MW4 DMZ early access goes live today, Tuesday, October 20, at 10 AM PT (17:00 UTC) for everyone who digitally pre-ordered or pre-purchased Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4. The time comes from an @CODUpdates post, and Infinity Ward repeated it overnight, saying DMZ “will be live globally by 10 AM PT.” It covers PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC and Nintendo Switch 2, and runs until the full launch on October 23.
Table of Contents
What time does MW4 DMZ early access start?
It’s one global unlock, not a midnight rollout by region:
| Region | DMZ early access unlock |
|---|---|
| US Pacific (PT) | Tue Oct 20, 10:00 AM |
| US Eastern (ET) | Tue Oct 20, 1:00 PM |
| UTC | Tue Oct 20, 17:00 |
| UK (BST) | Tue Oct 20, 6:00 PM |
| Central Europe (CEST) | Tue Oct 20, 7:00 PM |
| Japan (JST) | Wed Oct 21, 2:00 AM |
| Sydney (AEDT) | Wed Oct 21, 4:00 AM |
The update DMZ needs went out on all platforms by 9 AM PT on Monday, and Infinity Ward confirmed on Monday that DMZ preloads are live. Install it before 10 AM.
The 3D Printer, one of the FOB stations, unlocks at DMZ level 2 and crafts gear from looted resources. Image: Activision
Who gets DMZ early access, and on which platforms?
According to the Call of Duty blog, you qualify if you digitally pre-ordered the Standard Digital Edition or the Vault Edition on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, PS5, Battle.net, Steam or Nintendo Switch 2. Physical disc pre-orders don’t qualify.
Game Pass doesn’t get you in either: Activision says MW4 is a standalone release that won’t join Game Pass until Holiday 2027. On Steam the game costs $69.99, the Vault Edition $99.99, and the Standard-to-Vault upgrade $30. Pre-ordering digitally today still gets you in. The Vault Edition also changes how DMZ starts:
| DMZ perk | Standard Digital | Vault Edition |
|---|---|---|
| DMZ early access (Oct 20) | Yes | Yes |
| Active Duty Operator slots at start | 2 | 3 |
| Vault Edition Deployment Kit | No | Yes: 2 each of Weapon Insurance Contracts, Operator Rescue Beacons, Fulton Drop Markers, Medium Backpacks and 2-Plate Carriers |
What is DMZ in Modern Warfare 4?
DMZ is Infinity Ward’s extraction mode, and it’s built around persistent progression. You drop into Hajin, a war-torn exclusion zone on the Korean Peninsula, alone or with a squad. There you fight AI forces and rival players, loot and craft gear, and only keep what you carry out at an exfil. You choose Story Missions, Dynamic Operations or Free Roam for each deployment. Between runs you go back to the Forward Operating Base, which has a Stash, a 3D Printer, a Vendor, a Gunsmith and a Boss Board for hunting Lieutenants. Several of those stations unlock as your separate DMZ level rises, which goes from 1 to 70. If your Operator dies, they go MIA, and you pay DMZ Cash to rescue them or dismiss them and start over.
To plan routes, use Activision’s interactive Hajin Tac Map, live since Monday.
Each DMZ run starts and ends with a heavy-lift helicopter, and you keep only what you extract. Image: Activision
What carries over from DMZ early access to launch?
- Career XP and Weapon XP: DMZ early access XP counts toward MW4 career progression and unlocks, including Weapon Camos (@CODUpdates). DMZ XP also counts toward the main level 1-55 track.
- Weapons: weapon levels are shared between DMZ and multiplayer. Activision suggests getting a head start on the camo grind, since attachments and camos you earn in DMZ will work in multiplayer on October 23.
- Old DMZ Beta rewards: link the same Activision account you used for the Modern Warfare II DMZ Beta to get emblems and calling cards. There are extra ones if you played 50+ hours or unlocked the Serpentine camo.
- Campaign rewards (Operators, Double XP tokens) unlock for multiplayer and DMZ “upon the full game launch,” so expect them on October 23, not today.
The official posts don’t mention a progress reset at launch.
PC players: TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot are required
Answering a Steam review on October 17, Activision said the security requirements “will apply only to multiplayer, starting with DMZ on October 20th.” Both TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot must be enabled. In the same reply, it said the game “shouldn’t be requiring anyone to update their BIOS.” (See our MW4 Steam reviews roundup for the complaints behind it.) To check your PC before 10 AM, follow Activision’s support page:
- Press Windows+R and run tpm.msc. It should show TPM version 2.0.
- Run msinfo32. “Secure Boot State” should say On.
- Your PC needs Windows 11 or Windows 10 version 22H2 or later. If either feature is off, turn it on in your UEFI settings.
What’s next
Infinity Ward is asking DMZ players for feedback on “anything that compromised your deployment” so it can make improvements before the full launch on October 23, when the whole game, multiplayer included, unlocks for every buyer. More launch-week coverage: our MW4 preload and early access schedule, the 33 weapons and Operators available at launch, the MrBeast DMZ video with its $1,000,000 prize, early MW4 campaign reviews and our campaign length and difficulty guide. We’ll add any launch-day DMZ changes or server problems to this post.
Sources: @CODUpdates (start time, XP carry-over), @InfinityWard, @CallofDuty (DMZ Beta rewards), Call of Duty blog (FOB guide), Call of Duty blog (Hajin), Call of Duty blog (progression), Xbox Wire, Activision Support, Steam. Checked October 20, 2026, 04:00 UTC.
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Featured image: Activision
