Call of Duty: MW4 free open beta confirmed for Switch 2

Activision has confirmed that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 will receive a free open beta on Nintendo Switch 2, with no pre-order required to take part. The announcement was made on 20 July 2026 via the official Call of Duty blog, and marks the first time the franchise has appeared on a Nintendo system since Call of Duty: Ghosts launched on Wii U back in 2013.

Two weekends, two different access tiers

The beta is structured across two separate weekends in August. The first, an early-access period running from 21 to 25 August, is open to players who have pre-ordered on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, or PC. That weekend kicks off immediately after Activision's Call of Duty: NEXT global broadcast on 21 August, which will feature live gameplay and developer insights.

The second weekend is where Switch 2 owners come in. The open beta runs from 28 August to 1 September and is open to all players across all platforms — no pre-order, no paywall. According to the official Call of Duty blog: "Players on Nintendo Switch 2 will be able to jump into the Modern Warfare 4 Open Beta Weekend."

Switch 2 is excluded from the first weekend for a straightforward logistical reason: pre-orders for the Switch 2 version don't open until 26 August, the day after early access ends on other platforms. There is no workaround for that gap.

What's in the beta

Activision has confirmed a substantial slice of content for both weekends. Players can expect:

• Multiple multiplayer maps and modes, ranging from small 3v3 skirmishes to large-scale tactical battles featuring tanks
• Up to 19 weapons that can be unlocked during the beta period
• A selection of brand-new Operators to choose from
• Fan-favourite modes including Search & Destroy, plus newly introduced modes Kill Block and the Training Mobility Course

Players who pre-order the Vault Edition of Modern Warfare 4 for Switch 2 — pre-orders open on 26 August — will receive access to the Hostile Alliance Operator Pack during the beta, letting them play as any of the four Operators included in that pack.

Switch 2-specific details

The Switch 2 version has been developed natively by Infinity Ward in partnership with Digital Legends, the studio that previously worked on Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile in 2024. Cross-play with other platforms is confirmed, as is support for Joy-Con 2 mouse controls — a feature that could prove to be a genuine differentiator for handheld and tabletop play.

Infinity Ward studio head Jack O'Hara was upbeat about the port's development. "It's exciting to be back on a Nintendo platform," he said. "It's always fun to come out on a new platform — especially a portable platform." On the technical process, O'Hara added: "To be honest, it's been pretty seamless. We got the hardware, then we got the game up and running pretty quickly, and now it's just about optimisation and performance. In our play test, people play it against the other platforms, and it's super fun. It's actually been pretty smooth. There are no problems to report."

There is one catch for Switch 2 owners: an active Nintendo Switch Online subscription is required to participate in the beta, as it will be for the full game. UK players who don't already subscribe will need to factor that cost in.

The full game: October release, current-gen only

Modern Warfare 4 is set for release on 23 October 2026 across Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. The game will not come to PS4 or Xbox One, making it the first current-generation-only Call of Duty of this console cycle. At launch, the game will include Campaign, Multiplayer, and DMZ modes.

On PS5, Xbox, and PC, the Standard Edition is priced at £69.99 and the Vault Edition at £99.99. The Vault Edition includes the Hostile Alliance Operator Pack — featuring Price, Valeria, Ghost, and Blix — and the Special Forces Operator Pack, which includes four Operators representing the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and South Korea, each with voice packs in their local languages. Switch 2-specific UK pricing has not been confirmed at the time of writing; Activision says further details will be shared closer to the 26 August pre-order date.

Why this moment matters

Modern Warfare 4 is the twenty-third instalment in the Call of Duty series and the fourth entry in the rebooted Modern Warfare sub-series, following Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III in 2023. Its arrival on Switch 2 is directly tied to Microsoft's 10-year agreement with Nintendo, signed in February 2023, to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo platforms day-and-date with full feature parity. That commitment was cited by both the European Commission and the UK's Competition and Markets Authority during regulatory review of Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

The pledge hit immediate turbulence when last year's Black Ops 7 launched without a Switch version at all. Modern Warfare 4 is therefore the first genuine test of whether Microsoft's promise holds up in practice — and the free open beta means UK Switch 2 owners can form their own verdict before spending a penny on the full game.