Modern Warfare 4 DMZ guide for launch

When does MW4 DMZ start

DMZ Early Access goes live on Tuesday, October 20, 2026 at 10:00 PT, which is 19:00 CEST, at the same moment worldwide. It includes the whole mode ("all of DMZ").

You get in early if you digitally pre-ordered or pre-purchased the Standard Edition or the Vault Edition on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, PS5, Battle.net, Steam or Nintendo Switch 2. The physical edition does not include early access. XP and Weapon XP from Early Access carry over to your MW4 progression, camos included.

Is MW4 DMZ free?

No. Modern Warfare II's DMZ was free-to-play, but MW4 DMZ requires the paid game: the Standard Edition costs $69.99 on Steam in the US (PLN 299 on Steam in Poland) and PLN 349 on PS5 and Xbox in Poland. MW4 will not come to Game Pass until "Holiday 2027". Editions and prices are covered in our release date and editions guide.

Infinity Ward has not announced a separate free version of DMZ: in its Reddit AMA the team only said it was "too early" for such commitments.

The Vault Edition adds the DMZ Deployment Bonus: three Operator slots instead of two, plus two each of Weapon Insurance Contracts, Operator Rescue Beacons, Fulton Drop Markers, Medium Backpacks and 2-Plate Carriers. Activision has not explained how the contract works. According to YouTuber MrDalekJD, the contract recovers a lost weapon and the beacon rescues an MIA Operator without paying.

Hajin map: 13 major locations

There is one map at launch: Hajin (Hajin Exclusion Zone), an exclusion zone where Russia meets the Korean Peninsula. You play a CIA asset sent in after the events of the campaign to secure abandoned weapons and military technology.

Activision's blog post from October 5, 2026 lists 13 major points of interest (POIs) and over 60 named locations. Some outlets earlier wrote about nine regions; we go with the number from the blog.

The Russian part of the map is inaccessible for now. Vehicles need fuel and repairs at gas stations. The "Time Remaining" timer shows when Hajin's radiation storm intensifies: you need to reach an exfil before then.

How DMZ works: deploying, objectives and exfil

It is a PvPvE extraction shooter: up to 60 players in 20 squads per server, everyone spawns at the same time, and AI fights alongside them. There is no PvE-only mode and no private servers. You can deploy in three ways:

• Story Missions: replayable story missions, usually rewarding gear and DMZ Cash.
• Dynamic Operations: multi-step objectives generated for each match; each one you complete gives a rarer Supply Drop (Common, Uncommon, Rare).
• Free Roam: no mission, just exploring, gathering ingredients and hunting Wanted players.

During a match you also get Side Ops (for example capturing a SAM Site or activating a UAV Tower). A Paid Infil costs from 5,000 DMZ Cash (a Polaris Dagor A1 vehicle) to 100,000 DMZ Cash (Cargo Plane, the only one that lets you pick the exact drop spot).

Exfils are marked with green smoke: you call in a helicopter and defend the spot until it arrives, or use a Fulton balloon or a Flare. Exfils are where ambushes happen most.

If you die, you lose everything in your Backpack except the Secure Slots, and your Operator goes MIA. You keep the XP from the match. Every Operator has a Tourniquet: after being downed you get back up wounded (100 health instead of 150), and a Medkit restores full health.

Noise and combat raise a location's Threat Level and bring reinforcements. Kill too many AI and a Hunt Squad comes for you, with you "Marked for Death".

Insurance, keys and what you keep

• There are no permanent insured weapon slots like in MWII (according to MrDalekJD and Codmunity). You get weapons from the free Free Loadout, your Stash, the Gunsmith, the Vendor or loot.
• Secure Slots in a backpack (for example the Medium Backpack) protect an item even after a failed exfil.
• Keys open loot rooms and list their Tac-Map grid coordinates in the description. You keep them in your Stash.
• The Stash is shared by all Operators: 40 items and 12 weapons at the start.
• You can rescue an MIA Operator for DMZ Cash (they keep their Traits but come back without gear) or dismiss them.
• DMZ has its own player level from 1 to 70. Level 2 unlocks the 3D Printer, level 5 the Vendor and level 10 the Gunsmith.

