Modern Warfare 4 Has Sold Nearly 450K Copies and Generated $25M on Steam Before Launch, Pointing to Call of Duty’s Biggest Steam Launch in Years

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is already showing strong momentum on Steam despite being weeks away from its October 23 release.

According to estimates from Alinea Analytics, the upcoming shooter has sold nearly 450,000 copies on Steam, generating approximately $25 million in gross revenue before launch. The figures put the game on track for what could become the franchise’s strongest Steam launch in years.

Modern Warfare 4 Is Building Strong Steam Momentum

The pre-launch numbers are particularly notable because Modern Warfare 4 has not yet reached its full release. Alinea Analytics estimates that its current Steam sales point toward the best Call of Duty launch on the platform since the series returned to Steam four years ago, ending its period of Battle.net exclusivity.

The strong performance also comes as Activision continues its marketing push for the game. The publisher has confirmed that Modern Warfare 4 will launch on October 23, 2026, across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2. The game will not launch on Xbox Game Pass, meaning players on Xbox who want access at release will need to purchase it, while PC players can buy it through Steam, Battle.net, or Xbox PC.

The game also has a substantial content offering at launch. Its campaign follows a young South Korean soldier during a North Korean invasion while Captain Price wages his own off-the-books war. Multiplayer will include 12 new 6v6 maps, alongside larger-scale combat, while the new DMZ mode adds an extraction-based experience.

Despite the impressive Steam numbers, Modern Warfare 4 faces an unusual challenge later in the year. Grand Theft Auto 6 is scheduled to arrive less than a month after Modern Warfare 4, potentially affecting how long players remain engaged with Activision’s shooter, particularly on consoles. Alinea Analytics specifically identifies GTA 6’s arrival as a possible threat to Modern Warfare 4’s retention.

For now, however, the Steam data suggests Modern Warfare 4 is entering launch with considerable momentum. Whether that translates into the franchise’s biggest Steam debut in years will depend on how effectively those pre-orders convert into active players once the game launches on October 23.