MW4 DMZ Not Working? Launch Fixes and Patch Notes

Last updated: October 25, 2026, 7:20 AM CT

DMZ locked, game won't launch, or stuck on an Order? Modern Warfare 4 fully launched Friday, October 23 at midnight local time, after campaign early access opened October 16 and DMZ early access opened October 20. Infinity Ward actually switched multiplayer on a few hours early, on the evening of October 22 in the US (full launch guide here). Below are the most common problems and the fixes that work, starting with the newest patch.

Latest patch (October 24): MIA squad bug and Exfil helicopter fixed

Infinity Ward posted another round of fixes on Saturday, October 24, covering DMZ and multiplayer. Update the game (it's a sizable download on Switch 2, according to Nintendo Life) and check whether your problem is on this list:

• Operator marked MIA after your party leader left: fixed. Party Leaders could pull teammates out of DMZ without their consent, which marked their Active Duty Operators as MIA.
• Exfil helicopter vanishing: fixed. The helicopter could disappear while players were still inside.
• DMZ cash disappearing in Gunsmith: fixed. Applying some camos or reticles in the DMZ Gunsmith could deduct DMZ Cash.
• PC: can't split inventory stacks: fixed. The Split keybind didn't follow a custom Ping keybind, so it looked like splitting didn't work.
• DMZ Orders and missions: the Philanthropist Order (Page 19) now counts Weekly Mission Challenges you finished before it unlocked, Dark Zone Story Mission markers point at the right enemy, and Shopping Mission reinforcements spawn less often.
• More DMZ fixes: more Hajin rock spots patched, an FOB out-of-bounds spot closed, wrong data on looted Dog Tags and Bounties fixed, and various exploits closed.
• Multiplayer: better spawns and respawn timing in Hijack, Search and Destroy defuses from the wrong distance fixed, Portable Radar now shows the minimap in Hardcore, Favorite Operators equip in Collateral, and Deathstalker no longer leaves the map on Rooftops.
• Stability: more crash fixes across all modes, plus extra PC stability fixes.

New known issues (October 24):

• PC, DMZ: you may get a network error when extracting with a looted Dog Tag. Activision lists it as a known issue with no workaround yet.
• Kicked while spectating in multiplayer: under investigation.
• Lobby hitching: the regional map animation while searching for a lobby is temporarily turned off as a possible fix, so if it's missing, that's intentional.

Also note: Prestige (weapon or player) can't be done while you're searching for a match. That's by design, not a bug. Weapon tuning is expected next week.

October 23 DMZ update: parachutes, gas masks, bounties

The October 23 update fixed these:

• Parachutes and Gas Masks: usage counts fixed. Disposable Parachutes now get three uses, and Gas Masks no longer break the moment you enter a radiation zone.
• Orders and challenges: buying Lieutenant intel now updates your tracked DMZ Order, and FOB Upgrade Challenge tracking is fixed.
• Bounties and hunts: various Bounty tracking issues fixed, and Lieutenant Hunt progress no longer shows up for other squads.
• Disconnects: more stability fixes, including disconnects.
• Hajin: more spots where players got stuck in rocks are patched.
• Fallout mission: enemy AI helicopters no longer freeze in midair.
• Other fixes: the under-8-minute Dynamic Operation now shows the right requirement, the Numb the Pain trait descriptions are corrected, downed Operators no longer drop extra Killstreaks, and missing bullet and Little Bird audio is back.

Still broken: enemy AI cars in DMZ sometimes drive with no one in them or get stuck. Activision says possible fixes are out and it is monitoring them. Weapon balance changes are expected next week, and multiplayer and DMZ will have separate balancing, according to Xboxdynasty's summary of the update.

October 21 launch patch: what got fixed

The October 21 launch patch was the first full set of Modern Warfare 4 patch notes. A smaller DMZ update on October 22 changed UAV towers (see below). If one of these was your problem, make sure the game is fully updated and try again:

• 0 XP after your first match: fixed. The After-Action Report was showing zero experience.
• Squad Commander kills: fixed so the whole squad gets Commander XP and King Slayer progress, not just the player with the final hit.
• Story mission double credit: removed.
• Soft lock before your first deployment: fixed. Selling starting gear or dismissing an Operator before your first drop could freeze progress.
• FOB kick: fixed. Pressing Untrack Recipe at the 3D Printer with nothing tracked could kick you out of the FOB.
• Breaking New Ground mission: fixed a crash when breaching a door and a tablet that wouldn't turn on.
• AI and map: enemies no longer run you over on infil or reach places they shouldn't while you're downed, and spots where players got stuck in rocks on Hajin are patched.
• Switch 2: fixed the Chemical Denial Dynamic Op at NuriGO Mall and buying saved Blueprint mods.
• Campaign: fixed a progression blocker in the hotel section of Counter Attack.

CharlieIntel also reported that Activision deployed a fix for DMZ crashing. More fixes are expected now that the game is out, and we'll keep this page updated.

New known issues since launch (October 23)

Activision's Known Issues page added two problems on October 23. Both are under investigation on all platforms, and Activision hasn't posted a fix or workaround for either yet:

• Can't save Loadouts in Multiplayer: some players can't save their Loadouts. If it happens to you, it's on Activision's end; fully closing and relaunching the game is worth a try, but that's not an official fix.
• Stats not showing: some players see missing stats in the Combat Record and Leaderboards. Activision says this is a display issue only and your stats are still being tracked, so you haven't lost progress.
• PC, DLSS with ray tracing: @CODUpdates flagged on October 22 that NVIDIA DLSS doesn't work with Ray Tracing turned on. Activision is working with NVIDIA and suggests switching to SMAA Nx with Variable Rate Shading in the meantime.

