Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 needs at least a Ryzen 5 1400 or Core i5-6600, 8 GB of RAM and a GPU such as a GeForce GTX 970 or 1060, a Radeon RX 470 or an Intel Arc A580, with 3 GB of video memory, according to Activision's PC requirements page. It also requires 115 GB of free space on an SSD, plus TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot. The game arrived on PC on October 23, 2026, according to PC Gamer's release calendar. This guide lists the three tiers and then shows what to check if the game will not start.
Quick answer: Activision says TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot are required to play, so check both before you launch. Press Windows plus R, run msinfo32 and confirm Secure Boot State says On, then run tpm.msc and confirm the TPM is ready. For performance, the recommended tier is built around an RTX 3060 Ti-class card and 16 GB of RAM, and the ultra tier calls for an RX 9070 XT or RTX 5070 Ti with 32 GB.
The Three Official Tiers
Activision lists the tiers on its support page.
Minimum:
- Operating system: Windows 10 64-bit.
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 1400 or Intel Core i5-6600.
- Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 470, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 or GTX 1060, or Intel Arc A580, with 3 GB of video memory.
- Memory: 8 GB RAM.
Recommended (high graphics, 90 FPS multiplayer):
- Operating system: Windows 11 64-bit.
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 or Intel Core i7-8700.
- Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti or Intel Arc B580, with 8 GB of video memory.
- Memory: 16 GB RAM.
Ultra (ray tracing, 4K upscaling):
- Operating system: Windows 11 64-bit.
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X or Intel Core i7-10700K.
- Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT or NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, with 16 GB of video memory.
- Memory: 32 GB RAM.
All three tiers list an SSD with 115 GB available at launch. Activision notes that trial, beta or Insider builds of Windows may not be supported, that the specs apply at launch and may change, and that extra storage may be needed for essential updates.
The Security Requirements
Activision states that TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot are required to play, and that other security measures may also apply. DirectX 12, a broadband connection and a processor with the AVX instruction set are required for all tiers, and Intel Arc graphics cards need Resizable BAR.
Check Secure Boot first. Press the Windows key and R, type msinfo32 and press Enter, then read the Secure Boot State line. Next, press Windows plus R again, type tpm.msc and confirm the TPM is ready for use. If either is off, you enable it in your BIOS or UEFI settings, and the names vary by motherboard. We walk through the exact menus in our Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 guide, which uses Battlefield 6 as the example because it has the same two requirements. If you have an Intel Arc card, our Resizable BAR guide covers that setting.
Drivers
Activision recommends AMD driver 26.7.1, NVIDIA driver 616.56 and Intel driver 32.0.101.8974. The page also says an NVIDIA driver labeled ASD-compatible was due on October 21, before launch. Update through your GPU maker's own app rather than a third-party site.
Which Tier Should You Aim For?
If your PC only meets the minimum, expect to lower settings, since that tier is the floor for starting the game. The recommended tier is described by Activision as high graphics at 90 FPS in multiplayer, which suits an RTX 3060 Ti-class card. The ultra tier is the only one tied to ray tracing and 4K upscaling, and it needs 16 GB of video memory according to the same page.
Our guide to reading system requirements explains how to compare these lists with your parts, and our RAM guide covers when 16 GB is enough and when to move up. If your graphics card falls short, our gaming PC build and upgrade guide shows where to start. Graphics card prices have been above list in some stores, as we reported in our GPU price update.
Common Questions
Can I play on Windows 10? Activision lists Windows 10 64-bit for the minimum tier and Windows 11 for the recommended and ultra tiers.
Does it work on a laptop? Activision says the requirements are for desktop PCs, and that some laptops with matching graphics may work but may be unsupported.
Do I need an SSD? Yes. All three tiers list an SSD with 115 GB available at launch.
What if my game says a security setting is off? Recheck Secure Boot and TPM with the commands above, then restart after any BIOS change.
Sources: Activision — PC system requirements for Modern Warfare 4, PC Gamer — PC game release dates for October 2026
