It’s almost time for Call of Duty fans to fall headfirst into the game’s newest campaign. Infinity Ward and Activision are releasing Modern Warfare 4 in stages. The campaign comes first, then DMZ and then the full release.

I love seeing the campaign get center stage — even if it’s just for a few days. Developers, writers, actors and directors work hard to deliver the stories and sometimes when a game’s multiplayer features are so popular, the single-player stuff gets neglected.

From a fan standpoint, this gives players their first tastes of the game’s mechanics. What does it feel like to shoot, move and engage in combat? Here’s what you need to know about the early access period for the MW4 campaign. Let’s talk video games.

Modern Warfare 4 Campaign Early Access Key Facts

Campaign Early Access opens Friday, Oct. 16. Activision lists the date in Pacific Time but hasn’t announced an exact unlock hour.

If you pre-ordered the digital Standard and Vault editions, you’re in.

PC players can preload starting Thursday, Oct. 15, at 9 a.m. PT , and they’ll need an SSD with 115GB free. Console preload times haven’t been announced.

The early campaign window covers Xbox Series X|S, PS5, Xbox on PC, Battle.net, Steam and Nintendo Switch 2. Modern Warfare 4 isn’t on any Game Pass tier at launch.

The story for the campaign puts players in control of Captain Price. You’re operating inside a conflict on the Korean Peninsula. You’re in the midst of an invasion of South Korea and there is a threat of a catastrophic weapon. The antagonist in this year’s campaign is The Archer. There are elements that play on Price’s strained alliances, with Kate Laswell wary of his methods and Valeria Garza as an unlikely ally.

Which Modern Warfare 4 Editions Get Campaign Early Access?

DMZ Early Access follows on Tuesday, Oct. 20, for digital pre-orders. Multiplayer arrives with the full launch on Friday, Oct. 23, at midnight local time.

I’ve said it before and I’ll write it again here, I’d love to see new campaign chapters released throughout the game’s cycle. Obviously, there are metrics that support continuing high-budget campaigns in the series. I’m hopeful that same engagement will encourage Activision and Infinity Ward to extend the story.