Modern Warfare 4 Leads Steam Pre-Launch Sales Before Oct 23

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 has already made a big splash on Valve’s Steam storefront ahead of release, climbing to the No. 1 spot in pre-launch sales—though it hasn’t held the position continuously, with other titles occasionally overtaking it.

Key takeaways

Modern Warfare 4 is currently the top-selling game on Steam before its official launch.
The game’s release date is October 23, leaving roughly a month from the latest reported ranking.
Its Steam placement appears to indicate recently increased pre-orders.
At times, it has been surpassed on Steam by an indie fishing simulator and a Team17-published shooter.
The next-gen platforms listed are PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2.

Steam ranking shifts as Modern Warfare 4 surges before October 23

Despite having several weeks before it goes on sale, Modern Warfare 4’s recent beta has pushed many players toward pre-purchasing Infinity Ward’s next entry in the franchise. The result: the upcoming title is reported to be the best-selling game on Steam before its official debut, with the position changing slightly over time as other games briefly take the lead.

While Modern Warfare 4 is frequently at the top, it has also been overtaken at moments by two other releases: an indie fishing simulation and a shooter published by Team17. The fact that these swaps happen “from time to time” suggests that pre-order momentum is strong, but not completely locked in.

What this could mean for the franchise’s next launch

There’s additional context behind the Steam chatter. The franchise’s recent performance has been mixed, following a poorly received Black Ops 7 and a less memorable Modern Warfare 3. Against that backdrop, expectations are that Modern Warfare 4 has “a lot to prove,” especially with the extraction-focused mode being positioned as a major selling point.

Even though the full game still has to be tested—DMZ is specifically mentioned as something that hasn’t yet been tried in this discussion—the current sales signals point to a potentially larger launch than Black Ops 7 saw previously. The comparison matters because Modern Warfare titles have generally been received more positively than the most recent Black Ops entries, and Black Ops rereleases on the PlayStation Store reportedly drew attention without leaving anyone indifferent.

For players watching the numbers, the question now is whether Modern Warfare 4 can keep its Steam advantage once other high-performing titles—such as “How to Fish” and “WARDOGS”—continue to compete for sales.