Modern Warfare 4 has been out since October 23, and the question every lobby is asking has changed from "when does it launch" to "when does Season 1 drop, and what does it change?" For MW4 the answer matters more than usual, because Season 1 is the day Warzone stops being a Black Ops 7 game and becomes a Modern Warfare 4 game, the first Battle Pass goes live, and last-gen Warzone switches off for good.
This is the updated version, rebuilt from Activision's official roadmap, announcement and support pages. Confirmed facts and expectations are kept clearly apart, and nothing from leaks is stated as fact.
Quick answer (TLDR): MW4 Season 1 starts Friday, November 6, 2026, in both Modern Warfare 4 and Call of Duty: Warzone. Call of Duty confirmed it in its official roadmap on October 14. That is 14 days after MW4's October 23 launch, the shortest launch-to-Season-1 gap of recent years. Season 1 brings the Warzone integration (MW4 content and progression in Warzone), the two confirmed new Warzone maps Hajin (Battle Royale) and Zodiac (Resurgence), and MW4's first Battle Pass. The same day, Warzone stops working on PS4 and Xbox One. The exact start hour hasn't been published yet. Recent seasons have gone live at 9 AM PT, but treat that as an expectation until Activision posts the time.
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When does Modern Warfare 4 Season 1 start?
| November 6, 2026. The date comes from the official "The Road Ahead Starts With Early Access" roadmap that Call of Duty posted on October 14. The graphic's Season 1 panel reads "Season 1 — November 6 — MW4 | Warzone". The post itself put it plainly: |
|---|
"Play the Campaign and DMZ ahead of MW4 launch on Oct 23. The fight continues in Season 1." — @CallofDuty, October 14, 2026
That replaces the only official wording available before October, from the Modern Warfare 4 announcement: "Modern Warfare 4 launches on October 23, with Season 1 shortly after." Earlier editions of this guide projected an early-to-mid December window from past release calendars. That estimate is now obsolete, and November 6 is the confirmed date.
What time does MW4 Season 1 go live? Activision hasn't announced an exact time yet. Recent Call of Duty seasons have gone live at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET / 5 PM UK (BO7 Season 06 launched at that time on September 17), so expect something close to that. Two caveats apply: the official start time usually arrives with the Season 1 blog a few days before launch, and November 6 is a Friday, while most recent seasons started on a Thursday. We'll update this section the moment the hour is official.
Why is MW4 Season 1 so early?
Fourteen days is unusually fast for Call of Duty. Here's how MW4's gap compares with recent launches:
| Game | Full launch | Season 1 | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Modern Warfare II (2022) | Oct 28, 2022 | Nov 16, 2022 | 19 days |
| Modern Warfare III (2023) | Nov 10, 2023 | Dec 6, 2023 | 26 days |
| Black Ops 6 (2024) | Oct 25, 2024 | Nov 14, 2024 | 20 days |
| Black Ops 7 (2025) | Nov 14, 2025 | Dec 4, 2025 | 20 days |
| Modern Warfare 4 (2026) | Oct 23, 2026 | Nov 6, 2026 | 14 days |
The early-access drip explains much of it. Digital pre-order players have been playing MW4 since Campaign Early Access on October 16 and DMZ Early Access on October 20. By November 6, the most engaged part of the player base will have had three weeks with the game, which is roughly the usual gap.
What is on the MW4 roadmap before Season 1?
Here's everything on the official roadmap, in order. These are the dates we track across our MW4 coverage:
| Date | What arrives | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 16 | Campaign Early Access (digital pre-orders) | Done |
| Oct 20 | DMZ Early Access (digital pre-orders) | Done |
| Oct 23 | Full launch: Kill Block + 12 core maps, 3 Ground War maps, 4 Gunfight maps | Live |
| Oct 27 | Shipment | Coming soon |
| Oct 29 | Possession Mode (new) | Coming soon |
| Oct 30 | Infected Mode | Coming soon |
| Nov 6 | Season 1: MW4 + Warzone | Confirmed |
The launch-day lineup on the graphic is Kill Block plus Cachette, Coal, Lithium, Lotus, Mumbai, Munition, Nautical, Reactor U92, Rooftops, Sentry, Silkworm and Transit 213. Ground War gets Wolves Stadium, Forest and Imjin Farmland, and Gunfight gets Smuggler, NYC, Café and Library. Shipment's four-day turnaround is the fastest return the map has had in years. We break down why in when Shipment hits MW4, and the Halloween mode is covered in MW4 Possession mode explained.
