Before your first match of Modern Warfare 4: finish the download with the right content packs, sign in on the same Activision account you used for the beta or early access, check the rewards waiting on it, and set up Tactical Sprint. Then push for level 4, because that's where Create-a-Class opens.

Most of that takes five minutes, and skipping it costs you more. Early access weapon levels, campaign tokens and beta rewards all sit on your account, and the sprint setting changed since the beta. Checked against Infinity Ward's launch patch notes and Activision's Ready for Launch progression post.

The checklist

  1. Finish the install and pick your content. Pre-installation opened on 14 October. On PS5 automatic downloads can skip the content picker, so check what's installed before you queue.
  2. Sign in on the account you've used before. Campaign rewards, early access progress and beta rewards are tied to your Activision account, not your platform.
  3. Check what carried over. Tokens, Operators and weapon levels are already waiting. The full list is below.
  4. Set up Tactical Sprint. It now lives on the Blood Rush perk, not on every class.
  5. Plan your first hour around level 4. Default classes only until then.

What's already on your account

Campaign

Eight Operators and five tokens

Finishing the campaign pays out eight base Operators, a calling card, a loading screen, an emblem, three Double XP tokens and two Double Weapon XP tokens. All of it unlocks for multiplayer and DMZ at launch.

DMZ early access

Weapon levels carry over

Weapon XP, attachments and camos earned in DMZ since 20 October all count in multiplayer. So does the player XP, which means a head start on Soldier Rank.

Beta

Beta rewards unlock now

Players who hit the beta reward tiers get them at launch, including the Beta Forged Han 86 blueprint.

Returning DMZ players

Old DMZ beta sets

Played Modern Warfare II's DMZ beta on the same account? There are emblem and calling card sets for taking part, for 50 hours played, and for unlocking the Serpentine camo.

Still working through the campaign? Its rewards are identical on every difficulty, so the Operators and tokens don't depend on how hard you play. Short on time, or chasing a Veteran or Realism finish? Campaign Completion clears the full campaign or any single mission for you on PC.

Where did Tactical Sprint go?

Tactical Sprint isn't standard any more. It sits on Blood Rush, now a second-tier perk, and Infinity Ward removed the old sprint-out penalty to make the slot worth it. With Blood Rush equipped, pressing sprint goes straight into Tactical Sprint by default.

If you want the old double-tap behaviour, change it under Movement in the Advanced Settings. Do it before your first match; muscle memory from the beta will fight you otherwise.

Levels 1 to 5. Create-a-Class at level 4 is the first real goal. · Open full size

Your first hour

  • Levels 1 to 3: default loadouts only. Demolition unlocks at level 2 and Sniper at 3, so you have three classes to pick from.
  • Level 4: Create-a-Class opens. Build one class you're comfortable with, then let everything else come as it unlocks.
  • Daily Challenges: three a day, a bonus for clearing all three, and one reroll. They're the cheapest XP on offer.
  • Events, not Weeklies: Season 1 has no Weekly Challenges. The first Event starts on launch day, and Events pay out Apex Attachments, camos, calling cards and Operator skins.
  • Play objectives: Smart Streak means captures now fill your Killstreak meter as well as earning XP.

Our level 55 guide has the full route and every level's unlock.

What's in the box on day one

  • Core 6v6 maps: Cachette, Coal, Lithium, Lotus, Mumbai, Munition, Nautical, Reactor U92, Rooftops, Sentry, Silkworm and Transit 213.
  • Ground War: Imjin Farmland, Wolves Stadium and Forest, in 32v32.
  • Gunfight: Cafe, Library, NYC and Smuggler, plus Kill Block, a new dynamic map running 3v3 and 10v10 Gunfight.
  • New modes: Inflation (carry enemy cash, become a High Value Target), Hijack (run a Data Spike to the enemy's Comm Station), Collateral (Search and Destroy with a Buy Phase) and Combat Outpost for Ground War.
  • Coming next week: Infected and the new Possession mode, as a Halloween drop.
  • Also live: Hardcore, the Proving Grounds training area, and all of DMZ.

Should you start in multiplayer or DMZ?

Both feed the same Soldier Rank, so it's about what you want to unlock. Multiplayer gets you to Create-a-Class at level 4 fastest. DMZ has its own 1 to 70 track that only DMZ deployments can raise, and its XP counts toward your Soldier Rank too.

If you're new to DMZ, read our DMZ level unlocks list first. Levels 2, 5 and 10 open the stations that make the mode work.

Short on launch-week hours?

We boost Soldier Rank, DMZ levels and Operator Trait Points on your own account, Team up on any platform or piloted on PC, and clear the campaign on the difficulty you pick. Every unlock stays with you. Got questions first? The FAQ on our MW4 page covers how Team up and piloted orders work.

Questions players ask

Is the new Warzone live with MW4?

Not yet. The new Warzone arrives with Season 1, shortly after launch. Choosing Warzone during setup before then installs the current live version.

Do I keep my DMZ early access progress?

Yes. Early access ran on the full game, so your DMZ level stays, and Activision confirms the weapon levels, attachments and camos you earned carry into multiplayer. The player XP already counts toward your Soldier Rank.

Can I play with friends on other platforms?

Yes. MW4 supports crossplay, and your progress follows your Activision account rather than the console or launcher you play on.