The moment all Call of Duty fans have been waiting for has arrived. Modern Warfare 4's open beta kicks off today, July 18, running through July 20 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. This is the first time all players—regardless of platform—can experience Infinity Ward's highly anticipated shooter together with full cross-play enabled.
Following a record-breaking early access beta (July 10-17) that saw over 15 million unique players and shattered franchise pre-order records, the open beta opens the floodgates to everyone. Infinity Ward confirmed that all pre-order bonuses, including the Phantom Force Operator Pack and exclusive Weapon Blueprints, will carry forward to the full game on November 6.
What's available in the open beta: All 8 core multiplayer maps are in rotation, including three brand-new environments designed for the IW 10.0 engine's omni-directional movement system and five classic remasters (Rust, Highrise, Terminal, Shipment, and Scrapyard). Gunsmith 2.0—the deep weapon customization system that has drawn widespread praise during early access—is fully available, allowing players to configure up to 10 attachment slots per weapon with hundreds of combinations.
Infinity Ward has deployed a day-one beta patch that addresses the key feedback points from the early access period. Most notably, the time-to-kill (TTK) has been slightly adjusted to give players more reaction time in gunfights. The KV Broadside shotgun—which dominated the early access meta—has received a nerf to its effective range. Map visibility has been improved on three maps where players reported difficulty distinguishing enemies from background elements. Additional quality-of-life improvements to the Gunsmith 2.0 interface have also been implemented.
The new Omnimovement mechanics continue to be the most talked-about feature. The ability to sprint in any direction, mantledynamic obstacles, and perform wall-kick maneuvers has fundamentally changed how Call of Duty plays. Early meta analysis shows SMG mobility builds dominating, but the Gunsmith 2.0 system offers enough flexibility that creative players are finding success with unconventional loadouts.
Cross-progression is fully active during the beta, meaning all unlocks, weapon levels, and customization earned this weekend will carry over to the November 6 launch. This includes the unified COD HQ progression system that spans across Modern Warfare 4 and Warzone: Nexus.
With pre-orders already surpassing 15 million units and beta registrations breaking every franchise record, Modern Warfare 4 is on track to become the biggest Call of Duty launch in history. Mark your calendars: November 6, 2026.
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