Early access for the entire Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II single-player campaign will be available starting October 20 on all platforms with a digital pre-order.
Breaking: #ModernWarfare2 Campaign Early Access announced
Pre-order #MWII digitally and start playing the entire campaign one week early on October 20
Available on all platforms for digital pre-orders. https://t.co/FcncgqW3OQ
— CharlieIntel (@charlieINTEL) August 16, 2022
Call of Duty titles have had a mixed history regarding their single-player campaigns in recent years. Black Ops 4 ditched the mode altogether, and Warzone was a purely multiplayer experience, though a single-player component was brought back in subsequent mainline releases to middling reception. Earlier entries, such as the original run of Modern Warfare and Black Ops games, were highly praised for their campaigns as main pillars alongside their multiplayer offerings. After the reboot of Modern Warfare in 2019 seemed like a return to form for the series, and the disappointment that was Vanguard, high hopes have been placed on Modern Warfare II‘s campaign.
It was announced earlier this month that Modern Warfare II would be getting several multiplayer beta periods where players could experience the online component of the game ahead of launch, with extra time being afforded to those who pre-ordered. While this is common practice for the series, this is the first time early access to the game’s single player has ever been given out as an incentive for pre-ordering.
Unlike the multiplayer beta access, which gives PlayStation users first shot at the game, there are no platform restrictions on accessing the campaign. As long as you digitally pre-order the game, you will gain access to the entire campaign one week before those who get the game physically do.
The reception to this announcement has already been met with concerns from fans, as many consider withholding early access to a game a dirty tactic. The move opens the doors to widespread spoilers before many people even have the opportunity to play for themselves.
Those who don’t want to pre-order the game can play the campaign when it officially launches on October 28 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.