MW4 Season 1: Start Time, New Maps, DMZ and Weapons

MW4 Season 1 is the first free content update for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, and it goes live on November 6, 2026 at midnight ET (9 PM PT on November 5) on every platform. It adds three 6v6 maps at launch, Grind and Drop Zone, a new DMZ area called the X01 Black Site, four new weapons over the season and a 100-tier Battle Pass, and it brings Modern Warfare 4 into Warzone with Hajin and Zodiac. Here is what is confirmed, what is still pending and how to get ready this week.

When MW4 Season 1 starts in your time zone

Activision lists one global start: 00:00 ET on Friday, November 6, 2026, which is 21:00 PT on Thursday, November 5. That works out to 05:00 GMT and 06:00 CET on November 6. Like most Call of Duty seasons it is a server-side switch, so expect a download a few hours before and a short wait while playlists refresh.

Between now and then the pre-season drops keep coming. Shipment went live on October 27, the new Possession mode on October 29 and Infected on October 30, so there is already a Halloween-style playlist to grind weapon XP on before the season ticks over.

New Multiplayer maps and modes

Season 1 adds three medium 6v6 maps on day one. Two are brand new and one is a reimagined classic, so there is something for both lane players and people who like long sightlines.

Kill Block also gets a new combo, Kill Block: Crash, where all three slabs stay fixed between rounds. It shows up in other playlists too, including Search and Destroy, so expect to learn one static layout instead of reshuffling every round.

On the mode side, Grind (bank your dog tags at one of two Banks) and Drop Zone (fight over one rotating objective that drops airdrop Killstreaks) return at launch. Gauntlet 1v1 is a limited-time 1v1 Gunfight inside the Wager Match event. Counter Attack and a Team Deathmatch variant are listed for mid-season.

DMZ: the X01 Black Site, Ghost and the Boss Board

DMZ gets the biggest change. X01 is a former Russian facility on the border of Hajin, described as a GRANIT Arms black site, with vertical routes, cargo bays, vehicle depots, underground labs and a sealed Deep Vault. Activision says it is held by around 100 Spirits NK troops plus stronger patrols, some of them still classified.

• Ghost is X01's Watcher. He hands out the new DMZ Orders that track routes and threats in the area.
• Boss Board. Two Lieutenants, Tae-Hyun (Knuckle) and Chol-Min (The Wrench), and two Commanders: The Captain, a Juggernaut with an elite guard, and Wheelson, an autonomous patrol unit.
• New FOB stations. A Battle Pass and Store station, a 3D Printer that is still classified, and a Vendor that spends DMZ Cash but needs Season 1 BlackCell.
• Events. Threat Briefing: Battle Tank in Hajin (strip one tank part per deployment), Threat Briefing: The Captain in X01 (collect helmet sections) and Resupply Run, which trades POI items for gear such as Self Revives and 3-Plate Carriers.

Our advice for day one: go in as a full squad, treat X01 as a high-risk zone and do not bring a kit you cannot afford to lose until the Deep Vault and boss patrols are mapped. The Resupply Run is the safer way to build up Self Revives and plates before you push the Captain.

New weapons and how to unlock them

Two base weapons come through the Battle Pass and two arrive later through events. Both Battle Pass guns also have a blueprint further up the track.

The Cronen Osprey is the one to plan for. 70 weapon levels is a long climb, and every camo challenge in MW4 depends on weapon XP first, as we explain in our MW4 camos guide. Save your Weapon XP tokens for the day it unlocks.

The Wager Match event also adds conversions for guns you already have: an auto Apex for the Hyeon, a 5.45 Apex for the Kastov, an M16 Burst attachment for the M4, the TT Iron Guard Kit for the .50 GS and a ChainSAW grip set for the FiNN LMG.

Battle Pass, BlackCell and events

The Season 1 Battle Pass is a linear 100-tier track with more than 100 rewards, including the two free base weapons above. Activision lists it at 1,100 COD Points, or 2,400 for the Bundle. Premium owners who fall behind are caught up automatically to the reward for the current season day, up to day 50.

• Instant premium rewards: a 10% Battle Pass XP boost for the season, up to 1,100 COD Points back, the Downpour Blix skin, the Fortune's Favor FiNN LMG and Happy Boom Sticky Grenade blueprints, a sticker and a DMZ Survival Kit.
• Tier 100: the Bellum Mosin-Nagant blueprint, plus the Vantage Blix skin, the Blue Viper Hyeon Burst blueprint and a calling card along the way.
• BlackCell: the XERO Operator with two variants, the Perimeter Lance M4 blueprint, 20 tier skips, a Mastery Camo track and the DMZ Vendor. Vault Edition owners get it included.
• Events: the Wager Match event (Trophies are the currency), Weapon Camo events that unlock camos for match XP, and Joint Fire, an XP boost that grows with squad size.

There is also a free Locked Down universal camo for verifying the email on your Call of Duty account. It takes two minutes, so do it before the season starts.

Warzone and Ranked Play in Season 1

Season 1 is when Modern Warfare 4 fully joins free-to-play Warzone. Hajin and Zodiac come in as new maps, and Verdansk and Rebirth Island return. Activision has held back everything else, from loadouts to playlists, for a dedicated Warzone post with its own roadmap on November 2. Weapon camo progress is shared across Multiplayer, DMZ and Warzone from Season 1, so levels you earn in one mode carry over.

Ranked Play is the open question. The Season 1 announcement does not mention it, so there is no confirmed start date for MW4 Ranked yet. Until Activision says otherwise, assume your SR grind starts later in the season. Our Call of Duty Ranked Play guide explains how SR, placements and wins work so you are ready when it opens.

How to prepare before November 6

1. 1
   Level your main weapons now. Possession, Infected and Shipment are fast XP. The more levels you bank, the sooner you can move to camos once the new guns drop.
2. 2
   Keep your 2XP tokens. Use them on the Cronen Osprey and CSG-35 when they unlock, since they need 70 and 42 levels.
3. 3
   Verify your account email to claim the Locked Down camo.
4. 4
   Stock up in DMZ. Extract with spare plates and Self Revives before X01 opens, so your first black site runs are not on an empty stash.
5. 5
   Read the Warzone post on November 2. Loadouts and playlists for Hajin and Zodiac will only be confirmed there.

Call of Duty services for Season 1

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Related guides: plan your camo grind with the MW4 camos and Prestige guide, learn how SR works in the Call of Duty Ranked Play guide, and see how account sharing compares with playing yourself in piloted vs self-play boosting. For services, see Call of Duty Mastery Camos and Warzone boosting.