October 22 update: UAV towers can be recaptured

Infinity Ward pushed a minor DMZ update on October 22 that changes how UAV towers work:

• You can now take back a UAV tower that an enemy team has captured. Before this, the first squad to grab a tower kept it all match, which turned the area around it into a no-go zone where anyone who walked in got spotted.
• Four-player parties can now queue into free-for-all matches. GamesRadar+ notes that solo players are already running into full squads there.

Season 1 begins Friday, November 6. Here's the full MW4 Season 1 date and roadmap.

October 21 hotfixes and the official launch patch notes

Infinity Ward posted the official Modern Warfare 4 launch patch notes on October 21, confirming the fixes above and adding a second round of DMZ fixes:

• Dog Tag Case error: fixed an error when opening it.
• Toxic Intercept Op: no longer fails after you finish the Defend the Bomb objective.
• PC performance: fixed a performance drop when holding a Heartbeat Sensor with a weapon equipped.
• NK Wilderness infil: AI enemies no longer run players over during infiltration.
• Menus: Dynamic Operations text now displays correctly at Larger or Largest menu text size, and the Orders rewards section of the End Game Report no longer shows in low resolution.
• Multiplayer: fixed a server crash during matches, and match completion events not being recorded in Multiplayer and DMZ.

Infinity Ward says live issues are tracked on the official Modern Warfare 4 Trello board, with updates posted by @CODUpdates. Also worth knowing: the new Warzone isn't available until Season 1 starts on November 6. Selecting Warzone before then installs the current live version, and Weekly Challenges won't be available in Season 1.

Can't Prestige your DMZ Operator

Activision's Known Issues page lists this as under investigation on all platforms: some players can't Prestige an active Operator even after meeting the requirements. Activision's suggested workaround is to equip Rare weapons with only three attachment slots (weapons that have never had four or more attachments), then try again.

DMZ says it's locked

1. The game is out now. Since October 23, DMZ is open to every owner, including disc copies and non-pre-orders. If it still says locked, the steps below usually sort it.
2. Install the latest update. Check for updates manually if your platform hasn't downloaded one; DMZ won't open on an out-of-date install.
3. Fully close the game and relaunch it. Don't just return to the menu.
4. Use the account that bought the game. Your license is tied to the purchasing account, so check you're not signed in on a second profile.

PC: DMZ or multiplayer won't start (TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot)

This is the big one on PC. Activision says "Both TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot are required to play," and PCs without both are blocked from every online mode. The campaign may still run, which makes it confusing.

• Official fix: run Activision's Call of Duty Secure Attestation Wizard. It scans your PC and tells you which BIOS settings to change.
• Turning on TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot is done in your PC's BIOS. The menu names differ by motherboard, so search for your board's model if you can't find them.

Stuck on the "Gear Up" DMZ Order

Players reported the "Gear Up" Order wouldn't complete. It isn't named in the October 21 patch notes, so if it's still stuck for you, the workaround is to join a friend's squad and deploy into DMZ with them; progress is restored once you're in Hajin. Until the Order shows as complete, don't sell Backpacks, Armor Vests or Medkits.

Xbox app on PC: no button to launch the campaign or DMZ

Activision lists this as under investigation, and since launch it covers DMZ as well as the campaign. Its official tips: install any Modern Warfare 4 Content Packs you don't already have from the Xbox app before launching, and check your Microsoft Store device management page to make sure you haven't hit the 10-device limit.

No Open matchmaking playlists in multiplayer

If you're looking for the Open playlists from the beta, they aren't in the launch game. That's not a bug on your end. Activision only confirmed Open playlists for the beta, and as of October 22 it hadn't said whether they'll come back. Some players are also reporting long matchmaking waits; there's no official fix for that yet.

Can't connect, or servers seem down

1. Check Activision's online services status page first. If it isn't green or shows an alert, the problem is on their end. Wait it out.
2. If servers are fine, switch to a wired connection and restart your router.
3. On Xbox, online play needs Game Pass Essential (or higher). On PlayStation, online play needs PlayStation Plus.
4. Expect queues on launch weekend, especially in the evening in your region. Servers are busiest at peak hours.

No cable long enough to reach your console? A long Cat 6 Ethernet cable is cheap and fixes more lag and disconnects than any setting: see Ethernet cables on Amazon.

Crashes or a black screen

Activision hasn't posted an official fix for these yet. Standard steps that usually help:

• PC: verify the game files in Steam or Battle.net, update your graphics driver, switch to Borderless Windowed, and lower settings to test.
• Console: fully close the game, check for updates, and restart the console.
• Still crashing? Report it through Activision Support so it gets tracked for a patch.

Just bought it? Avoid problems before your first match

• Leave plenty of space. The PC download is 115GB and the Xbox install is around 163GB, plus room for patches. Let the full install finish before launching.
• PC players: run the Secure Attestation Wizard first, before you try to queue.
• Link a phone number to your Activision account. Microsoft's store listing says one may be required to play.

Need a break from DMZ? Cyberpunk 2077 Update 2.5 is out too. New to DMZ? Read our DMZ beginner's guide. And if you'd rather troubleshoot with people, the 2nd Shift Discord is up late.

Sources: Call of Duty: MW4 launch patch notes, GamesRadar+, GamerFuzion (patch notes), Activision Support: TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot, Timesaver.gg, Xbox Wire, Pure Xbox, PC Gamer, Activision Support: MW4 known issues, Insider Gaming (patch history), VICE, GamesRadar+ (UAV tower change), DMZMap (update log), Xboxdynasty, Push Square, Nintendo Life (October 24 Switch 2 update).

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