Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is using its upcoming beta to test fixes for two long-running player frustrations: PC shader wait times and the \u201cUpdate Requires Restart\u201d prompt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The update was detailed in a new Call of Duty Blog post ahead of the beta launch. IGN reported that the beta will address issues that have frustrated Call of Duty players for years, especially on PC and during game startup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The biggest PC change is shader preloading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Activision, shader preloading will prepare some PC shaders before players launch Modern Warfare 4. The goal is to reduce the time between opening the game and getting into the first match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shaders help a graphics card render surfaces, lighting, shadows, visual effects, and other on-screen details. On PC, shader preparation can take longer because players use different graphics cards, drivers, and system configurations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Activision said the new shader preloading system moves more of that process outside the game. Players may see a Windows system tray notification after installing or updating the beta, which means Modern Warfare 4 is preparing shaders in advance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The shader preloading system will not work exactly the same on every PC platform during the beta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Battle.net, shader preloading will be enabled when players first install the beta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Steam, shader preloading will also be enabled, but players will still need a one-time shader compile on first boot. After that, shader preloading should take effect for later updates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Activision said Steam players who join Weekend One will be able to use shader preloading for the Weekend Two update. The company also said the benefit should be more fully realized after Modern Warfare 4 launches and moves into regular seasonal updates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Modern Warfare 4 is also changing how Call of Duty handles some updates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Activision said it is reducing the number of situations where players see the \u201cUpdate Requires Restart\u201d message. The company said many smaller updates already happen in the background, but Modern Warfare 4 will expand that ability to include data patches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That does not mean restart prompts are going away completely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On PC, data patches will not require a restart in most situations, although players may still need to restart if a patch goes live while the game is already running.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On PlayStation 5, data patches will also avoid restarts in most cases, with exceptions if an update arrives while the game is running or suspended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Xbox Series X|S, data patches will still require a restart during the beta, but Activision said it plans to reduce those cases at launch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Nintendo Switch 2, data patches will continue to require a restart during the beta and at launch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Activision is also changing how players install and launch the beta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Modern Warfare 4, the beta will be delivered outside the main Call of Duty install. That means players can download and launch the beta directly from their platform store instead of cross-launching through the main Call of Duty app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The company said the change is part of a broader effort to make the Call of Duty experience easier to navigate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The full Modern Warfare 4 launch will still remain connected to the main Call of Duty experience alongside Warzone. Activision said this allows shared content where possible and helps reduce overall file sizes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Modern Warfare 4 beta will run across two weekends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Early Access begins at 11:00 a.m. PT on August 21 and ends at 10:00 a.m. PT on August 25. This weekend is for players who pre-ordered or pre-purchased the game on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, PlayStation 5, Steam, or Battle.net, or redeemed a beta code.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Open Beta begins at 10:00 a.m. PT on August 28 and ends at 10:00 a.m. PT on September 1. This weekend is open to all players on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, PlayStation 5, Steam, Battle.net, and Nintendo Switch 2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nintendo Switch 2 players will only be able to join during Weekend Two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
PC players will need to check their system before joining the beta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Activision said TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot are required to play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 on PC. The company said these Windows security features support RICOCHET Anti-Cheat and help make system-level tampering more difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Players who do not have TPM 2.0 or Secure Boot enabled will not be able to play the beta online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Modern Warfare 4 beta players can unlock cosmetic rewards by leveling up during the test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rewards include emblems, weapon charms, stickers, calling cards, an Operator skin, a spray, a loading screen, and the \u201cBeta Forged\u201d ISO Nightshade Weapon Blueprint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Activision said unlocked beta rewards will be available in the full game when Modern Warfare 4 launches on October 23. However, player level, weapon unlocks, and other in-beta progression will not carry over after the beta ends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Modern Warfare 4 beta is not just a gameplay preview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is also a test for quality-of-life changes that players have been asking to see improved for years. Shader preloading could reduce PC wait times and performance hitches, while fewer restart prompts could make updates less disruptive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The separate beta install may also make the test easier to access, especially for players who only want to try Modern Warfare 4 without navigating the full Call of Duty hub.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As of this writing, Activision says some beta features and platform behavior may still change before launch. Modern Warfare 4 is scheduled to release on October 23, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
via: IGN\/Yahoo (tech.yahoo.com<\/a>) | Call of Duty Blog (callofduty.com<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is using its upcoming beta to test fixes for two long-running player frustrations: PC shader wait times and the … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":480,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[335,196,332,334,336,333],"class_list":["post-478","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gaming-news","tag-battle-net","tag-call-of-duty-mobile","tag-call-of-duty-modern-warfare-4-beta","tag-modern-warfare-4-beta","tag-steam","tag-update-requires-restart"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sebertech.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/478","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sebertech.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sebertech.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sebertech.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sebertech.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=478"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sebertech.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/478\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":482,"href":"https:\/\/sebertech.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/478\/revisions\/482"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sebertech.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/480"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sebertech.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=478"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sebertech.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=478"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sebertech.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=478"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}