The short version
Two editions exist. Standard ($69.99) is the complete game: campaign, multiplayer and DMZ, nothing held back. Vault Edition ($99.99, digital only) is the same game plus cosmetic and progression bundles. Nothing gameplay-critical is Vault-exclusive. Pricing, upgrade and discount rules live on the price page.
Vault Edition contents
Hostile Alliance operator pack
Four operator skins with voice lines: Price (2 skins), Valeria (2 skins), Ghost (1), Blix (1). Eight skins total, usable in Modern Warfare 4, Black Ops 7 and Warzone.
Special Forces operator pack
Four faction-themed operators with faction-specific voice lines: French COM SFT, German KSK Amphibious, South Korean special warfare, and the British SAS.
Signature Weapon Collection
Five weapon blueprints: Kastov 762 "Voltspine", ISO Nightshade "La Sombra Venenosa", Rezi 12 "Shattered Code", Oris 8.6 "Volt Edge", and the Combat Knife "Sombra Besada".
BlackCell + DMZ bonus
The BlackCell bundle (1,100 CP, 20-tier skip, 100+ rewards) and a DMZ Deployment Bonus are part of the Vault. Important timing detail: BlackCell only becomes usable when Season 01 goes live, in November 2026. It is not a day-one item, and coverage that implies otherwise is wrong.
Pre-order bonuses (both editions)
Digital pre-orders of either edition include:
- Campaign early access from October 16, 2026
- Hunter Killer operator skin, shared across MW4, Black Ops 7 and Warzone
- Gilded Pearl camo pack: Moonlit Pearl unlocks instantly in Black Ops 7 at the start of its Season 05; Gilded Ruin then requires the 5000 Skulls in-game challenge (5 Skulls per campaign elimination, 10 in multiplayer, 1 versus zombies, 30 in Warzone). The first 100,000 players to unlock it get an individually numbered variant.
- Inner Circuit M4 weapon blueprint, with a translucent OG Green version exclusive to Xbox Series X|S and a mil-spec version elsewhere; functionally identical
One deadline matters: pre-order cosmetics (the Hunter Killer skin and Gilded Pearl pack) must be redeemed by October 23, 2027, per the support page fine print. That is a year after launch, not a launch-week window, so there is no rush, but there is also no extension after that date.
The physical release: what a disc gets you
A physical release exists, but it is the smallest slice of the lineup. What "buying the disc" actually means here:
- Discs exist only for Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, through select retailers. There is no physical PC box with a disc in the usual sense, and no Switch 2 cartridge has been announced.
- The physical edition is the Standard Edition on a disc: the full base game, nothing extra.
- No campaign early access. The October 16 window is a digital pre-order perk by design; a disc pre-order plays from October 23 like everyone else.
- No upgrade path. A physical copy cannot be upgraded to the Vault Edition, so the operator packs, blueprints and BlackCell bundle are digital-only territory.
- The disc still needs the day-one patch, the persistent online connection for multiplayer and DMZ, and an Activision account. On PC the terms are the same as digital: TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot required.
So the decision rule is simple: if you want the Vault content or the early campaign, buy digital. The disc is for collectors, resale value, and shelf space.
What does not exist
There is no physical Vault Edition, no steelbook tier and no collector's statue. Physical copies, on Xbox Series X and PS5 only, are Standard Edition and cannot be upgraded.
If the Vault's timing matters to you, remember the one date that applies to every edition: campaign early access starts October 16. And if your interest is the characters rather the cosmetics, the characters page separates confirmed roles from skins.