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Opened Yellow Supply Crates in Modern Warfare 4’s Stranded mission should be treated as one-time pickups for the current run. Stranded tracks a cumulative total of 26 opened caches, rather than describing a repeatable farming loop. Reload a checkpoint when you die, fall, become soft-locked, or need to retry a failed encounter. Do not reload a checkpoint expecting a crate that the counter already recorded to reappear.
The practical exception is a cache that has not appeared at all. Stranded has one crate on a looping freight train and another on a patrolling convoy truck. If either moving cache is missing, mission replay is the useful reset; a normal checkpoint reload is not a dependable way to recreate an already-opened pickup.
What “respawn” means for Yellow Crates in Stranded
In this mission, “respawn” can mean two different things. You may be asking whether a crate you opened can return so you can collect it again, or whether a crate that never appeared can be made to spawn. Those situations need different responses.
An opened Yellow Supply Crate contributes to Stranded’s cumulative “Yellow Supply Caches Opened” counter. The available descriptions treat that counter as progress toward 26 total caches, not as a per-checkpoint inventory that is repeatedly rebuilt. The safest interpretation for a completion run is therefore simple: once the counter has credited a crate, consider that cache collected for the run.
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There is no documented official respawn rule saying that an opened Yellow Crate returns after a checkpoint reload. Practical reports also describe opened crates disappearing from the environment without becoming collectible again while the player continues through the mission. That makes checkpoint reloading a recovery tool, not a crate-farming method.
A missing moving cache is different. If the train or convoy truck has not delivered its crate to the place where you expect it, the issue is timing or a failed spawn, not proof that a previously collected crate has reset. Mission replay is the practical way to reset that situation.
How the 26 Yellow Supply Crates are distributed
Stranded contains 26 caches in three groups. Twenty-four are in fixed locations, while two are attached to moving vehicles. The split matters because fixed and moving caches require different search methods.
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|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed Yellow Supply Crates | 24 | Remain at their designated locations and can generally be revisited before the mission is complete. | Use exploration, fast travel and a location-by-location check. |
| Freight-train crate | 1 | Travels around the map on a looping freight train. | Watch the route and approach when the train returns; use mission replay if the cache fails to appear. |
| Convoy-truck crate | 1 | Moves with a patrolling convoy truck near the northern checkpoints; the truck is shown as a red map marker. | Track the patrol and wait for its route; use mission replay if the moving cache is absent. |
Opening all 26 awards the Time to Crate achievement. The achievement is tied to the opened-cache total, so the counter is more important than whether a particular crate model remains visible after you leave the area.
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Why an opened crate may disappear
The counter records collection, not permanent world geometry
A crate can stop appearing as an unopened object after you interact with it. That visual change does not mean your progress was lost. Check the “Yellow Supply Caches Opened” total before assuming that the game forgot the pickup. If the number increased when you opened the crate, count that cache as complete even if the container is no longer present later in the mission.
Checkpoint state and collectible state are not the same question
A checkpoint reload returns you to a recent mission state so you can recover from a death, fall, soft-lock or failed combat sequence. It should not be treated as a guaranteed rewind of the collectible counter. The evidence available for Stranded supports using the counter as the completion record and treating an opened cache as consumed for the run.
Contents are not the completion requirement
The contents of a crate can vary between playthroughs, but the achievement requirement is the number of caches opened. If you are checking a box for a particular item, a changed item layout does not necessarily indicate a new cache or a reset. For completion purposes, record the increase in the cache counter rather than trying to farm the contents.
Checkpoint reload or mission replay?
Choose the recovery method based on what went wrong. A checkpoint reload is local recovery inside the current attempt. Mission replay is the broader reset to use when a moving spawn has failed or the run’s state no longer presents the cache you need.
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| Situation | Use | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| You died, fell, or need to retry a combat sequence. | Reload checkpoint. | It returns you to a recent playable state without restarting the whole mission. |
| You are soft-locked or trapped after an encounter. | Reload checkpoint first. | The checkpoint is intended to recover the current run from a broken state. |
| An opened crate is no longer visible. | Do not reload solely for respawn. | The counter should be treated as the record of collection; a reload is not a reliable recreation method. |
| The train crate never appears on its route. | Mission replay. | Replay can reset a moving spawn when waiting and ordinary checkpoint loading do not. |
| The convoy-truck crate is missing near the northern checkpoints. | Mission replay after checking the route. | The truck’s moving cache may need the mission’s spawn state rebuilt. |
What to do when you are missing a crate
- Read the counter. Note the current “Yellow Supply Caches Opened” value before changing anything. This distinguishes an uncollected cache from an opened crate that has simply disappeared from view.
- Work out whether the missing cache is fixed or moving. If you have 24 of 26, the two moving caches—the freight-train crate and convoy-truck crate—are the first places to investigate. If your total is lower, revisit fixed locations as well.
