Like death and taxes, a new Call of Duty title is inevitable every year, and the 2026 edition of the franchise, Modern Warfare 4, has now been revealed, and many players are questioning the Game Pass status.
XBOX Game Pass has proven to be a solid value for money for gamers, offering day-one access to a host of titles when they launch, including many Microsoft first-party games, but some changes have been made.
If you’re wondering whether Modern Warfare 4 will be on Game Pass, or if you’ll have to shell out separately, Insider Gaming has all the important details.
Will Modern Warfare 4 be on XBOX Game Pass?
No, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 will not be available on the XBOX Game Pass catalog at launch, though it will be added at a later date.
A host of details for Modern Warfare 4 have been released by Activision, who have made it explicitly clear that the title will not be available on Game Pass at launch.
- More Insider Gaming: Modern Warfare 4 Cosmetics & Collabs Will Be ‘Grounded’
This is a major shift for the franchise after back-to-back Call of Duty games launching day one on the Game Pass service, following Microsoft’s takeover of Activision Blizzard, and may come as a shock for those out of the loop.
The good news, however, is that the door isn’t shut on Modern Warfare 4 being on Game Pass permanently, and the title will be added within a year of its launch.
Why Won’t Modern Warfare 4 be on XBOX Game Pass?
Microsoft changed a significant amount of details in April’s update to the XBOX Game Pass service, where it was announced that Call of Duty titles will not be available day one on the service.
Instead, games from the franchise will be added in the following year’s holiday season, around 12 months after launch. While this is still good news, Call of Duty fans will know that the franchise has a yearly release cycle, so playing solely through Game Pass will mean you will always be one entry behind.
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While XBOX did not outline the specifics behind the reasons for the change to Call of Duty titles, including the game in the service will have cost the company a significant amount of money compared to what they could have earned by selling the game to all players.
It does leave the Call of Duty franchise in a strange situation, however, as it currently stands as the only first-party Microsoft franchise not to be set for day one additions to Game Pass.
Are you excited for Modern Warfare 4? Share your thoughts in the official Insider Gaming Discord Server.
For more Modern Warfare 4, check out the details of the Prestige system, and take a look at the return of DMZ.
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