It's almost time for the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 (MW4) Open Beta! With the full game set to release this October, the beta will provide your first chance to check out not only the multiplayer, but even a sample of the campaign as well.

So, here's a look at everything you need to know about the Modern Warfare 4 / MW4 Open Beta:

Call Of Duty MW4 Beta: Dates And Start Times

The Modern Warfare 4 Open Beta goes ahead on two upcoming weekends. The first weekend is for pre-orders only (Game Pass doesn't count this year), with a second open beta to follow for all players.

The first early access beta weekend begins August 21st and lasts until August 25th.

The second open beta weekend will then follow on August 28th and conclude on September 1st.

Official start times for the early access beta weekend are as follows:

  • North America: 11am PDT / 12pm MDT / 1pm CDT / 2pm EDT
  • UK/Ire: 7pm BST
  • Europe: 8pm CEST / 9pm EEST
  • Asia/Oceania: 3am (Sat) JST / 2am (Sat) AWST / 4am (Sat) AEST

Official start times for the second open beta weekend are as follows:

  • North America: 10am PDT / 11am MDT / 12pm CDT / 1pm EDT
  • UK/Ire: 6pm BST
  • Europe: 7pm CEST / 8pm EEST
  • Asia/Oceania: 2am (Sat) JST / 1am (Sat) AWST / 3am (Sat) AEST

How To Get Early Access To The MW4 Open Beta

Update: We've noticed that EE in the UK is giving away MW4 Open Beta codes ahead of launch, and you may notice other avenues of getting one as well (such as social media and website giveaways).

You will need to pre-order Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 in either digital or physical format in order to guarantee early access to the MW4 Open Beta, although physicals require you to buy through a "select retailer" (the specifics of which haven't been shared).

If you buy digitally, you'll be able to download the Open Beta as soon as it's available. Physicals will come with an Early Access code that's provided either via email or receipt in most cases.

"If you preorder a physical edition of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, a code will be required to register for Early Access to the Open Beta. An Early Access code will be provided by your retailer. In most cases, the Early Access code will be printed on the retail receipt or sent to you via email on an online receipt."

For physical purchases, Activision says "tokens will be delivered close to the beginning of Early Access to the Open Beta". You'll also need to go to the Call of Duty Beta Redeem website in order to submit it.

As mentioned earlier in the article, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass members are unfortunately not eligible for Early Access to the Open Beta this year. It's possible that Activision may give out codes on social media or livestreams though, so if you don't want to pre-order but still hope to play, it's worth keeping a lookout.

And of course, don't forget that you won't need a code of any kind in order to play in Weekend 2 of the Open Beta, so it's just a case of waiting an extra few days for that one.

How To Download The MW4 Open Beta On Xbox

In order to actually play the Modern Warfare 4 Beta as soon as it becomes available, you'll want to follow these specific instructions on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S:

  1. Search for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Beta on the XBOX Store.
  2. Select the Beta.
  3. Select Install

There are bizarrely two versions of this on the store, so it's worth trying both of them to see which works.

It's the same situation if you're hoping to play on the Xbox PC app - use the exact same links.

Call Of Duty: MW4 Open Beta Dates, Start Times & How To Download 2

What's Included In The Call Of Duty MW4 Open Beta?

Good question! There's actually lot of stuff to check out in the Modern Warfare 4 Open Beta, including a surprise addition in the form of the "Entrenched" level from the game's single-player campaign.

Even Xbox boss Asha Sharma was hyping this up when it was revealed last week:

Elsewhere, you're going to get six multiplayer maps across nine game modes during Weekend One, while Weekend Two includes even more maps and game modes along with a special Warzone Resurgence Map.

All of this is detailed in a nice little poster over on social media, which we'll show down below. As you can see, there's also a Call of Duty: NEXT broadcast taking place on August 21st where the team will show off all of this in detail.

So, there we go! We expect Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4's beta to prove extremely popular heading into the next couple of weekends, and here's hoping it can live up to the hype for all of those who have been looking forward to it!

You can let us know how you're feeling about MW4 in the poll below:

How Excited Are You For Call of Duty: MW4?

Don't forget that the main release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is officially set for October 23rd, and there's no Xbox Game Pass release for the first time this year - they're instead delaying the XGP inclusion until a year after launch.

Excited for this one, chaps? Tell us if this has been helpful at all down below!

Please note that some external links on this page are affiliate links, which means if you click them and make a purchase we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Please read our FTC Disclosure for more information.