Modern Warfare 4 beta adds campaign mission and Warzone's Zodiac map
By TourneyTime ·
The short version
The Modern Warfare 4 beta is not just a multiplayer test. Call of Duty has confirmed that multiplayer, campaign and Call of Duty: Warzone will all be playable inside one beta for the first time. The headline Warzone hook is Zodiac, a new Resurgence map confirmed for Weekend Two (Call of Duty).
The dates are now officially locked rather than reported. Activision’s beta blog puts Weekend One (Early Access) from August 21 at 11:00 AM PT to August 25 at 10:00 AM PT, and Weekend Two (Open Beta) from August 28 at 10:00 AM PT to September 1 at 10:00 AM PT. Dexerto and ScreenRant reported the same window when the beta was first announced (Dexerto, ScreenRant).
Weekend One opens today. Call of Duty: NEXT goes live at 9:00 AM PT on Friday August 21, and the beta itself unlocks two hours later at 11:00 AM PT — that is 7PM BST in the UK.
What is confirmed
| Detail | Status |
|---|---|
| Multiplayer in beta | Confirmed by Call of Duty |
| Campaign in beta | Confirmed — the mission “Entrenched”, a first for a CoD beta |
| Warzone in beta | Confirmed for Weekend Two only |
| New Warzone map | Zodiac, a Resurgence map, Weekend Two |
| Weekend One (Early Access) | August 21, 11:00 AM PT → August 25, 10:00 AM PT |
| Weekend Two (Open Beta) | August 28, 10:00 AM PT → September 1, 10:00 AM PT |
| Weekend One access | Pre-order, pre-purchase, or a redeemed Beta Code |
The structure is the story here: multiplayer, campaign and Warzone in one beta — which is why Activision is billing it as Call of Duty’s biggest beta ever.
Zodiac is the Warzone reason to care
The most important Warzone detail is Zodiac. Call of Duty confirms it as a new Warzone Resurgence map, playable in Weekend Two of the beta. That means Warzone players should be marking the open-beta weekend, not the early-access window — Warzone is not in Weekend One at all.
We do not yet have enough official detail to call Zodiac a meta-changing map. Activision’s own line is “more intel to follow,” and it flagged a fuller beta breakdown blog for August 21. No source we checked has published a full POI list, loot rules or ranked implications. Treat this as a first playable look, not a solved map guide.
Campaign in a beta is genuinely a first
The other surprise is campaign access. Activision’s beta blog names the mission — “Entrenched” — and describes it as the first time a complete campaign mission has been playable in a Call of Duty beta. In it you fight alongside friendly infantry and armoured vehicles in a large-scale assault to stop a strategically vital nuclear power station falling into enemy hands.
It is a slice, not a preview of the whole campaign, so we would avoid reading too much into what one mission says about the full game. Campaign Early Access proper starts October 16 for digital pre-orders, ahead of the full launch on October 23.
What to do next
If you only care about Warzone, mark August 28. That is the confirmed open-beta start and the weekend Call of Duty says will include Zodiac.
If you want the earliest access to multiplayer and the campaign slice, Weekend One unlocks today, August 21, at 11:00 AM PT (7PM BST) — but only if you have pre-ordered, pre-purchased, or redeemed a Beta Code. Pre-loading is already live on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, PlayStation 5, Steam and Battle.net, and you only need to install once for both weekends. As always, check the official Call of Duty channels before changing plans around platform access, pre-order eligibility or exact regional unlock times.
Sources we check
For beta content, we anchor first to official Call of Duty posts, then cross-check with established games desks. Here, Activision’s official beta blog confirms the beta structure, the exact Weekend One and Weekend Two windows, the Entrenched campaign mission and Zodiac’s Weekend Two slot. Dexerto and ScreenRant corroborate the dates and the mission name from the original announcement. We are deliberately not treating unlisted weapons, full map layouts or Warzone meta claims as confirmed yet.
FAQ
Is Warzone playable in the Modern Warfare 4 beta?
Yes, but only in Weekend Two. Call of Duty has confirmed Warzone Resurgence joins the beta on the new Zodiac map during the open beta, not during Weekend One early access.
When does the Modern Warfare 4 beta start?
Weekend One early access runs from August 21 at 11:00 AM PT to August 25 at 10:00 AM PT. The Weekend Two open beta runs from August 28 at 10:00 AM PT to September 1 at 10:00 AM PT.
What is the campaign mission in the beta?
It is called Entrenched. Activision’s official beta blog names it and describes fighting alongside friendly infantry and armoured vehicles to stop a nuclear power station falling into enemy hands — the first complete campaign mission ever playable in a Call of Duty beta.
