What time can you pre-load and play Modern Warfare 2?
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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 pre-load and play times
Provided by Activision

What time can you pre-load and play Modern Warfare 2?

The pre-load and play times for MW2

The worldwide release date for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is quickly approaching, launching for every player on Oct. 28. Although, players who digitally pre-ordered the game will get to play the Campaign one week early, starting on Oct. 20. The pre-load for Campaign has already gone live for those specific players. Aside from the Campaign, we also have more information on the pre-load times for the full release of Modern Warfare 2. Activision also revealed when the game will go live for all players on launch day.

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For players unaware, the pre-loading process is to give players a chance to download the game’s file a day or more before its actual release. This allows players to ensure they have everything downloaded when MW2 goes live so they can hop straight into the action. Of course, players will also want to know when the game launches for their specific region.

Below, fans can find all of that information.

Pre-load times for Modern Warfare 2

The pre-load times are different across consoles and PC this year. Console players will be able to pre-load the game much further in advance compared to PC users. Activision has likely done this to prevent leakers from digging into the PC game files too early. The pre-load times for both console and PC are viewable below:

  • PlayStation: 10/20 – Begins at 4 AM PT (Regional Rollout)
  • Xbox: 10/20 – 10/19 – 10 AM PT
  • Battle.Net (PC): 10/26 – 10 AM PT
  • Steam (PC): 10/26 – 10 AM PT

For the pre-loads, Xbox will get access to the full game file the earliest on Oct. 19, with PlayStation following one day after. PC users won’t be able to pre-load until Oct. 26, no matter if they’re on Steam or Battle.Net.

Game launch times for Modern Warfare 2

We’ll now get into what time the game actually launches for all systems. On consoles, players will see a regional rollout, meaning that those in places like New Zealand and Australia will gain access to the game as soon as the clock strikes 12 AM on Oct. 28. This doesn’t apply to those in Central Time, Mountain Time, or Pacific Time, though, as they will gain access 12 AM ET (9 PM PT). For PC, however, players all across the world will gain access at 9 PM PT, no matter where they’re located.

The full breakdown is found below:

  • PlayStation: 10/27 – Begins at 4 AM PT, ends at 9 PM PT (Regional Rollout)
  • Xbox: 10/27 – Begins at 4 AM PT, ends at 9 PM PT (Regional Rollout)
  • Battle.Net: 10/27 – 9 PM PT
  • Steam: 10/27 – 9 PM PT

As mentioned before, once Oct. 28 is shown on your clock, you will be able to play Modern Warfare 2. That is unless you live in a CT, MT, or PT time zone. For you, the game goes live at 9 PM PT.

Author
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Joey Carr
Joey Carr is a full-time writer for multiple esports and gaming websites. He has 7+ years of experience covering esports and traditional sporting events, including DreamHack Atlanta, Call of Duty Championships 2017, and Super Bowl 53.