Call of Duty NEXT 2026 airs on Aug. 21, and it’ll be the official global showcase for Modern Warfare 4.
The Early Access Beta also goes live the same day, right after the broadcast ends. The event will feature live gameplay, developer insights, and a full breakdown of what’s coming to multiplayer.
When is Call of Duty NEXT 2026?
Call of Duty NEXT 2026 is on Aug. 21 and will go live at 9am PT / 12pm ET. Here’s when the broadcast will go live according to other time zones:
- Mountain Time (MT) : Aug. 21, 10am
- Central Time (CT) : Aug. 21, 11am
- Eastern Time (ET) : Aug. 21, 12pm
- British Summer Time (BST) : Aug. 21, 5pm
- Central European Summer Time (CEST) : Aug. 21, 6pm
- Indian Standard Time (IST) : Aug. 21, 9:30pm
- China Standard Time (CST) : Aug. 22, 12am
- Japan Standard Time (JST) : Aug. 22, 1am
- Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) : Aug. 22, 2am
- New Zealand Standard Time (NZST) : Aug. 22, 4am
The MW4 Early Access Beta begins immediately after the broadcast, which is scheduled to run from Aug. 21 to 25 (for pre-order holders on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Discord Nitro users, and people with codes). The Open Beta will run from Aug. 28 to Sept. 1 for all platforms, including Nintendo Switch 2.
How to watch Call of Duty NEXT 2026
You can stream the event live on any of the official Call of Duty channels:
- YouTube : Call of Duty YouTube channel
- Twitch : Call of Duty Twitch channel
What to expect from Call of Duty NEXT 2026
The showcase will give players a full breakdown of Modern Warfare 4 multiplayer before the beta. It will have live gameplay demos of new maps, modes, and weapons, developer commentary on design choices and balance, full multiplayer content roadmap for launch and beyond.
As confirmed by Activision on Aug. 14, here’s a rundown of everything you can catch from Call of Duty NEXT 2026:
- Core 6v6 gameplay
- Kill Block gameplay
- Warzone Intel – First look at Zodiac
- 1000+ global creators and community players
- Developer insights
- Launch maps and modes
- Reward drops
- Mobility course competition
- Beta code giveaways (look out for this one, especially if you want to access the beta early)
For the first time ever: Multiplayer. Campaign. Call of Duty: Warzone. All in one Beta.
— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) August 14, 2026
Be there to see it first at NEXT. Be there to play it first, pre-order Modern Warfare 4 for Beta Early Access: https://t.co/oyl7FeW4X9 pic.twitter.com/HznqgGElMI
For the first time, players can experience the Entrenched campaign mission during both Early Access and Open betas.
Alongside that, there’ll be new reveals for operators, killstreaks, and customization, and beta details. This is also where Nintendo Switch 2 players will get their first official look at how the game runs on the new hardware.
Will there be new campaign info in Call of Duty NEXT 2026?
The focus is on multiplayer, but devs may or may not reveal campaign details.
Can I watch on mobile?
Yes, you can watch the YouTube and Twitch streams on mobile.
