MW4 Campaign Early Access Tops Steam Ratings, Hitting 81% Positive

Key points

• Modern Warfare 4's campaign early access launched on October 16, 2026, for pre-orderers across PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2.
• The game currently holds an 81.15% positive review rating on Steam, surpassing Black Ops III (2015) as the best-rated Call of Duty title on the platform in over ten years.
• The campaign features 16 missions set in the Korean Peninsula, Paris, New York, and Mumbai, following Private Park Hyun Jun and John Price.
• DMZ early access begins on October 20, with the full game launch scheduled for October 23.
• Early reviews are based on approximately 900 user submissions, primarily from early adopters who paid for early access.

Background

Recent coverage highlighted concerns over declining player engagement for the Call of Duty franchise, with Activision's CMO Tyler Bahl referring to it as the 'Call of Duty tax.' Additionally, earlier reports confirmed the early access schedule and the inclusion of NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 support for PC players.

How outlets are covering it

Insider Gaming emphasizes the historical significance of the 81.15% Steam rating, noting it is the highest for a Call of Duty game since 2015. However, they caution that the sample size is small (900 reviews) and skewed toward early adopters. The official Call of Duty blog focuses on the narrative and rewards, detailing the 16-mission campaign and completion rewards for multiplayer. Xbox Wire highlights the standalone release nature of the game, while Radio Times provides a breakdown of the mission structure. There is no direct disagreement on facts, but the emphasis varies between critical reception (Insider Gaming) and feature details (Call of Duty Blog, Radio Times).

Why it matters

The strong initial Steam rating suggests a potential turnaround for the franchise's critical reception, which has been declining in recent years. It indicates that the campaign's narrative and technical improvements may be resonating with early players, potentially influencing broader sales and engagement for the full release.

What to watch

DMZ early access begins on October 20, 2026, followed by the full launch of Modern Warfare 4 on October 23. The Steam review score is expected to change as more players access the game and additional content, including multiplayer and esports features, becomes available.