Your base between matches is the Forward Operating Base (FOB).

Bosses and PvP: Lieutenants, Bounty, Wanted

Lieutenants are tough enemies with escorts. You can buy their location on the Boss Board or read it from a Lieutenant Hunt tower. They always drop a Lieutenant Dog Tag Case, but picking it up reveals your position to everyone. Commanders roam the map in every match: the Colossus, the Deathstalker drone and the Tank.

Killing a player gives you a Bounty. According to Activision, four Operator kills "across deployments" make you Wanted, with further tiers up to "Most Wanted" (Top 50 on a weekly leaderboard). Call of Duty Wiki says something different: four kills without dying. We will check after launch.

Wanted players are reported to nearby players, and hunters buy their location at a Bounty Station. You lose your Bounty if you die without exfiltrating, if someone extracts your Dog Tag, or if you pay DMZ Cash. You can call a Truce with other squads, betray them or join them, but with a cap of 4 players in total.

Can you play DMZ solo?

Yes, but there is no separate solo queue. You turn off Squad Fill, otherwise the game adds two players to your squad. Matchmaking tries to put solos with solos, duos with duos and trios with trios, but Infinity Ward says "there is no guarantee". The "Single Squad Mission" playlist seen in one video was developer-only.

The Stealth Meter helps solo players: it changes from white to yellow and orange when the AI has almost spotted you.

MW4 DMZ vs Modern Warfare II DMZ

MWII's DMZ launched on November 16, 2022 alongside Warzone 2.0 and was officially called "DMZ Beta". Infinity Ward now wants to "finish what we started".

Movement is shared with MW4 multiplayer. Some players on Reddit worry that faster movement will change the feel of the mode.

Tips for your first raids

1. In the FOB, start with Operators, DMZ Orders and Stash/Loadout. DMZ Orders are the most reliable way to level up.
2. Deploy with a Plate Carrier, a backpack, a weapon and a Medkit. Short on DMZ Cash? Take the Free Loadout.
3. The Armor slot is always empty before a match: you add plates once you are on the map.
4. Unload your backpack into your Stash after every exfil.
5. The after-match grade (from F to S++) counts looting, combat and objectives, so do not just loot.
6. Stay quiet in high-threat zones: melee, throwing knives, a suppressor.
7. Bring night vision goggles (NVG) for Heavenly Luck Casino and the underground part of NuriGO Mall, and a gas mask and radiation gear for Haneul Nuclear Reactor.
8. With a Lieutenant Dog Tag Case, head straight to an exfil.

Players also recommend the campaign mission "Stranded" (mission 10) as a taste of DMZ: campaign length and missions.

What's next: Season 1 and Season 2

• Season 1 starts on November 6, 2026. Infinity Ward is teasing a location called XO1, similar to Building 21 from MWII (Codmunity writes "XL1", so the spelling is uncertain).
• Season 2 adds Russia. New Lieutenants and Commanders, new maps and boss events are also planned.
• Hajin is also set to become a Warzone map from Season 1 (according to games.gg).

Frequently asked questions

What time does MW4 DMZ start?

On Tuesday, October 20, 2026 at 10:00 PT, which is 19:00 CEST. Before that you need to download the update, available by October 19, 2026 at 9:00 PT (18:00 CEST).

Is MW4 DMZ free?

No. You need to buy MW4. The free one was Modern Warfare II's DMZ.

Does the physical edition get DMZ Early Access?

No, only digital purchases do. With a disc you can play DMZ from launch on October 23, 2026.

Is there a PvE-only mode in DMZ?

No. Every server has AI and other player squads.