Modern Warfare 4 PC Requirements: Final Specs, 90 FPS, Ray Tracing and What Changed

Modern Warfare 4 now has final PC launch specifications. Activision’s September 29 PC update replaces the earlier Beta-era hardware guidance with launch-valid minimum, recommended 90 FPS, and 4K-upscaled ray-tracing tiers.

The biggest changes are practical: the storage target is now 115 GB on an SSD, the recommended tier is explicitly aimed at 90 FPS in multiplayer on High settings, and Activision has published a separate 4K upscaled / High ray-tracing tier. TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot remain required.

One source conflict still remains. Activision says these specifications are valid for product launch, while the full-game Steam listing still shows its minimum and recommended requirement blocks as TBD. This page keeps that discrepancy visible instead of pretending the sources already agree.

MW4 PC requirements status at a glance

Primary sources:

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 PC Trailer, Tech Updates, and More
• Modern Warfare 4 on Steam
• Activision TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot guidance

Final Modern Warfare 4 PC system requirements

Activision says these specifications are valid for product launch and may be updated later. All tiers require DirectX 12 compatibility and broadband internet.

What changed from the earlier Beta guidance?

The September 29 launch table materially changes several values that appeared in Activision’s earlier Beta-era documentation.

• The minimum AMD CPU moves from Ryzen 5 1600 to Ryzen 5 1400.
• The minimum Intel CPU moves from Core i5-8400 to Core i5-6600.
• Minimum RAM drops from 12 GB to 8 GB.
• The recommended AMD GPU becomes RX 6600 XT.
• The recommended Intel CPU is Core i7-8700K.
• Storage rises from the earlier 70 GB support figure to 115 GB on SSD.
• Activision now gives the recommended tier a concrete target: 90 FPS in multiplayer at High graphics settings.
• A separate 4K-upscaled High ray-tracing tier is now defined.

That means the old Beta table should no longer be treated as the best current buying or readiness reference.

What does “90 FPS at recommended specs” actually mean?

Activision says the recommended tier is intended to run Modern Warfare 4 at 90 FPS in multiplayer on High graphics settings.

That is much more useful than the earlier Beta wording because it attaches a performance target to the hardware list. It still does not tell us every condition behind that target. Activision does not specify a universal display resolution, exact upscaler mode, frame-generation state, or per-map performance guarantee in the system-requirement table.

IGZ has not independently benchmarked Modern Warfare 4, so this page does not turn Activision’s target into measured performance for every system.

The new 4K ray-tracing tier

Activision also publishes an Ultra-class tier for 4K upscaled output with High quality ray tracing.

The listed GPUs are the Radeon RX 9070 XT and GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, paired with 16 GB of video memory and 32 GB of system RAM. The CPU targets are Ryzen 7 3700X or Core i7-10700K.

Activision’s launch table clearly separates this high-end ray-tracing target from the normal recommended tier.

Steam still says TBD

The full-game Steam listing still shows:

• Minimum: 64-bit processor and operating system; additional notes: TBD
• Recommended: 64-bit processor and operating system; additional notes: TBD

At the same time, Steam already exposes the TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot requirement.

So the current official-source state is:

• Activision’s September 29 PC article: final launch hardware tiers published.
• Steam’s system-requirement blocks: still TBD.

For hardware planning, the Activision launch article is the stronger current source because it explicitly says the specifications are valid for product launch. The Steam mismatch is still worth monitoring in case the store page later catches up.

Upscaling and graphics technologies

Modern Warfare 4’s PC feature set now includes:

• NVIDIA DLSS 4.5
• AMD FSR Redstone
• Intel XeSS 3
• Filmic SMAA T2X
• ray tracing in Campaign, Multiplayer and DMZ
• HDR10+ support
• ultrawide display support
• a global sharpness control that works across upscalers

These are supported technologies, not proof that one upscaler or one GPU is always the best choice. Image quality and frame-rate tradeoffs still depend on the final game, settings and hardware.

Modern Warfare 4 has a built-in benchmark

Activision says the PC version includes a built-in Benchmark Tool that runs a simulated multiplayer sequence and reports performance information including:

• average FPS
• CPU and GPU information
• ping
• input latency
• zone-by-zone results
• setting suggestions

That gives players a better first-party way to evaluate their own system after launch than relying on generic hardware assumptions.

Advanced Shader Delivery replaces the old shader-preloading workflow

Activision calls its new shader system Advanced Shader Delivery. It is designed to deliver precompiled shaders ahead of time on supported PC platforms so players spend less time waiting at launch or after updates.

