MW4 Preload Is Live: The 20.8GB Pack Your Launch Grind Needs

MW4 preload is live, and you don't need the full install to start your progression grind. On PS5 the Multiplayer Pack is listed at just 20.77GB, and multiplayer is where weapon XP, Soldier Rank and bot lobbies happen once Modern Warfare 4 launches on October 23. If you're short on space, the 42GB Campaign Pack can wait because campaign progress doesn't carry into multiplayer. And if you'd rather not spend launch week on the rank climb at all, our MW4 account leveling servicefrom $4.10 can take you through Soldier Rank 1–55 starting on launch day.

Here's what changed. Preload opened this week, just before Campaign Early Access on October 16. Reports don't agree on the exact start time. Dot Esports says it began October 14 at 9pm PT on every platform. Earlier reports had PC starting October 15 at 9am PT. Don't trust any countdown. Open your launcher or console store and check. If you see a Preload button, it's live for you.

Quick-start checklist

1. Free up SSD space. Activision's PC spec lists 115GB on an SSD at every tier. A hard drive doesn't meet the requirement, even if it has the space.
2. Install the Call of Duty app, Shared Content and the Multiplayer Pack first. That's the core of your progression.
3. Add DMZ Pack 01 (about 5.8GB) only if you have a digital pre-order and plan to play DMZ Early Access on October 20.
4. Download the Campaign Pack only if you're actually playing the story from October 16.
5. Skip the Warzone Pack for now unless you play current Warzone. MW4 doesn't come to Warzone until Season 1.
6. Save your 2XP tokens. Don't spend a single minute of them before October 23.

The pack-by-pack numbers

Verdict: Campaign is the biggest MW4-only pack, and it earns you nothing in multiplayer.

These PS5 sizes come from store listings tracked by the PlayStation Game Size account:

Pack	Reported PS5 size	Earns MP progress?
Call of Duty app	28.70GB	Required base
Shared Content Pack 01	19.60GB	Likely required
Multiplayer Pack	20.77GB	Yes
DMZ Pack 01	5.78GB	DMZ only
DMZ Pack 02	Not listed yet	DMZ only
Campaign Pack	42.17GB	No
Warzone Pack	42.03GB	Current Warzone until Season 1

Total install sizes by platform:

• PS5: about 117GB without Warzone and DMZ Pack 02, and about 159GB with Warzone
• Xbox Series X|S: about 194.32GB
• PC (Battle.net): 124GB, with about 60GB of that for the new CoD HQ
• PC (Steam): 115–120GB, based on the official specs
• Switch 2: about 77–85GB

One caveat. These numbers come from store back-ends, not from Activision. The listings also don't show how the packs overlap or which ones each mode needs. Treat the totals as a planning guide, not exact figures.

Pro tip: The "likely required" label on Shared Content is our inference, not a confirmed fact. Install it with the Multiplayer Pack anyway. If you're missing it, you'll probably get a "content required" prompt at 10am on launch day instead of loading into a match.

Why this matters for your grind

Verdict: everyone starts at Level 1 on October 23. Your launch-night download speed is part of the XP race.

Nothing carries over. Beta rank, weapon levels and attachment unlocks all reset at launch. Only account-bound rewards like the Beta Forged blueprint come with you. Weapon levels, camos and blueprints from Black Ops 7, MWIII and Warzone don't transfer either. Every gun starts at level 1.

The progression structure looks like this:

• Soldier Rank 1–55. Your rank unlocks weapons.
• Prestige. After rank 55 you pick Classic Prestige or Regular Prestige.
• Prestige Master. After 10 Prestiges you can level all the way to 1000.
• Weapon levels. These unlock attachments, and each weapon's Apex Attachment arrives at max weapon level.

The campaign is a separate track. Finishing the whole story during early access won't level a single gun. That 42GB is for the story only. It's a fine story, just not a fast route to Gunsmith unlocks.

Mastery camos split by mode: three for Multiplayer, three for Warzone and three for DMZ. Your install decides which of those tracks you can work on. If DMZ isn't installed, no DMZ camos. It's that simple.

The updated launch-week install plan, step by step

Verdict: install in stages, in the order the game unlocks.

October 15–16: core plus Campaign (if you want it)

Get the app, Shared Content and Multiplayer Pack downloading first. Only add the Campaign Pack if you have a digital Standard or Vault pre-order and want the story early. Physical Standard Edition buyers don't get Campaign Early Access, so there's no rush for them.

October 20: DMZ Early Access

DMZ on the Hajin map unlocks for digital pre-orders. DMZ Pack 01 is small. DMZ Pack 02 still has no listed size, so leave some extra storage. For more on whether those three days are worth it, see our breakdown of the MW4 DMZ Early Access weapon XP head start.

October 23: full launch

Multiplayer goes live, and your 2XP tokens finally get some use. Two rule changes matter here:

• Tokens only count down during matches. They pause in menus, lobbies and loading screens.
• Promotional 2XP is capped. Each token type caps at 40 hours per account, and you can only use one hour of each type per day.

Player 2XP and Weapon 2XP are separate tokens. Running both at once is how you get the most out of day one.

Pro tip: Choosing Warzone in the installer gets you the current Warzone, not MW4 content. Wait on that 42GB until Season 1 makes it worth downloading. Our guide on when MW4 Warzone integration happens has the latest on timing.

Is boosting safe, and does your install affect it?

Verdict: your install only matters for the parts you play yourself.

MW4 bot lobbiesfrom $4.99 are self-play matches that you play, against five enemy bots, in matches that don't end. That means you need the Multiplayer Pack installed and updated to use them on October 23. Piloted services like rank leveling and mastery camo unlocks are done by a verified booster through normal gameplay. Your local install doesn't affect how those get delivered.

On safety, here are the facts:

• RICOCHET is getting stricter. For MW4 it adds Server Culling, which hides enemy location data from your hardware to fight wallhacks. TeamRICOCHET has also promised weekly anti-cheat updates through Season 1.
• Nothing is ban-proof. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying.
• Our approach is low-risk by design. We use manual play only. No cheats, no unlock tools, no injected software.

What to expect next

Verdict: your install will get bigger before it gets smaller.

• Day-one patch. Activision warns that mandatory updates may need extra space, so keep 20–30GB of headroom.
• DMZ Pack 02. Its size should show up before October 20.
• Season 1. It brings Warzone integration and an optional toggle that replaces older-game Operator skins with MW4-style cosmetics.

Until then, the plan is simple. Install the Multiplayer Pack first, hold your tokens, and be in a match when the servers open.

Even with the perfect install and every 2XP token saved, Soldier Rank 55 and a full arsenal still take a lot of match time, and the daily token cap limits how much of it you can double. If you'd rather spend launch week playing your finished loadout than unlocking it, our MW4 bot lobbiesfrom $4.99 let you farm weapon XP and camo progress at your own pace from day one.