Modern Warfare 4 opens DMZ for free until November 11, but leaves Switch 2 out

Activision has opened the doors of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 to anyone who wants to take a look without paying. As reported by Vandal, the company has activated the shooter's first temporary free trial, focused on the DMZ mode, which can be played without restrictions on PC (Steam and Battle.net), PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. The window stays open until November 11, so the margin is tight.

The news matters for two reasons. First, because DMZ is the big bet by Infinity Ward and the rest of Activision's studios on the extraction shooter genre, and opening it for free is the most direct way to measure whether players buy into it. Second, because the trial does not come to Nintendo Switch 2, a detail that once again leaves users of the hybrid console in the background of the Call of Duty ecosystem.

What you need to know

• What you can play: the full DMZ mode, with no limitations, according to Vandal.
• Where: PC via Steam and Battle.net, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Switch 2 is left out of this trial.
• Until when: the free trial ends on November 11.
• What DMZ is: an extraction shooter with up to 60 players in squads of three, featuring resource gathering, missions and combat against AI-controlled enemies and other players.
• When it arrives: the trial coincides with the game's Season 1 and the Warzone integration.

DMZ, Activision's bet on extraction

The DMZ mode is no minor add-on. Vandal describes it as the vision of the extraction genre built by Infinity Ward and the other studios involved in the new Call of Duty. The formula is the genre's usual one: matches with up to 60 players split into trios, a map full of resources to collect, missions to complete and constant pressure from both the AI and rival squads. The point is to get out alive with the loot, not to rack up kills.

Activision had already shown its hand before the launch. According to the same source, the DMZ mode was released before the official launch of Modern Warfare 4, which took place on October 23. Three days before that date, players could already explore the Haijin map, learn its dangers and get to grips with the mechanics of one of the most heavily promoted experiences in this entry. In other words, DMZ has been the game's spearhead from day one, and this free trial reinforces that strategy.

What changes and who it affects

For anyone with a PC, PS5 or Xbox Series, the change is simple: they can download the game and try DMZ in depth without spending a cent, with all of the mode's content available. It is a reasonable opportunity to decide whether Activision's extraction shooter is worth the money, especially in a genre where the learning curve and the frustration of losing your gear weigh heavily on the purchase decision.

For Switch 2 users the picture is different. The trial is not available on Nintendo's console, and the source does not explain why or whether an equivalent window will come later. For now, anyone playing Call of Duty on Switch 2 is left watching from the outside while the other platforms try the game's most promoted experience for free.

The timing is no coincidence either. The trial arrives alongside Season 1 and Warzone, which points to a clear move: taking advantage of the peak of attention generated by the start of the season to inject new players into DMZ and, along the way, into the entire Call of Duty ecosystem.

Our take

Here at the Underworld Lordz newsroom we see the trial in a positive light, but with some caveats. Opening up the whole of DMZ with no limits is the right way to run a free trial: no cut-down versions that hide what the real game is like. For competitive players it is the perfect chance to seriously test an extraction mode backed by Call of Duty's technical muscle and find out whether the pace of Haijin and the three-player squad system fit their playstyle. And for content creators, a short window with lots of new people is exactly the kind of scenario that generates clips, comparisons and debate.

That said, the deadline is far too tight. A trial that closes on November 11 leaves very little room for a trio of friends to coordinate schedules, learn the map and get to enjoy the phase where DMZ becomes interesting, which is when you already know the routes and where the danger lies. It feels like Activision is after a spike in downloads and visibility rather than an honest assessment of the mode by players.

And then there is Switch 2. Leaving an entire platform out without any public explanation sends an ugly message to that community, which already tends to feel like second-class citizens in big multiplatform launches. If the goal is for DMZ to grow as an extraction experience, excluding part of the player base from the trial is, at the very least, a missed opportunity.

What do you think?

We are going to put squads together to squeeze everything out of DMZ before the trial closes, but we want your take: do you think an extraction shooter inside Call of Duty can compete with the genre's benchmarks, or is it just a hook to sell Season 1? Tell us in the team chat or on our Discord.