the version in the table, update it before you troubleshoot crashes, stutter or a game that will not launch.
The listed versions are the minimum Activision tested at launch. They are not the newest drivers. Each GPU maker has released at least one driver since then that mentions Modern Warfare 4, so most players should simply install their brand’s current driver.
Best NVIDIA driver for MW4
NVIDIA published a Game Ready driver for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 on 6 October 2026, with DLSS 4.5 support for the game. Coverage from TweakTown and Gazlog gives that driver’s version as 617.42 WHQL. A later Game Ready driver, 621.01 WHQL (21 October, reported by 3DNews and God is a Geek), adds Microsoft’s Advanced Shader Delivery for MW4. That lets supported setups skip most of the shader compilation on first launch. Reports say Advanced Shader Delivery needs Windows 11 and an RTX card.
TweakTown also reported early user complaints about 621.01 (black screens, crashes, G-SYNC stutter). That is one outlet collecting forum posts, not an NVIDIA known issue. If 617.42 runs well for you, there is no rush to move. If 621.01 gives you problems, roll back to 617.42 (steps below).
Best AMD driver for MW4
AMD’s Adrenalin 26.10.1 release notes (last updated 20 October 2026) list Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 under New Game Support. Under Fixed Issues they list stuttering in Modern Warfare 4 on Radeon RX 6000 series cards and newer. If you play on a recent Radeon and saw stutter in Hajin, this is the driver to install. The same notes warn about one known issue that can affect any game: opening or closing an overlay such as Xbox Game Bar while AMD’s Performance Metrics Overlay is on can cause a crash or driver timeout. AMD suggests turning the metrics overlay off before using other overlays.
26.10.1 supports Windows 11 version 21H2 and later, and 64-bit Windows 10 version 21H2 and later. To go back to an older Adrenalin version, AMD recommends uninstalling the current one first.
Best Intel Arc driver for MW4
Intel’s Arc driver 32.0.101.9150 WHQL, released on 12 October 2026, adds Game On support for Modern Warfare 4, according to Windows Report and Digital Citizen. That is newer than the 32.0.101.8974 driver Activision lists. Arc cards also need Resizable BAR switched on in the BIOS, which Activision lists as a requirement.
How to update your graphics driver for MW4
- Find your GPU. In Windows, open Task Manager, go to Performance and select GPU. The card name is at the top right.
- Close MW4 and the launcher. Quit Battle.net or Steam so nothing is using the driver while it installs.
- Install from the maker’s own app. NVIDIA: the NVIDIA app, Drivers tab. AMD: AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition, then check for updates. Intel: Intel Graphics Software or Intel Driver & Support Assistant. Download only from these apps or from nvidia.com, amd.com and intel.com.
- Restart the PC after the install, even if the installer does not ask you to.
- Let shaders compile. The first launch after a driver change rebuilds the shader cache. Let that finish in the menu before you deploy into DMZ.
How to roll back an MW4 driver
If a new driver makes MW4 crash or stutter when the old one did not, go back to the previous version. With NVIDIA, download the older version (for example 617.42) from NVIDIA’s driver archive and choose a clean installation in the installer. With AMD, uninstall Adrenalin first, as AMD’s notes recommend, then install the older package. With Intel, install the older package from Intel’s download page. Never go below the version Activision lists in the table above.
Still crashing after a driver update?
Activision’s crash article for MW4 on PC gives these steps besides drivers: keep the PC in a cool, well-ventilated place, check that it meets the minimum system requirements, and close background apps. It warns that input remapping software, overlays and recording software can interfere with the game, or with how it starts, even when they are not running, and suggests uninstalling them if crashes continue. If MW4 will not start at all, check that TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot are on, because the game requires both.
Once the game runs, plan your first route on the MW4 DMZ map and see where the DMZ keys open.