Weekend 2 of the Modern Warfare 4 Open Beta is live from August 28 to September 1, 2026, the level cap has jumped from 20 to 30, and the number one question in every lobby is the same: why is half my arsenal still locked, and how do I unlock it? The short version — in the beta, almost every gun is tied to your player level, not a challenge. This guide gives you the complete unlock table for all 22 beta weapons, the exact level each one opens at, how the new Armory and Weapon Progression systems work, and the fastest, cleanest way to unlock everything before the beta closes (or from scratch when the full game drops on October 23, 2026).
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 - Bot Lobbies
Get bot lobby in 10 minutes
Quick answer: How do you unlock weapons in the MW4 beta?
In the Modern Warfare 4 Open Beta, weapons unlock automatically by reaching player-level milestones — there is no separate weapon-challenge grind. Nine weapons are available from the moment you log in at level 1, and the remaining guns open as you rank up through multiplayer matches, all the way to the Signal 50 sniper at level 30, the hardest unlock in the beta. Every match earns XP toward your player level; hit the required level and the weapon is yours instantly. That is the whole system for the beta weekends, per the official Call of Duty MW4 beta progression guide. The challenge-based Armory Unlocks most veterans remember from Modern Warfare III are a full-game feature and are not how the beta gates its guns.
Key takeaways
- The MW4 beta has 22 weapons across 9 classes; the level cap is 30.
- 9 guns are unlocked from the start (level 1); 8 more unlock at set player levels.
- Weapons unlock by player level only in the beta — no weapon challenges required.
- The final unlock, the Signal 50 sniper, opens at level 30 (Weekend 2's new cap).
- Nothing carries over: your level, weapon XP and unlocks reset when MW4 launches October 23. Only cosmetic beta rewards are kept.
What weapons are unlocked from the start in the MW4 beta?
You start every beta session with nine weapons already unlocked at level 1 — one from each core class — so you are never stuck with an empty locker. That is plenty to run every one of the beta's six Core 6v6 maps from the first match. These are your day-one options for building the first loadouts:
| Class | Starting weapon |
|---|---|
| Assault Rifle | Han 86 |
| SMG | ISO Nightshade |
| LMG | Finn LMG |
| Marksman Rifle | Mar-9 |
| Sniper Rifle | KG-7 Vulcan |
| Shotgun | Rezi 12 |
| Pistol | Krait P68 |
| Launcher | PILA |
| Melee | Combat Knife |
The Han 86 assault rifle is the weapon most players ride to the mid-levels — it is also the base for the level-30 "Beta Forged" reward blueprint, so leveling it early does double duty.
MW4 beta weapon unlock levels: the full list
Beyond the nine starters, eight weapons are gated behind specific player levels. Reach the level and the gun unlocks automatically — you do not need to complete a single challenge. Here is the complete beta unlock ladder:
| Player level | Weapon | Class |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Type 73 | LMG |
| 9 | M4 | Assault Rifle |
| 11 | PPSH-41 | SMG |
| 14 | Oris 8.6 | Marksman Rifle |
| 18 | Hyeon Burst | Assault Rifle |
| 23 | .50 GS | Pistol |
| 25 | Patriot XMR | Assault Rifle |
| 30 | Signal 50 | Sniper Rifle |
The M4 at level 9 and the PPSH-41 at level 11 are the two most-chased early unlocks — a reliable AR and a spray-heavy SMG that carry most lobbies. The Signal 50 at level 30 is the beta's trophy gun: with Weekend 1 capped at level 20, nobody could reach it until the Weekend 2 cap raise, which is exactly why it is the current end-game grind. (For the full breakdown of each weekend's cap and the rewards attached to it, see our MW4 beta level cap guide.)
Why is the AN-94 (or another gun) not in the list?
If you have been hunting a returning fan-favorite like the AN-94 and cannot find it on the level ladder, it is because the beta ships a curated 22-weapon slice, not the full launch arsenal. Weapons outside this list are not part of the beta's rank-unlock set. Expect the wider roster — including returning classics — to arrive with the full game on October 23, where the challenge-based Armory Unlocks system layers on top of level unlocks and gives you extra guns, equipment and attachments to chase outside your normal rank progression. For the beta, if a weapon is not on the table above, leveling will not unlock it — it simply is not in this build.
How do Armory Unlocks work in Modern Warfare 4?
Armory Unlocks are the returning system that separates the beta from the full game. In the beta, everything is level-gated and simple. At launch, Armory Unlocks return as an additional layer: once you hit the required rank, you activate a specific item in the Armory — a weapon, attachment or piece of equipment — and earn XP toward unlocking that item through play, outside the standard rank-unlock track. In Modern Warfare III the Armory opened at level 24 and unlocked the bulk of the arsenal through daily and item challenges; MW4 is confirmed to build on that same progression foundation.
