Call of Duty announces open beta
Activision has revealed Modern Warfare 4, featuring a Korean Peninsula setting and a historic native launch on the Nintendo Switch 2.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Announces Open Beta for Nintendo Switch 2
Activision has officially announced the next mainline entry in the Call of Duty series, Modern Warfare 4, and it's slated to release later this year on October 23. The game will skip last-gen consoles, including PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, to launch exclusively on PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC, as well as being the first Call of Duty entry to launch natively on Nintendo Switch 2.
According to Infinity Ward, Modern Warfare 4 will "mark a new chapter for the studio with the grounded, authentic, high-stakes military" the games are known for, set against an escalating global conflict centered around the Korean Peninsula that "pushes the series into darker and more dangerous territory as a full-scale invasion of South Korea threatens to destabilize the world." The game will feature a full campaign, multiplayer, and DMZ extraction mode, with the multiplayer mode including 12 all-new core 6v6 maps and a dynamic battleground called Kill Block.
The open beta for Modern Warfare 4 will take place over two weekends, with the first weekend running from August 21 to 25, exclusive to players who pre-order the game on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. The second weekend, from August 28 to September 1, will be an open beta, available to all players, including those on Nintendo Switch 2. During the beta, players will have access to multiple multiplayer maps and modes, including the new Kill Block mode, as well as 19 unlockable weapons.
However, Nintendo Switch 2 owners will not be able to participate in the first weekend of the beta, as pre-orders for the game on the Switch 2 will not start until August 26. This means that Switch 2 owners will only be able to join the second weekend of the beta.
The beta will also feature a variety of other modes, including Search & Destroy and the Training Mobility Course, as well as a range of brand-new Operators and cosmetic content for players who pre-order the Vault Edition.
Modern Warfare 4's campaign will drop players into a range of intense and realistic scenarios, including trench warfare in Korea, close-quarters combat in New York, and high-octane chases through Paris. The game's multiplayer mode promises to deliver "grounded, precise combat where fluid movement, player choice, and greater control define every engagement," with a range of new features and modes, including the Ballistic Authority system, which is designed to provide the most authentic Modern Warfare gunplay yet.
The game's release on Nintendo Switch 2 is a significant milestone for the series, and marks a major expansion of the Call of Duty franchise onto new platforms. The open beta will give players a chance to experience it for themselves before the game's official release on October 23.