When does MW4 Warzone come out? (The Season 1 Warzone integration)
Warzone moves onto MW4 on November 6, with Season 1. Until then, Warzone is still running on Black Ops 7 content and its final season. Activision's announcement wording is direct:
"Beginning in Season 1, Call of Duty: Warzone will integrate Modern Warfare 4 content and seasonal progression as part of a connected experience between both titles."
What's officially confirmed for the switch:
- Two new Warzone maps. From Activision's CoD NEXT multiplayer blog: "Zodiac, built by Beenox, brings a new Resurgence experience… one particularly tactical addition: the train. The DMZ map Hajin is also coming to Battle Royale, with these two new Call of Duty: Warzone maps arriving in Season 1." Our Hajin Warzone map breakdown covers what's known about the zone.
- Legacy content carries forward, with limits. The official Warzone Season 1 blog confirms that Operators, Operator Skins and Weapon Blueprints from MWII, MWIII, BO6 and BO7 stay usable, and that "every legacy weapon will have a five-attachment version that will be unlockable via the Armory." Activision also published a correction: legacy weapon camos will not be available. Full detail is in our Warzone carry-forward and skin toggle guide.
- A new Operator Skin toggle, off by default. When it's on, other players' non-MW4 Operators show up as MW4 Operators in your game only.
- Warzone stays free-to-play. You don't need to buy MW4 to drop into Hajin. See is Warzone free with MW4.
The fixed legacy loadouts are already the most-argued part of the switch on r/CODWarzone. In a "Legacy weapon gunsmith RIP" thread this week, several players said they had assumed everything would carry over untouched. Others pointed out that legacy guns get a set five-attachment build you can't edit, on top of any blueprints you own. A few players read it as Activision steering everyone toward the new MW4 arsenal. If your favourite Warzone build relies on a custom legacy attachment, plan for it to change on November 6.
Ranked is the one big piece missing from the roadmap. Season 1 does not list a Warzone or Multiplayer Ranked date. We mapped the likely window from past integrations in when Warzone Ranked comes back.
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Is last-gen Warzone shut down at MW4 Season 1?
Yes. This is the confirmed change most players miss. Activision's Warzone platform update sets out the timeline:
- June 4, 2026: Warzone removed from PS4 and Xbox One storefronts (no new downloads). CP and BlackCell purchases ended.
- June 25, 2026: the in-game store was removed on both platforms.
- MW4 Season 1 (November 6): "Call of Duty: Warzone will no longer be available to play on PlayStation 4 and XBOX One."
Activision's FAQ also says last-gen Warzone stays playable "through the end of Season 06 for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7". That means you have until November 6. Your progression and COD Point purchases carry to a current-gen console or PC on the same Activision account, but COD Points only move within the same console family. MW4 itself never released on PS4 or Xbox One. Our MW4 last-gen support explainer covers the upgrade paths.
What content is confirmed for MW4 Season 1?
| Season 1 item | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Start date: Friday Nov 6, 2026 | ✅ Confirmed | @CallofDuty roadmap, Oct 14 |
| MW4 + Warzone share one season | ✅ Confirmed | MW4 announcement blog |
| Hajin (Warzone Battle Royale) | ✅ Confirmed for Season 1 | CoD NEXT MP blog, Aug 21 |
| Zodiac (Warzone Resurgence, with a train) | ✅ Confirmed for Season 1 | CoD NEXT MP blog, Aug 21 |
| Legacy Operators/Skins/Blueprints in Warzone | ✅ Confirmed (no legacy camos) | Warzone Season 1 blog + correction |
| Last-gen Warzone shut off | ✅ Confirmed | Activision support |
| First MW4 Battle Pass + BlackCell | ✅ Expected at Season 1 (not live at launch) | Vault Edition terms / roadmap coverage |
| Warzone Mastery camos (Parallax, Damascus Reforged, Empyros) | ✅ Named, "classified until Season 1" | MW4 progression blog |
| Exact start hour | ⏳ Not announced | — |
| Season 1 multiplayer maps / new weapons | ⏳ Not announced | Expect the Season 1 blog |
| Ranked Play date | ⏳ Not on the roadmap | — |
Battle Pass and BlackCell. MW4 launched without a Battle Pass. The pass and BlackCell begin with Season 1. Vault Edition owners have one season of BlackCell included, which comes with 1,100 COD Points and 20 Battle Pass Tier Skips on top of the BlackCell Operator and Blueprint. Our BlackCell and Battle Pass explainer has the full breakdown. The specific tiers, Operators and weapons in the Season 1 pass haven't been revealed, so treat any "leaked pass" list as unconfirmed.
