Nintendo Switch 2 players get their first shot at Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 during the open beta running August 28 to September 1, with no pre-order required to participate. The announcement marks the first time a mainline Call of Duty title has landed on a Nintendo platform in over a decade, a direct result of Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Pre-orders for the Switch 2 version open August 26, but Activision confirmed players don't need to buy ahead to join the beta.
The beta schedule splits into two weekends. Weekend one (August 21-25) is early access for players who pre-purchased on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, or PC.
Switch 2 owners sit that one out. Weekend two opens the floodgates to everyone across all platforms, including Nintendo's console.
Activision's Call of Duty: NEXT presentation kicks off August 21, with the beta launching immediately after the broadcast for the first time ever. The event will showcase live gameplay, multiplayer content details, and developer insights.
Players can expect 19 weapons, new and returning Operators, and a mix of modes spanning 3v3 skirmishes, large-scale tactical battles with vehicles, Search & Destroy, and the newly revealed Kill Block mode. Kill Block, which made its public debut at Fanatics Fest in New York, is a 10v10 Gunfight mode set in the West Bridge Advanced Military Training Facility with dynamically shifting layouts.
Modern Warfare 4 launches worldwide on October 23 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2. The game features a campaign centered on a conflict between North and South Korea, 12 core 6v6 multiplayer maps at launch, and the return of the DMZ extraction mode with a new Forward Operating Base hub system.
