Modern Warfare 4 PC requirements: every spec tier explained
Activision's official Modern Warfare 4 PC requirements: all three spec tiers, the 115 GB SSD, TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot rules, the upscalers and Collateral mode.
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Activision published the official Modern Warfare 4 PC requirements on September 29, 2026, and the graphics bar starts low: the minimum tier asks for a GeForce GTX 970 or 1060 with 8 GB of RAM. The catch is everything around the card, because every tier also needs 115 GB of free SSD space, TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot. This guide puts the three official tiers in one table, explains what each one targets, walks through the setup to do before launch day, and covers Collateral, the new round-based multiplayer mode announced in the same post.
Key takeaways
- Three official tiers: Minimum, Recommended (90 FPS in multiplayer on High settings, according to Activision) and Ray Tracing (High quality ray tracing at 4K upscaled).
- Every tier needs 115 GB on an SSD, plus TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot turned on. Activision says the game won't run on PC without them.
- Upscaling options: Nvidia DLSS 4.5, AMD FSR Redstone, Intel XeSS 3 and Filmic SMAA T2X, and ray tracing works in Campaign, Multiplayer and DMZ.
- Collateral is a new attack-and-defend bomb mode: everyone starts with a pistol, buys gear with cash between rounds and gets no respawns.
- Dates: PC preload opens October 15, Campaign Early Access for digital pre-orders starts October 16, and the full game launches October 23 on Steam, Battle.net and Xbox on PC.
Modern Warfare 4 PC requirements at a glance
These are the Modern Warfare 4 system requirements for launch, from the Call of Duty blog post, with the tier names Activision uses. The targets in the first row are Activision's own descriptions; nobody has published independent performance tests yet, so treat them as the publisher's claims.
| Minimum | Recommended | Ray Tracing | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it targets | Minimum needed to play | 90 FPS in multiplayer on High settings | High quality ray tracing at 4K upscaled |
| Operating system | Windows 10 64-bit (latest update) | Windows 11 64-bit (latest update) | Windows 11 64-bit (latest update) |
| Processor (AMD) | Ryzen 5 1400 | Ryzen 5 3600 | Ryzen 7 3700X |
| Processor (Intel) | Core i5-6600 | Core i7-8700K | Core i7-10700K |
| Memory | 8 GB | 16 GB | 32 GB |
| Graphics (AMD) | Radeon RX 470 | Radeon RX 6600 XT | Radeon RX 9070 XT |
| Graphics (Nvidia) | GeForce GTX 970 or 1060 | GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | GeForce RTX 5070 Ti |
| Graphics (Intel) | Arc A580 | Arc B580 | None listed |
| Video memory | 3 GB | 8 GB | 16 GB |
| Storage | 115 GB, SSD required | 115 GB, SSD required | 115 GB, SSD required |
A few rules apply to every tier. Activision lists a broadband internet connection, DirectX 12 compatibility and a DirectX-compatible sound card, and it supports only Intel and AMD processors with the AVX instruction set. Intel Arc graphics cards also need Resizable BAR turned on. The blog notes that the specs are valid for launch and may change, and that mandatory updates may need extra storage.
Step 1: Match your PC to a tier
Find your processor, graphics card and memory in the table above. Your PC sits in the highest tier where it meets all three, not just the graphics card: a fast GPU paired with 8 GB of RAM is still a Minimum-tier machine on paper.
- Below Minimum: Activision doesn't promise the game will run. The GTX 970 and 1060 are the oldest Nvidia cards listed.
- Between Minimum and Recommended: you meet the spec sheet, but Activision's 90 FPS target applies only at the Recommended tier.
- Recommended: Activision says it reaches 90 FPS in multiplayer on High settings "without manual setting tweaks."
- Ray Tracing: the only tier Activision ties to 4K, and it is 4K upscaled, not native. Note that it lists no Intel graphics card.
Not sure where you land? The game ships with a built-in Benchmark Tool that plays a simulated multiplayer sequence and shows average FPS, CPU, GPU, ping and input latency, then suggests settings. Activision also says the game configures its settings automatically based on your hardware.
Step 2: Free up 115 GB on an SSD
Storage is a hard requirement too. All three tiers list 115 GB with an SSD required, and a hard drive isn't an option. Mandatory updates can add more on top, so leaving extra room beyond 115 GB is sensible.
Step 3: Turn on TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot
Activision's blog is blunt: "TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot are required to play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 on PC," and "other security measures may be enforced." TPM 2.0 is a security chip, or its firmware equivalent, and Secure Boot is a firmware setting that blocks unsigned software at startup. Both are part of RICOCHET Anti-Cheat, which Activision describes as combining server-side detections, those hardware-based protections, investigations and legal action. Account security adds two-factor authentication and email verification.
If either one is switched off in your PC's firmware, Activision's TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot support page explains how to turn them on, recommends a motherboard firmware (BIOS) update if the game keeps asking for TPM after you enable it, and points to its Call of Duty Secure Attestation Wizard to check that your PC passes. Since the Recommended and Ray Tracing tiers list Windows 11 with its latest update, it's also a good moment to check your Windows version; our guide to the Windows 11 26H2 update covers what's new there.
