New 'Call Of Duty's Upcoming Beta Will Include A Series First

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Published Aug 14, 2026, 11:39 AM EDT

It seems that Xbox is going all-out to promote the next Call of Duty

Modern Warfare 4 beta will also include a single-player campaign mission

Soldiers vaulting over a ledge with guns drawn.

With Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4’s October release fast approaching, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has revealed that the game’s upcoming betas will have an unexpected inclusion: single-player.

Both of the upcoming playtests for Modern Warfare 4 will feature the campaign mission “Entrenched,” in addition to multiplayer. Additionally, the game’s second playtest will include the Warzone mode alongside the Resurgence Zodiac map. It’s the first time that a Call of Duty beta will include campaign, standard multiplayer, and Warzone.

Call of Duty's official X account added more details. On Aug. 21, there’s the Call of Duty Next event, which features gameplay streams and beta code giveaways. The early access beta will run from Aug. 21 to Aug. 25, and it’s available for those who pre-order Modern Warfare 4. This beta has the campaign mission and six multiplayer maps, which can be played across nine modes. It will be playable on PlayStation 5, Windows PC (via Steam and Battle.net), and Xbox Series X.

The second weekend is an open beta that runs from Aug. 28 to Sept. 1. It adds Warzone and the 32v32 Ground War mode, among other features. This test will be available for the previously mentioned systems, as well as Nintendo Switch 2.

It seems that Microsoft is going all out with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, likely due to the tepid response to the series’ previous game, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, which received brutal reviews and had the series’ worst sales ranking since 2008. By contrast, Battlefield 6 finally beat out the series with 30 million units sold.

The latest Call of Duty was announced earlier this year, and it follows a conflict between North and South Korea. Among its many changes, its developers have said they hope to fix players’ complaints about Modern Warfare 3’s movement. With Microsoft’s gaming division struggling — it’s in the process of laying off over 3,000 employees — there is likely a great deal riding on Modern Warfare 4’s success.