The MW4 Season 1 release date is November 6. It’s a free content update with three new Multiplayer maps, two returning modes, a new DMZ location called X01 and two new guns, according to the PlayStation Blog’s Season 1 rundown. Free is the part people care about. The catch is that you still need to own Modern Warfare 4.
Key takeaways
- Modern Warfare 4 Season 1 goes live on November 6, the same day as Warzone’s Season 1.
- Multiplayer gets Backstab, Canyon and a snowy Shoot House, plus Grind and Drop Zone. DMZ gets X01, a weapons facility.
- The season update is free, but DMZ and Multiplayer come with the paid game. Warzone is still the free-to-play part.
What time does MW4 Season 1 start?
Activision hasn’t given an exact time yet, only the date. Past Call of Duty seasons have gone live at 9am PT, so games.gg’s Season 1 start times by region work from that: 12pm ET and 5pm GMT on November 6.
That’s an estimate until Call of Duty posts the real time. The date itself has been on Infinity Ward’s roadmap since October 14, and PlayStation repeated it on October 28.
What’s in MW4 Season 1?
Multiplayer gets three new maps on day one. Backstab is a war-torn map with abandoned tanks and bad weather, Canyon has you fighting between towering rock walls, and Shoot House comes back reimagined in North Korea, in the snow. Grind returns too, where you take enemy dog tags to the Bank to score, and so does Drop Zone, where teams fight over one objective that moves while killstreak packages drop on it.
More lands mid-season. Ministry is a fight in and around an embassy, Overflow is a factory with farmland around it, and Counter Attack is a new mode where you blow up the enemy Comm Station while protecting yours.
The Season 1 Battle Pass adds the Cronen Osprey assault rifle and the CSG-35 SMG, which has the highest fire rate in its class. It’s a straight 100-tier track now, and if you buy it and fall behind, it catches you up to the reward for that day of the season, up to day 50. Warzone gets two maps of its own on the same day, Hajin and Zodiac.
What is X01 in MW4 DMZ?
X01 is a weapons facility the enemy has taken over, and it’s DMZ’s new location for Season 1. It’s a maze of tunnels with hazards that move about, and the facility starts closing off extraction points, so you have to finish its steps to get out. It comes with new DMZ Orders, a Threat Briefing for taking down the bosses, and Resupply Runs.
I’ve watched Modern Warfare 4, but I hadn’t watched much of the DMZ until I sat down with the official early access gameplay trailer, and it looks really good. The idea that you can team up and do the story missions while it’s still an action extraction shooter is what gets me. IGN’s review describes those story missions as quest chains built like the campaign missions, minus the cinematic story bits, and gave DMZ 8 out of 10 this week. If you want to know what you’re walking into, the DMZ guide to Hajin, bosses and extraction covers the launch map.
Would a new DMZ location get me to try it?
I don’t know. The difference between Call of Duty and the other games in this category is that it’s the one closest to arcadey movement. All the clips I watch of people playing it are sliding, putting a chest plate in while shooting with their other gun, whistling to a bird and cooking fried eggs at the same time. There’s a lot going on.
I don’t think I’m the generation of flashy light jangly keys enough for that. I do enjoy watching people play it, because some of them are very skillful and they do some funny stuff. But I don’t know if I’d do it myself.
I can see the appeal of DMZ, though. It’s not just an extraction shooter for the sake of being an extraction shooter. You’re playing through a story mission, not a generic mission that happens to be there. I think the last extraction shooter I played was ARC Raiders, and there was stuff going on in that, but it doesn’t look like the immersive story that’s going on here.
Should DMZ be sold separately?
A lot of people in the comments under the DMZ trailer are saying they wish it was sold separately. Lots of them think it really should be a spin-off, its own thing that’s no longer tied to the base game. I think that makes sense, and I think it could actually work. I never expected anything in Modern Warfare 4 to be free, and for now DMZ only comes with the full game.
Is MW4 Season 1 free?
The season itself is free. The new maps, modes and X01 come to everyone who owns the game, and the premium Battle Pass costs extra. What isn’t free is getting in. Pocket Tactics’ DMZ explainer says you need to own Modern Warfare 4 to play DMZ, unlike the first DMZ in 2022, which came free with Warzone. MW4 is $69.99 on Steam.
Free is a massive appeal for a lot of people. One of the most asked questions I get when I play or stream a new game is whether it’s free. So yes, I think free seasons are going to keep the Call of Duty numbers up in general.
If you have to buy the base game before the free season counts, I’m less confident in that. It’s free for people who are already in. I said at launch that nobody buys Call of Duty for the campaign, and Season 1 is the first new content for the parts people do buy it for.
FAQ
When does MW4 Season 1 start?
November 6, 2026. Activision hasn’t confirmed the time, but past seasons went live at 9am PT.
Is MW4 Season 1 free?
Yes, the Season 1 content is a free update for anyone who owns Modern Warfare 4. The premium Battle Pass is paid.
Is DMZ free in Modern Warfare 4?
No. DMZ comes with the paid game this time, unlike 2022’s DMZ. Warzone is still free to play.
