When Can You Play Gears of War: E-Day and Modern Warfare 4?
Two major shooters arrive in October, but their access rules are very different. Gears of War: E-Day is already in early access for Premium Edition buyers, while Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 does not open until Oct. 16 for its campaign early-access window.
If you’re deciding whether you can play now, need to pre-load, or need to buy the game at all, the edition and subscription you have make the difference.
Gears Of War: E-Day Is Already In Early Access
Gears of War: E-Day early access began worldwide on Oct. 1 at 8 a.m. PT / 15:00 UTC. The full launch follows on Oct. 6 at the same time.
“Pre-install for Gears of War: E-Day begins September 29 at 8am Pacific Time on XBOX Series X|S, XBOX on PC, and Steam,” Xbox Wire said. Downloading the files ahead of time does not unlock the game by itself; your edition or subscription determines when you can start playing.
“Premium Edition players can begin playing up to five days early starting October 1,” The Coalition said. Standard Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers do not get that early window. They can play when E-Day launches worldwide on Oct. 6.
E-Day is available on Xbox Series X|S and PC through the Microsoft Store and Steam, with cloud gaming also supported through Game Pass Ultimate and GeForce NOW. There is no PlayStation version.
Modern Warfare 4 On October 16
“Starting on Friday, October 16, players who have digitally pre-ordered or pre-purchased Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 get Early Access to the game’s Campaign,” Call of Duty said. The early window applies to players who digitally pre-order or pre-purchase the Standard Digital Edition or Vault Edition.
The Oct. 16 window is specifically for the campaign. The complete game, including multiplayer and the rest of its launch content, becomes available worldwide on Oct. 23. Modern Warfare 4 is coming to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, PS5, Battle.net, Steam and Nintendo Switch 2. Call of Duty says Switch 2 pre-orders will open later.
There is one important Xbox detail: Modern Warfare 4 is not available through Game Pass at launch. Buying the game is required for access, while a qualifying Game Pass subscription is still required separately for online multiplayer on Xbox.
Two Game Pass Rules Are Completely Different
This is where the two October releases are easiest to confuse. For Gears of War: E-Day, Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers get the full game at launch on Oct. 6, but not the Premium early-access period.
For Modern Warfare 4, Game Pass does not include the game at launch. A subscription alone will not give you the Oct. 16 campaign early access or the Oct. 23 full game. You need to purchase the game.
E-Day lets Game Pass subscribers wait for the normal launch, while MW4 requires a purchase regardless of whether you’re already subscribed to Game Pass.
Modern Warfare 4 Pre-Install Timing Is Still Unannounced
Unlike E-Day, Modern Warfare 4 does not yet have a confirmed pre-install date in the information published by Xbox and Call of Duty.
The confirmed dates are therefore the campaign early-access start on Oct. 16 and the full launch on Oct. 23. Players planning to enter the campaign early will need to purchase a qualifying digital edition before then. For E-Day, the situation is already settled: pre-installation has been available since Sept. 29 and Premium early access is live now.
The two games may share an October release window, but they do not share an access model. E-Day is already playable for Premium buyers and arrives in Game Pass on Oct. 6. Modern Warfare 4 starts with a paid campaign early-access window on Oct. 16 and reaches its full launch on Oct. 23, with Game Pass not providing the game itself.
