Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 will launch a beta that includes a single-player campaign mission called "Entrenched," the first time a Call of Duty beta offers campaign content in addition to multiplayer and Warzone modes [1, 2, 3, 4].
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma announced the campaign mission's inclusion on August 14, 2026. She said, "New exclusive single player campaign mission for COD MW4 Beta drops next week. Weekend 2 brings Zodiac, a new warzone resurgence map. Let's go" [1, 2, 3].
The beta will have two playtest periods. Early access runs from August 21 to August 25 for players who pre-ordered, and the open beta runs from August 28 to September 1, available to all players [1, 2, 3, 4].
During early access, players can try six multiplayer maps across nine modes, plus the "Entrenched" campaign mission. The open beta adds the Warzone mode, featuring the new Zodiac Resurgence map and a 32v32 Ground War mode. The open beta will also be available on Nintendo Switch 2 [1, 2, 3, 4].
The campaign mission "Entrenched" is set in the conflict between North and South Korea. It follows a squad of South Korean marines and an embedded American soldier, providing narrative context beyond multiplayer combat [1, 4].
Modern Warfare 4 developer Infinity Ward has aimed to improve gameplay with adjustments to muzzle flash, hipfire, and movement based on player feedback, though these refinements are still in progress [1, 4]. The beta is seen as a response to the poor reception of last year’s Black Ops 7, which suffered from a problematic campaign and weak sales [1, 3, 4].
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 will release on October 23, 2026, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2 [3].
