Call of Duty: NEXT 2026 and the Modern Warfare 4 early access beta kick off this Friday - here are the exact start times, map lists, and PC specs21:06, 19 Aug 2026Call of Duty fans are set for their first real taste of Modern Warfare 4 this weekend as Activision shows off the latest game in the long-running shooter series. Due for release on Friday, October 23, Modern Warfare 4 will take centre stage during the annual Call of Duty: NEXT showcase before the early access beta begins.‌Call of Duty: NEXT will offer insights into the game from insiders while also broadcasting live gameplay and more. Then the Early Access Beta opens up and players can get to grips with the game for the first time.‌The Modern Warfare 4 Early Access Beta will run throughout the weekend, giving players across almost every platform a first hands-on experience with campaign and multiplayer modes available. However, it's only open to those who have pre-ordered or obtained and redeemed a beta code.‌Here's everything you need to know about Call of Duty: NEXT 2026 and the Modern Warfare 4 Early Access Beta.Call of Duty: NEXT countdown, start time and what to expectCall of Duty: NEXT will go live at 9am PT on Friday, August 21. That translates to 5pm BST for us in the UK.‌Activision has promised live gameplay on core 6v6 multiplayer maps, a deeper look at the new Kill Block mode and a first look at the new Zodiac map for Call of Duty: Warzone. There'll also be beta code giveaways, giving some lucky players a chance to try out the Early Access Beta.The showcase will be immediately followed by the Modern Warfare 4 Early Access Beta. The latest Call of Duty blog, published today, says: "Serving as the command center for Modern Warfare 4, NEXT brings together reveals, developer insights, live gameplay, and creator broadcasts from around the world into one global event."Modern Warfare 4 early access beta countdown, release date and time and how to playThe early access beta for Modern Warfare 4 begins at 11am PT (7pm BST) on Friday, August 21. It'll end at 10am PT (6pm BST) on Tuesday, August 25.‌Players will find that the Modern Warfare 4 beta is installed and launched separately from the main Call of Duty experience, meaning it can be directly downloaded from digital storefronts on their chosen platform. It can be preloaded from 9am PT (5pm BST) on Thursday, August 20 on current gen platforms except Nintendo Switch 2, which won't be part of the Early Access Beta.Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 early access beta contentPlayers will find half a dozen multiplayer maps waiting for them to try out when they log on to the Modern Warfare 4 beta. A number of "core 6v6 maps and modes" will be joined in the beta by the new dynamic Kill Block map for 3v3 and 10v10 Gunfight matches.The Modern Warfare 4 beta will also feature the single-player Campaign mission 'Entrenched'. Further content, including Ground War and the new Warzone map for Resurgence mode, Zodiac, will arrive during the open beta the following weekend..‌A number of rewards earned in the beta will carry over to the full game when it launches in October. However, player level or rank, weapon unlocks and other in-beta progression will not.During the early access beta, the first five of the rewards - which are earned between levels 4 and 20 - will be available at official launch. The open beta - which takes place the following weekend - includes rewards up to level 30 that can be carried over to the full game.Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 early access beta PC specificationsMinimum‌OS: Windows 10 64 Bit (latest update)CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1600 or Intel Core i5-8400RAM: 12GBVideo Card – AMD: Radeon RX 470Video Card – NVIDIA: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 / 1060Video Card – Intel: Intel Arc A580Video Memory: 3 GBStorage Space: SSD requiredNetwork: Broadband Internet connectionSound Card: DirectX CompatibleRecommendedOS: Windows 11 64 Bit (latest update)CPU – AMD: AMD Ryzen 5 3600CPU – Intel: Intel Core i7-8700RAM: 16 GBVideo Card – AMD: AMD Radeon RX 6700 XTVideo Card – NVIDIA: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 TiVideo Card – Intel: Intel Arc B580Video Memory: 8 GBStorage Space: SSD requiredNetwork: Broadband Internet connectionSound Card: DirectX Compatible‌Recommended DriversNVIDIA: 610.47AMD: 26.7.1Intel: 32.0.101.8861Article continues belowAdditional requirementsInternet: Broadband Internet connectionDirectX: DirectX 12 compatible systemTPM 2.0 and Secure Boot are required to play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4. Other security measures may be enforced. Players can run the Call of Duty Secure Attestation Wizard to verify that their PC meets security requirements prior to Beta.