Warzone camos. The three Warzone Mastery camos are already named in Activision's progression blog: Parallax, Damascus Reforged and Empyros. Their challenges stay classified until Season 1 unlocks Warzone progression. See MW4 Warzone mastery camos.
How should you use the 12 days before Season 1?
The launch-to-Season-1 window is the best grind window of the year. Season 1 adds a Battle Pass, new challenges and Warzone progression to the pile, so anything you finish now is time you don't spend catching up later.
- Max your core guns now. Weapon progression is global across Multiplayer and DMZ, and primaries run 53 to 75 levels depending on the gun. Pick two or three weapons and push them to max before November 6. Then Shipment (Oct 27) speeds up whatever's left. Our fastest day-1 weapon leveling guide lists the best playlists.
- Push rank before the pass arrives. MW4 has 55 levels and 10 Prestiges, with two Prestige paths. Getting through Prestige before Season 1 means your Battle Pass XP goes on top of a finished rank grind. See MW4 Prestige explained.
- Don't count on easy lobbies. MW4 launched without Open Matchmaking playlists, and every playlist uses the "Standard" system. Our MW4 SBMM guide explains what that means for your grind speed.
- Use the launch 2XP promo while it lasts. The launch Double XP is a social-post promo that ends October 26 at 10 AM PT. It isn't a global double-XP weekend, so check your inventory before you queue.
For the full picture of how the two games connect, our MW4 + Warzone integration explainer covers progression, maps and resets in one place.
Want to hit Season 1 on November 6 already maxed instead of starting the Battle Pass behind? Lock in your MW4 setup now. Bot lobbies, camo and weapon leveling are live today:
- MW4 Bot Lobbies: private easy lobbies from $5.90, so you can level and grind camos without launch-week SBMM.
- MW4 Weapon Leveling: max any gun and unlock every attachment before Season 1.
- MW4 Mastery Camo Unlock: bank the multiplayer mastery camos before the Warzone camo track opens.
- MW4 Account Leveling: hit max rank and Prestige before the Battle Pass arrives.
- All MW4 services
FAQ
When is MW4 Season 1? MW4 Season 1 starts on Friday, November 6, 2026, for both Modern Warfare 4 and Call of Duty: Warzone. Call of Duty confirmed the date in its official roadmap posted on October 14, 2026.
What time does MW4 Season 1 start? Activision hasn't confirmed the exact hour yet. Recent Call of Duty seasons have launched at 9 AM PT (12 PM ET, 5 PM UK), so that's the most likely time. Expect the official time in the Season 1 blog a few days before November 6.
When does MW4 Warzone come out? Warzone integrates Modern Warfare 4 on November 6, 2026, with Season 1. MW4 content, progression and the new Hajin (Battle Royale) and Zodiac (Resurgence) maps arrive then. Until that date, Warzone still runs on Black Ops 7 content.
Is there a Battle Pass in MW4 right now? No. MW4 launched on October 23 without a Battle Pass. The first Battle Pass and BlackCell start with Season 1 on November 6. Vault Edition owners get one season of BlackCell, which includes 1,100 COD Points and 20 tier skips.
Can I still play Warzone on PS4 or Xbox One? Only until Season 1. Activision's support page says Warzone "will no longer be available to play on PlayStation 4 and XBOX One" from MW4 Season 1 (November 6, 2026). Your progress carries to current-gen or PC on the same Activision account.
Do my old Warzone camos carry over to MW4 Season 1? No. Activision issued a correction confirming that legacy weapon camos won't be available in the MW4 Warzone chapter. Legacy Operators, Operator Skins and Weapon Blueprints do carry over, and legacy weapons get a fixed five-attachment version unlocked through the Armory.