The bigger structural change at launch is the new Weapon Progression system. Call of Duty's official MW4 Multiplayer breakdown describes it as a way to "unlock an attachment once and build out an arsenal that gives you more options as you move from weapon to weapon." In plain terms: attachments you unlock on one gun can carry across compatible weapons, so you are not re-grinding the same optic or muzzle on every rifle. That cuts down the redundant unlock grind that has plagued past titles — but the weapons themselves still come from leveling and the Armory.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 - Mastery Camo Bundle
Get mastery camos in 10 minutes
Does beta weapon progress carry over to the full game?
No. Your player level, weapon XP and every weapon unlock reset the moment the beta ends. When Modern Warfare 4 launches on October 23, everyone starts from level 1 with the nine base weapons again — the beta is a test build, not a head start. The only thing that carries forward is cosmetic beta rewards (calling cards, emblems, a weapon charm, the Reece operator skin, the "Beta Forged" Han 86 blueprint and more), and even those do not appear in your account until launch day. So grinding the Signal 50 to level 30 now earns you bragging rights and the reward-track cosmetics — not a permanent unlock. At launch, the whole ladder resets and the real race begins.
That reset is also why launch week is the single most competitive leveling window of the year: millions of players hit level 1 simultaneously on October 23, all chasing the same guns and camos from zero.
What is the fastest way to unlock all the weapons?
Because beta weapons are pure level unlocks, the fastest path to a full arsenal is simply the fastest path to level 30. A few things move the needle:
- Play the objective, not just kills. Hardpoint, Domination and Kill Confirmed pour in score-based XP far faster than Team Deathmatch. Capturing, holding and confirming tags all stack XP on top of eliminations.
- Stack XP tokens. Any Double XP or Double Weapon XP tokens you have apply immediately — burn them during the beta's higher-cap Weekend 2 while every level still unlocks a new gun.
- Finish matches. Match-completion and win bonuses are a meaningful chunk of per-game XP; quitting early throws them away.
- Chase the level, then the attachments. Unlock the weapon at its level first, then rank that weapon up in-match to open its Apex Attachments.
For a deeper XP routine — the exact modes, tokens and match habits that push you to the cap quickest — our how to level up fast in the MW4 beta guide breaks down the full grind, and the weapon-leveling walkthrough covers maxing individual guns.
If you would rather skip the grind entirely — especially at launch, when everyone resets to level 1 and the race to max rank is at its most brutal — professional leveling gets your account and weapons where you want them without the time sink:
Lock in your MW4 setup before launch — bot lobbies, camo and weapon leveling ready day one:
- MW4 Bot Lobbies — safe, easy lobbies to rank up fast, chase XP and grind weapon levels without sweaty SBMM.
- MW4 Weapon Leveling — max out any gun and unlock its full attachment tree without the per-weapon grind.
- MW4 Account Leveling — push your player level and prestige so every weapon unlock opens automatically.
- MW4 Mastery Camo Unlock — take your leveled weapons straight to Gold, and beyond.
How the MW4 unlock system compares to recent Call of Duty titles
MW4's beta approach — nine starters, level-gated unlocks, no weapon challenges — is the cleanest the series has run in years. It sidesteps the frustration of previous betas where key guns were locked behind timed or RNG-heavy challenges. Here is the shape of it at a glance:
- Total beta weapons: 22, across 9 classes
- Unlocked at level 1: 9 (one per core class)
- Level-gated in the beta: 8 (levels 5–30)
- Weapon challenges required in the beta: 0
- Hardest unlock: Signal 50 sniper, level 30
- Armory Unlocks: full-game feature, not in the beta build
The takeaway for right now: if a gun is on the ladder, just keep playing and it will unlock on schedule. No secret challenge, no hidden requirement — only your level stands between you and every weapon in this build.
FAQ
How many weapons are in the MW4 beta? There are 22 weapons across 9 classes in the Open Beta. Nine are available from level 1, and eight more unlock at set player levels between 5 and 30. The rest of each class fills out with the full game at launch.
What level do you unlock the Signal 50 in MW4? The Signal 50 sniper rifle unlocks at player level 30, the beta's maximum level. It was unreachable in Weekend 1 (capped at level 20) and only became available once Weekend 2 raised the cap to 30.
Do I need to complete challenges to unlock weapons in the beta? No. Beta weapons unlock purely by reaching the required player level — there is no weapon-challenge grind. The challenge-based Armory Unlocks system is a full-game feature that arrives at launch, not in the beta.
Why can't I unlock the AN-94 in the beta? The AN-94 is not part of the beta's 22-weapon level-unlock list, so leveling will not unlock it. Weapons outside the beta ladder — including returning fan-favorites — are expected to arrive with the full game on October 23 via rank progression and the Armory.
Does my beta weapon progress carry over to the full game? No. Your level, weapon XP and all weapon unlocks reset when the beta ends. Only cosmetic beta rewards carry over, and they land in your account on launch day, October 23, 2026.
What's the fastest way to level up and unlock everything? Play objective modes (Hardpoint, Domination, Kill Confirmed), stack any Double XP tokens, and finish matches for the completion and win bonuses. If you want to skip the grind — or get ahead at launch when everyone resets to level 1 — MW4 account and weapon leveling does it for you.