Step 4: Update your graphics driver
The blog lists these recommended driver versions:
- AMD: 26.7.1
- Nvidia: 616.56, with Activision saying a driver compatible with Advanced Shader Delivery will arrive before launch
- Intel: 32.0.101.8974
Check again closer to October 23, since Nvidia's launch driver hasn't been released yet.
Step 5: Install the Xbox PC app for faster first launch
This step is optional. Modern Warfare 4 supports Advanced Shader Delivery (ASD), the renamed Shader Preloading, which sends precompiled shaders ahead of time so the game starts faster instead of compiling them on your PC. Activision says to install the Xbox PC app ahead of time whatever store you buy from, so ASD can deliver shaders at install and with later updates. If you skip the app, the game still runs; you just don't get ASD. Activision also says updates no longer force a restart when you boot the game.
Step 6: Preload before October 23
If you pre-purchase the game digitally on PC, preloading opens on October 15 at 9 a.m. PT. Digital pre-orders unlock Campaign Early Access on Friday, October 16, and the full game releases on October 23 at midnight local time on Steam, Battle.net and Xbox on PC. Activision's official PC trailer, shown in ultrawide and HDR, came out with the specs.
Graphics options: DLSS 4.5, FSR Redstone and XeSS 3
Activision lists four ways to scale image quality against frame rate, grouped in its post as "upscaling and frame generation technologies":
- Nvidia DLSS 4.5 for GeForce RTX cards
- AMD FSR Redstone
- Intel XeSS 3
- Filmic SMAA T2X, the default anti-aliasing, which smooths jagged edges rather than upscaling
The post doesn't say which frame generation modes each option exposes in the game, so don't assume a specific one until the settings menu is out. A new sharpness slider works with any upscaler.
Ray tracing is supported in all three modes, Campaign, Multiplayer and DMZ, for reflections, shadows and lighting. The other PC options Activision highlights:
- Ultrawide and standard monitors, from 1080p to 4K.
- HDR10+, which adjusts contrast and brightness to your screen in real time.
- Enhanced FOV, a PC-only option that widens the view at the edges of the screen without changing the center.
- Separate depth of field settings for the world and for your weapon.
- Sub-frame mouse polling for more precise aim, and more than 800 settings across graphics, input and interface.
What is Collateral mode in Modern Warfare 4?
Collateral is a new multiplayer mode that Activision pitches at Search and Destroy fans and the competitive crowd. Teams alternate between attacking and defending two bomb sites, and every player starts with a pistol. You earn cash by eliminating enemies and playing the objective, then spend it on upgrades between rounds. If you've played Counter-Strike or Valorant, the buy-between-rounds structure will look familiar.
The rules Activision has confirmed so far:
- One life per round: respawns are off, and so are killstreaks, automatic health regeneration and custom loadouts.
- Death costs you gear: you lose your loadout when you die, but the money you've earned carries over between rounds.
- What you can buy: armor and perks (Armor Vest, Battle Hardened, Lethal Reach, Fast Hands, Ghost), equipment (flash, frag and Molotov grenades, Stim, Smoke Wall, Riot Shield), pistols, a Standard Issue tier (shotgun, light machine gun, marksman rifle, two SMGs) and a Tier 1 set of rifles, including a sniper rifle.
- One team purchase: a UAV.
Activision says more detail on the mode will come closer to launch.
Troubleshooting
You found different specs elsewhere. As of September 30, 2026, Activision's PC system requirements support page still lists the earlier beta specs: 70 GB of SSD space, a Ryzen 5 1600 or Core i5-8400 with 12 GB of RAM at minimum, and a 60 FPS target at Recommended. The September 29 blog post is the launch set, and it asks for more storage (115 GB) but a lower minimum processor and memory.
The game says TPM or Secure Boot is off. Turn both on in your motherboard's firmware settings, update the BIOS if the prompt persists, and run Activision's attestation wizard from the support page linked in Step 3.
Intel Arc card, poor performance or errors. Check that Resizable BAR is enabled; Activision lists it as required for Arc GPUs.
Bottom line
Activision's official Modern Warfare 4 PC requirements are forgiving on the graphics card and strict on everything around it. The Minimum tier starts at a GTX 970 or 1060, but you need 115 GB free on an SSD, TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot switched on, and a processor with AVX. Do those checks now, run the Benchmark Tool once the game is installed, and preload from October 15. If you want the 90 FPS Activision promises, aim for the Recommended tier; for 4K with ray tracing, it asks for an RTX 5070 Ti or RX 9070 XT. Browse more video game coverage for what else is launching this fall.
FAQ
Can I play Modern Warfare 4 on PC without TPM 2.0?
No. Activision says TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot are required to play on PC, as part of RICOCHET Anti-Cheat. If your PC has TPM 2.0 but the game still asks for it, check that it's turned on in the firmware settings; Activision's support page walks through it.
How much storage does Modern Warfare 4 need on PC?
Activision lists 115 GB of free space on an SSD for every tier. It adds that mandatory game updates may need more space later.
What GPU do I need for Modern Warfare 4?
At minimum, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 or 1060, AMD Radeon RX 470 or Intel Arc A580 with 3 GB of video memory. For Activision's 90 FPS target, it recommends an RTX 3060 Ti, RX 6600 XT or Arc B580 with 8 GB.
When can I preload Modern Warfare 4 on PC?
Preloading opens on October 15 at 9 a.m. PT for players who pre-purchased digitally on PC. The game launches on October 23 at midnight local time.