Activision says the Xbox PC app is required if you want to use Advanced Shader Delivery on a supported PC platform. That is separate from where you purchased the game.

TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot remain required

Activision still requires both TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot for Modern Warfare 4 on PC. Intel Arc GPUs also require Resizable BAR, and Activision says only Intel/AMD processors with the AVX instruction set are supported at this time.

A system that looks fast enough from CPU/GPU names can therefore still fail a security or platform requirement.

If you are unsure about your machine’s security state, use Activision’s own Secure Attestation guidance first. For a broader cross-game view, you can also use the Instant Game Zone PC Gaming Security Readiness Checker.

Do not make firmware changes from generic forum advice. If your system needs a BIOS/UEFI change, use the documentation for your exact PC or motherboard model.

Current launch driver recommendations

These are Activision’s recommendations for MW4 launch readiness, not a claim that each is the newest general-purpose driver from the GPU vendor at every moment.

PC preload and Campaign Early Access timing

Activision says PC preload begins October 15 at 9 AM PT (9 PM in Pakistan) for players who pre-purchase the game digitally.

Eligible digital pre-orders/pre-purchases can begin Campaign Early Access on October 16. The full game releases on October 23 at midnight local time according to Activision.

Activision’s official editions guide also confirms that DMZ Early Access starts October 20 (PT) for eligible digital pre-orders/pre-purchases. Both Digital Standard Edition and Vault Edition qualify for the October 16 Campaign and October 20 DMZ early-access periods. You do not need Vault Edition to play either mode early. Vault offers separate premium extras, including a DMZ Deployment Bonus. Activision cautions that outages, time zones and platform availability can affect actual access times. Its October 9 DMZ announcement independently confirms the October 20 date and eligible editions.

Storefront display dates can differ by region or time zone, so use the launch time shown in your local client as the final platform-specific check.

Can an RTX 3060 Ti run MW4 at 90 FPS?

Activision lists the RTX 3060 Ti in the recommended tier and describes that tier as targeting 90 FPS in multiplayer at High settings.

That does not guarantee 90 FPS in every map, resolution, ray-tracing state or system configuration. It also does not establish the exact upscaling mode used for that target.

The careful interpretation is: RTX 3060 Ti is part of Activision’s 90 FPS / High recommended tier. Real-world results should be checked with the built-in benchmark and reputable post-launch measurements.

Do I need 115 GB free?

Activision’s final launch specifications list 115 GB of SSD space across all three tiers.

115 GB is a storage-space requirement, not a confirmed preload download size. Activision’s PC requirements specify space needed on an SSD, but do not establish exactly how many gigabytes your client will download.

The company also warns that additional storage may be required for mandatory updates, so planning for exactly 115 GB of free space leaves no headroom.

Are MW4’s final PC requirements available now?

Yes, from Activision.

The September 29 official PC article publishes launch-valid minimum, recommended and 4K ray-tracing tiers. Steam’s own requirement blocks are still TBD, so the storefront has not yet caught up with the newer Activision specification table.

What this article does not claim

Instant Game Zone has not independently benchmarked Modern Warfare 4 for this update.

This page does not claim:

• measured FPS for any GPU
• that every recommended-tier system will hold 90 FPS in every scenario
• that the 4K ray-tracing tier uses one specific upscaler mode
• final image-quality rankings between DLSS 4.5, FSR Redstone and XeSS 3
• that a particular BIOS change is safe for every motherboard

For broader installed-base context, the IGZ Steam Hardware Survey 2026 analysis shows what hardware is common among surveyed Windows Steam users, but installed-base popularity is not a performance benchmark.

Source notes and update history

October 14, 2026: Added Activision’s confirmed October 20 DMZ Early Access date and clarified eligibility for Digital Standard and Vault Edition purchases. PC system specifications remain unchanged.

October 2, 2026: Major refresh after Activision published final launch specifications on September 29. Replaced the obsolete “final specs still TBD” framing, added the launch-valid three-tier table, 90 FPS recommended target, 4K-upscaled ray-tracing tier, 115 GB SSD requirement, updated launch drivers, built-in benchmark, Advanced Shader Delivery and preload timing. Steam’s separate system-requirement blocks still show TBD and remain tracked as an official-source mismatch.

September 20, 2026: Original readiness/status article published while Activision’s detailed hardware numbers were still Beta-era and the full-game Steam requirements were TBD.

Primary sources:

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 PC Trailer, Tech Updates, and More
• Activision Support: Modern Warfare 4 digital editions and early-access eligibility
• Call of Duty: October 9 DMZ Early Access announcement
• Modern Warfare 4 official PC page
• Modern Warfare 4 on Steam
• Activision TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot support