COD: Modern Warfare 4 Beta to Let Players Try Campaign Mission “Entrenched”

Tane Wharekura16/08/2026Updated 25/08/20264 min read

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is about to let players do something the franchise has never allowed in a beta before: play a piece of the single-player campaign. Activision and developer Infinity Ward have confirmed that the upcoming two-weekend beta will include the mission “Entrenched,” alongside multiplayer and, for the first time in a beta, Call of Duty: Warzone.

Two Beta Weekends, One Extra Layer

The first weekend takes place from 21st August through 25th August and is exclusive to those who pre-order the game on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and PC, while Weekend 2 is open to all players with no pre-orders necessary, running from 28th August through 1st September for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC and Switch 2. The early access window kicks off straight after the Call of Duty: NEXT showcase.

Players on Nintendo Switch 2 will be able to jump into the Modern Warfare 4 Open Beta Weekend starting on August 28, with no pre-order required to participate, according to Activision’s official beta page. That marks Call of Duty’s full return to a Nintendo console after years away, and Switch 2 pre-orders for the game itself go live shortly beforehand.

“Entrenched” Brings the Campaign Into a Beta for the First Time

The headline addition is Entrenched, a full playable mission pulled from Modern Warfare 4’s story. Activision revealed its beta will include a single player campaign mission to try for the first time in series history, alongside a selection of multiplayer modes and maps and the new Warzone Resurgence map called Zodiac.

Unlike a one-off teaser, the mission isn’t locked to a single window. The campaign mission “Entrenched” will be available during both beta periods, giving players the chance to experience part of Modern Warfare 4’s story before the game’s October launch, according to FandomWire’s reporting on Activision’s reveal.

Entrenched drops players into brutal trench warfare on South Korea’s collapsing front lines, giving an early look at the campaign’s cinematic direction. The broader story follows a young squad of South Korean soldiers fighting for survival, while Captain Price wages his own, separate war from the shadows. PC Gamer’s preview described the mission as following “a squad of South Korean marines (plus one embedded American) in an uphill offensive, we’ve got trenches, APCs, shotguns” and a heavily choreographed set-piece brawl.

Warzone’s Zodiac Map Joins the Second Weekend

Warzone content is being held back for the open weekend. Warzone will also make an appearance in a beta for the first time, but not until the second weekend, open for all from August 28 to September 1, with the new Zodiac Resurgence map playable. Multiplayer content is also shifting between weekends, with reports pointing to the Lithium map replacing Lotus and large-scale Ground War arriving for the open weekend.

On the standard multiplayer side, Activision has confirmed the beta will let players sample up to 19 unlockable weapons across a mix of small-scale skirmishes and vehicle-heavy battles. The Beta will feature diverse maps, multiplayer modes, multiple operators, and nearly twenty firearms, spanning modes such as Search & Destroy and the new Kill Block map, which reshapes its layout between rounds.

What This Means for Switch 2 and Australian Pre-Orders

For Australian and New Zealand players eyeing Nintendo’s newest console, the timing lines up cleanly with the open beta rather than the pre-order-gated early access. It will be very interesting to see how performance holds up on Nintendo’s newest console, especially when Activision are dropping support for the last generation PS4, which is seen to be roughly equivalent to the Switch 2 in terms of raw power, a point worth watching for anyone deciding whether to try the beta on the handheld versus a PS5 or PC.

Australian outlet Press Start also flagged early pre-order pricing options ahead of the beta weekends, noting local retailers already listing the game. Regardless of platform, the underlying pitch from Activision is the same: this is the biggest beta the series has ever assembled, folding multiplayer, a real campaign slice and Warzone into one download rather than staggering them across separate tests.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 releases October 23, 2026, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2, with players who pre-order any digital edition getting campaign early access starting October 16, 2026. The game will skip PS4 and Xbox One entirely, and Xbox Game Pass subscribers will need to wait until the title’s first post-launch season to play it as part of their subscription.