Call of Duty is expected to return this year with a major new release.

It hasn’t been announced yet, but a new Call of Duty game is expected to release later this year, and the latest rumors suggest it will be Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4. Whatever it is, Activision is surely hoping the game performs better than 2025’s Black Ops 7, which had the series’ worst sales year ranking since 2008. (You can read more about recent updates in our Black Ops 7 coverage.)

It’s still early days, but there have been leaks, rumors, and reports about the game, and in this post, we’re rounding up everything we’ve heard so far. This post will continue to be updated as more information about the new Call of Duty is divulged.

When will Call of Duty 2026 be released?

Call of Duty 2026 AKA Modern Warfare 4 has not been announced, so there is no official release date. However, Activsion historically releases new entries in the annual series in October or November. That’s around the time that Rockstar Games is planning to release GTA 6, prompting some to theorize that an October release may be more likely than November.

As for when the new Call of Duty game could be announced, Microsoft typically hosts a summer showcase around June, and that’s a top candidate for when the game may be unveiled.

Again, there is no official word yet on Call of Duty 2026, but Activision has released a new entry in the series every year for more than two decades, so it’s a pretty safe bet.

Who is making Call of Duty 2026?

Insider Gaming reported that Infinity Ward, which created the Modern Warfare series, is developing the 2026 game. That makes sense given the studio’s history with the franchise and how the team also made 2023’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III. Activision develops new Call of Duty games in a distributed manner, with numerous teams contributing to each new annual installment, so Infinity Ward may be the lead developer, with other teams working on different parts of the experience.

Call of Duty 2026 trailers

There are no trailers yet for the new Call of Duty game. The first teaser for Black Ops 7 was released in June 2025, so if Activision goes with a similar plan, it’s possible the first trailer for Call of Duty 2026 could be released around then.

Call of Duty 2026 platforms

Call of Duty 2026 is expected to release across all the major platforms, including PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. The franchise is owned by Microsoft by way of its purchase of Activision, but the company has pledged to keep putting new Call of Duty games on rival platforms. Fans are still awaiting a Call of Duty game for Switch, and while both Microsoft and Activision have promised that’s still happening, it remains to be seen when, or what game it might be that comes to Nintendo’s platform.

Since Microsoft Gaming CEO Asha Sharma took over for Phil Spencer recently, she has acknowledged that Xbox fans want exclusive games back. But it would be truly shocking if Microsoft abandons PS5–the largest console platform out there–for the new Call of Duty game.

Call of Duty 2026 should be on Game Pass

All of Microsoft’s first-party new releases come to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate on day one, and that is expected to continue with Call of Duty 2026.

Call of Duty 2026 preorders

Call of Duty 2026 has not yet been announced, and thus there are no preorders available yet.

Call of Duty Announces Release Plans Going Forward

Black Ops 7 Season 1 has now arrived, and there’s a ton for players to check out from multiplayer to all of the new content in zombies.

However, Activision has now released a new blog post that dives into some of the details pertaining to their plans going forward.

Call of Duty Announces Release Plans Going Forward

While this year gamers are splitting their time between Black Ops 7, Battlefield 6 and Arc Raiders, there’s some passion behind all of these, and intrigue around every major update.

And now it appears that we’ll finally be moving away from purchasing a new COD each year, as they’ve now stated that they will not go back and forth between Black Ops and Modern Warfare each year.

We will no longer do back-to-back releases of Modern Warfare or Black Ops games. The reasons are many, but the main one is to ensure we provide an absolutely unique experience each and every year.

We will drive innovation that is meaningful, not incremental. While we aren’t sharing those plans today, we look forward to doing so when the time is right.

To be clear, the future of Call of Duty is very strong and we believe our best days are ahead of us given the depth and talent of our development teams. We have been building the next era of Call of Duty, and it will deliver precisely on what you want along with some surprises that push the franchise and the genre forward.

We look forward to welcoming you in, listening to you, and moving forward together.

Call of Duty 2026 story, setting, and characters

Known leak account TheGhostofHope said the new Call of Duty game is in the works under the title “Modern Warfare 사.” That is apparently a reference to how the game is rumored to feature both South Korea and North Korea in a “significant” role. The report said players will fight the seemingly unkillable Makarov, as they try to stop Makarov’s Konni Group from starting World War 3.

Further, the report said the story for Call of Duty 2026 will continue from Modern Warfare III’s ending where Shepherd is killed by Price and Soap is killed by Makarov.

The post said Call of Duty 2026 will feature “some” futuristic technology and weapons, but will stay “mostly modern.”

The return of DMZ?

DMZ was a new mode for 2022’s Modern Warfare II, and while some people enjoyed and embraced it, others said it felt like a half-baked idea. The large-scale extraction-based mode had players amassing contracts, taking on missions, and fighting enemies in a variety of settings.

TheGhostofHope said DMZ will return in Call of Duty 2026 as the game’s third mode, presumably alongside the expected campaign and multiplayer modes.

He’s likely referencing campaign and multiplayer as the two other modes. It remains to be seen if Call of Duty 2026 would have a Zombies mode, too. Activision recently shot down rumors that it would release a standalone Zombies game, which is something fans have been wanting for years.

Not expected to outsell GTA 6

The Call of Duty franchise is a juggernaut, but Call of Duty games are not known to outsell new releases from Rockstar Games. For example, GTA 5 was the No. 1 best-selling game in the US in 2013, with Call of Duty: Ghosts ranking No. 2.

In 2018, when Rockstar released Red Dead Redemption II, the open-world western outsold Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 in the US.

It doesn’t take a Rockstar release to beat Call of Duty anymore, though, as 2023 saw Hogwarts Legacy outsell Modern Warfare 3 and 2025 had Battlefield 6 as the No. 1 game, with Black Ops 7 all the way down to No. 5 for the year.

GTA 6 is coming to market with a seemingly unprecedented level of hype behind it, and it’s unthinkable that it wouldn’t be the No. 1 game of 2026. (See our full GTA 6 coverage for more details.)

How Call of Duty 2026 could use AI

Unlike other studios that either do not discuss AI or reject it outright, Activision has freely acknowledged that it uses generative AI to create some content in Call of Duty games.

For Black Ops 7, the developer said they also used AI technologies, but also stressed:

“Everything that goes into the game is touched by the team a hundred percent.”

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Uchem

Hi, I’m Uchem, a tech writer who loves gaming, storytelling, and SEO.

I write guides and articles that make games, income and tech easier to understand. When I’m not behind the keyboard, I’m playing music.