Modern Warfare 4: DMZ Is Free To Play Until November 11

Have you wanted to try DMZ in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 for a while without spending $70 right away? Now's your chance: Activision has launched a free trial period for the extraction mode. It runs on all platforms until November 11.

How long does the DMZ Free Trial last?

The trial ends on November 11, 2026, at 10:00 AM Pacific Time. This corresponds to 7:00 PM UTC or 8:00 PM German time (CET). If you want to get in one more extraction round, you should be in a match by the evening of November 11 at the latest. The announcement came on November 6, so the period covers a good five days.

Where can I play DMZ for free?

The Free Trial is available on all platforms. Sources list four access points:

PlayStation Store
Microsoft Store
Battle.net
Steam

The Steam announcement summarizes the offer as follows: Drop into Hajin and X01, accept new orders, and extract with the loot, all until November 11. The sources do not specify exact system requirements or download sizes, so plan some time for the download.

For context: DMZ is an extraction mode. You only keep your loot if you reach the extraction point alive. If you die beforehand, you lose what you've collected. This makes every round a balancing act between risk and reward. The mode has been playable in Modern Warfare 4's Early Access since October 20, 2026, with the Standard Edition costing $70. The trial is therefore primarily a test run: you can find out if you like the gameplay before spending money. Whether your progress from the trial will be carried over later is not stated in the sources.

Is the trial worthwhile for newcomers and skeptics?

According to Insider Gaming, reviews for DMZ are predominantly positive, but the community is divided. One part wishes for a pure PvE mode without hostile players, while DMZ relies on the PvPvE principle: you fight against AI and against other teams. That's exactly what the Free Trial is for. In a few evenings, you can discover whether the risk excites you or annoys you.

Our tip: Start with the goal of extracting, not just looting as much as possible. This way, you'll learn the procedures and orders. You can find out what has changed recently in terms of balancing in our report on the DMZ patch that nerfs UAV towers by 40 percent. What the season brings is in the overview for Season 1 of Modern Warfare 4. Further information is available on the official Call of Duty website.