Modern Warfare 4 October 19, 2026 Kai Mercer
If you're waiting to grind competitive, there's a catch: Ranked Play isn't part of Modern Warfare 4's launch roadmap, and Activision hasn't given a start date.
Reading the history
In recent Call of Duty games, Ranked Play has gone live anywhere from 26 to 83 days after launch. For an October 23 release, that puts it somewhere between mid-November and mid-January. Season 1 (November 6) or the next mid-season update are the most likely times.
How to prepare
Ranked usually locks you into a set ruleset with a restricted weapon and attachment list. Use the wait to level the guns that are likely to be allowed and to learn the core 6v6 maps. Our Ranked prep guide explains how.