The arrival of Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer is almost here, following the early release of the campaign for digital pre-orders.

As with the campaign, the Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer release time differs depending on whether you are on PC or console - as well as the region you are based in.

The good news is, wherever you are and whatever your platform of choice, you'll be able to get your hands on multiplayer and Special Ops by Friday morning.

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Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer release time on PlayStation and Xbox

On PlayStation and Xbox, Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer releases at midnight local time.

The exception is in North America, where it'll release everywhere once it hits midnight on the East Coast - meaning for those on the West Coast, it'll launch at 9pm on the Thursday.

Additionally, developer Infinity Ward as warned against changing your console's region in order to access multiplayer early, as you will "experience connectivity issues":

Launch PSA: If you are trying to change your console’s region setting in order to access #MWII early, you will experience connectivity issues and may be locked out of the game until the official launch time of your region.

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Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer release time on PC

On PC, Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer goes live at the same time around the globe - aligning with midnight on the East Coast of the US.

This means the Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer times on PC are as follows:

UK: 5am (BST)Europe: 6am (CEST)East Coast US: 12:01am (EDT)West Coast US: 9pm, Thursday (PDT)

This means if you are in the West of the Americas, you will technically be playing on Thursday, October 27th.

Meanwhile, for those in Europe, you'll be able to play when waking up first thing.

Getting stuck into multiplayer? We explain the best guns in Modern Warfare 2 and how to unlock all weapons and attachments - as well as individual pages on putting together an MP5 loadout, FTAC loadout, M4 loadout, Kastov 762 loadout, SP-R 208 loadout, TAQ 56 loadout, 556 Icarus loadout, Vel 46 loadout, M16 loadout and FSS Hurricane loadout.At launch, you might be wondering where the Battle Pass and Hardcore Tier 1 modes are, as well as how to claim Modern Warfare 2 Twitch drops.Elsewhere, learn how to turn off crossplay on PlayStation and Xbox, get and use Double XP, level up fast, get gold camo, check KD and unlock all MW2 Operators.Playing the story? We have explainers on how long the Modern Warfare 2 campaign is and all safe code combinations.

Modern Warfare 2 preload times

As with the release of multiplayer itself, the preload time differs depending on your platform of choice.

On consoles - whether it's Xbox or PlayStation - you can start preloading right now.

On PC, you can start preloading at the following times on Wednesday, 26th October:

UK: 6pm (BST)Europe: 7pm (CEST)East Coast US: 1pm (EDT)West Coast US: 10am (PDT)

The above applies whether you are playing on Steam or Battle.net.

As mentioned, digital pre-orders can start playing the campaign now. Here's details on how long the Modern Warfare 2 campaign is, if you fancy squeezing it in ahead of Friday's full launch.

If you want to start reading up on some weapons ahead of time, we have explainers on the M16 and M4 based on the beta.

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