Before launch day: the known requirements
Most PC problems on day one will trace back to three confirmed requirements:
- TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot must be enabled. If the game refuses to start, check these first: Windows Security, Device Security for TPM; msinfo32 for Secure Boot.
- Persistent internet connection required. Multiplayer, including Private Matches, and DMZ will not run offline due to texture streaming. A "connection failed" loop is often just this.
- Activision account: may be required, possibly with phone verification. Link it before launch day, not during a queue.
Account, pre-orders and codes
- Pre-order bonuses (Hunter Killer skin, Gilded Pearl pack, Inner Circuit M4) redeem through the in-game store once linked to the purchasing platform account. The full pre-order item list.
- Redeem deadlines for pre-order cosmetics are October 23, 2026.
- Codes from partners go through the platform store first, then bind to the Activision account.
Where the official answers live
- The Activision support page for MW4 is the canonical source for account, connection and edition issues.
- Platform status pages (PlayNetwork, Xbox Live, Steam, Battle.net) are the place to check when nothing loads.
What gets added on launch day
The live version of this page, backfilled October 23, 2026, covers:
- Server status: how to tell queue, outage and account problems apart
- Sign-in and licensing errors, per platform
- Party and friend problems, including crossplay invite behavior
- Microphone and voice chat fixes
- Performance triage: the first settings to drop when frames tank, leading into the tested settings guide
- The beta's known issues, and which carried into launch: the beta recap is the baseline