Skip to main content

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II’s campaign comes early if you pre-order it

Early access for the entire Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II single-player campaign will be available starting October 20 on all platforms with a digital pre-order.

Breaking: #ModernWarfare2 Campaign Early Access announced

Related Videos

Pre-order #MWII digitally and start playing the entire campaign one week early on October 20

Available on all platforms for digital pre-orders. pic.twitter.com/FcncgqW3OQ

— CharlieIntel (@charlieINTEL) August 16, 2022

Call of Duty titles have had a mixed history regarding their single-player campaigns in recent years. Black Ops 4 ditched the mode altogether, and Warzone was a purely multiplayer experience, though a single-player component was brought back in subsequent mainline releases to middling reception. Earlier entries, such as the original run of Modern Warfare and Black Ops games, were highly praised for their campaigns as main pillars alongside their multiplayer offerings. After the reboot of Modern Warfare in 2019 seemed like a return to form for the series, and the disappointment that was Vanguard, high hopes have been placed on Modern Warfare II‘s campaign.

It was announced earlier this month that Modern Warfare II would be getting several multiplayer beta periods where players could experience the online component of the game ahead of launch, with extra time being afforded to those who pre-ordered. While this is common practice for the series, this is the first time early access to the game’s single player has ever been given out as an incentive for pre-ordering.

Unlike the multiplayer beta access, which gives PlayStation users first shot at the game, there are no platform restrictions on accessing the campaign. As long as you digitally pre-order the game, you will gain access to the entire campaign one week before those who get the game physically do.

The reception to this announcement has already been met with concerns from fans, as many consider withholding early access to a game a dirty tactic. The move opens the doors to widespread spoilers before many people even have the opportunity to play for themselves.

Those who don’t want to pre-order the game can play the campaign when it officially launches on October 28 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

Editors' Recommendations

Modern Warfare 2’s new season is proof Call of Duty needs to take a year off
Main characters of Modern Warfare 2.

The eagerly anticipated second season of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has a lot in store. It'll incorporate a new small-scale Warzone 2.0 battle royale map called Ashika Island, along with new DMZ features and a fresh set of weapons to try out. While Season 2 certainly has lots of exciting new content in the pipeline, things are looking dire for Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer, as very few new features are planned for the update.

Sure, it's nice that Warzone 2.0 and DMZ are getting so much attention during Season 2, but the latest update is a grim sign for the overall life cycle of Modern Warfare 2 -- a game that seems to have been left in the dust as Activision sprints on to its next project,
Modern Warfare 2 road map
So, what exactly is Modern Warfare 2 getting alongside Season 2? On paper, it seems like a sizeable amount. That is, until you break down what's in the works.

Read more
U.K. wants Call of Duty removed from Microsoft’s Activision acquisition
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2.

Microsoft has hit a major roadblock in its attempt to acquire Activision Blizzard, as the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has determined that the deal "could harm U.K. gamers." For the deal to go through, the CWA is suggesting some major concessions, like Activision Blizzard divesting in the Call of Duty or Activision segments of its business ahead of the acquisition.
A notice of possible remedies document asks Activision Blizzard to do one of the following three things if it doesn't want the acquisition to be potentially prohibited. 

"Divestiture of the business associated with Call of Duty."
"Divestiture of the Activision segment of Activision Blizzard, Inc., which would include the business associated with Call of Duty."
"Divestiture of the Activision segment and the Blizzard segment of Activision Blizzard Inc., which would include the business associated with Call of Duty and World of Warcraft, among other titles."

Read more
Warzone 2.0 Season 2: release date, Ashika Island map, and Resurgence mode
Characters from Warzone 2.0 posing for Season 2.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will be entering its second season, and while Activision hasn't officially unveiled all of the contents of the update, the company did make a few announcements to stir up excitement. Much like you'd expect with live-service games, Call of Duty is built on a seasonal system, wherein the game gets major content drops with each update.

Season 2 is gearing up for launch after a short delay, and for many fans, it's a make-or-break scenario, because reception to Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2.0 has been middling thus far.

Read more