- Revisit fixed areas before restarting. Stranded’s open exploration structure allows fast travel and returns to many areas before mission completion. Move through the known fixed-cache locations again and interact with any unopened crate you find.
- Wait for the freight train. The train crate is not tied to one permanent point on the map. Follow or observe the train’s loop and approach when it comes around. A box that is absent at one moment may simply be on another part of its route.
- Check the northern checkpoints for the convoy truck. The truck patrols this area and appears as a red map marker. Follow its route rather than searching only one roadside position.
- Use mission replay if a moving cache still fails to appear. Replay the mission to reset the moving-spawn state, then check the relevant route again. This is the appropriate reset for a cache that has not spawned, not a way to repeatedly collect one that the counter already credited.
- Verify the total again. After opening a cache, confirm that the counter increased. Keep a simple note of which fixed locations and which moving cache you have completed so you do not mistake a visual disappearance for lost progress.
How to finish the last two crates
Players who reach 24/26 should prioritize the train and truck rather than repeatedly opening checkpoints. Those two caches are the only moving entries in the 26-cache total, so their timing can make the final step feel like a respawn problem.
Freight-train cache
The freight train loops around the map. If the train is not currently near the expected location, continue observing its route and allow it to return. Search the train itself rather than a fixed point on the track. If the train completes its route without presenting the crate, leave the attempt through mission replay and check the route in the fresh run.
Convoy-truck cache
The convoy truck patrols near the northern checkpoints and is represented by a red map marker. Use that marker to identify the moving convoy, then follow its patrol path until the crate is available. Searching a single checkpoint after the truck has moved on can make a functioning cache look absent. If the marker and cache fail to appear during the run, mission replay is the more appropriate reset.
Why repeated checkpoint reloads are inefficient
Checkpoint reloads address player-state failures—death, a fall, a soft-lock or a failed encounter. They do not provide a documented loop for reopening a cache that has already raised the cumulative total. Repeating them can cost time while leaving the completion counter unchanged.
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Revisiting the 24 fixed crates
Fixed caches are the easier group to recover because their locations do not travel with a vehicle. Stranded’s open exploration design lets you fast-travel and return to many regions before completing the mission. Use that freedom to retrace areas instead of restarting immediately.
- Compare your current counter with your own location notes.
- Return to fixed-cache areas that you passed quickly or during combat.
- Inspect the exact interaction spot; a crate can be easy to overlook after the surrounding fight is over.
- Confirm the counter after each new opening.
- Leave the moving-cache investigation until you have ruled out the fixed locations, unless your total is already 24/26.
If a fixed location is empty, first determine whether you already opened it. An empty location paired with an increased counter is consistent with a collected crate, not evidence that the pickup must respawn.
Common Stranded crate scenarios
“I opened a yellow crate, died, and it is gone after the reload.”
Check the cache counter. If it increased, keep the crate as completed and continue with the remaining locations. The reload is useful for restoring your playable position after death, but it is not a dependable method for putting that opened cache back into the world.
“The crate disappeared while I was moving through the mission.”
Use the counter to decide whether this is a collection issue. A disappearing visual container with credited progress should not be searched as a new collectible. Continue toward the uncredited caches instead.
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“I am at 24/26 and cannot find the last two.”
Investigate the looping freight train and the convoy truck near the northern checkpoints. The first is route-timed; the second patrols and is marked red on the map. Wait for each moving cache, then use mission replay if one fails to spawn.
“Should I restart Stranded immediately?”
Not for an ordinary missed fixed cache. Fast travel and revisit accessible areas during the same run. Restart through mission replay only when a moving cache is genuinely absent or its spawn state appears broken.
“Does the train crate come back after I open it?”
Treat it as collected once the counter credits it. The train’s loop explains why an unopened crate may be temporarily out of reach, but it is not evidence of a repeatable respawn after collection.
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Scope of this guidance
This guidance concerns the Stranded campaign mission in Modern Warfare 4 and the publisher-listed versions for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Battle.net, Steam and Nintendo Switch 2. Activision lists an October 23, 2026 release date. Exact menu wording or checkpoint behavior can change in a patch, so use the in-game cache counter as the immediate indicator of whether a pickup was credited.
Quick Recap
Quick decision checklist
- Opened and counted? Treat the crate as collected for the run.
- Died, fell, soft-locked or failed an encounter? Reload the checkpoint.
- Fixed location still uncredited? Fast-travel and revisit it before restarting.
- At 24/26? Check the freight train and northern convoy truck.
- Moving cache absent after its route check? Use mission replay to reset the spawn.
- Chasing the achievement? Reach 26 on the “Yellow Supply Caches Opened” counter for Time to Crate.
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