Call of Duty

Modern Warfare III: Everything You Need to Know

Blizzard Entertainment

Ready yourself for Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® III.

The war has changed, and for the first time in back-to-back years, Call of Duty returns with a direct sequel. Continue your journey with seamless weapon progression, a full selection of Carry Forward content, and an all-new Campaign that continues the story immediately following the events of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II.

On Thursday, November 2, anyone who has digitally preordered or prepurchased Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III receives Early Access to the game’s Campaign*, which includes exciting and innovative Open Combat Missions, up to one week prior to the official launch.

(*One week based on estimated access; actual play time subject to possible outages and applicable time zone differences.)

The entire game, featuring the full Campaign, seminal Multiplayer, and an all-new open-world Modern Warfare Zombies experience, launches on November 10. Since the game’s reveal back on August 17, we’ve dropped a variety of important game innovations and revelations:

Modern Warfare III Intel Drops

Campaign: Open Combat Missions: As Task Force 141’s rules of engagement have changed to fight the ultimate threat, so does the way you approach the Campaign, as Modern Warfare III is set to redefine player agency, offering an unparalleled degree of freedom and adaptability thanks to Open Combat Missions, dispersed throughout the Campaign to create a seamless, intertwined experience with the more traditional missions. Read more here.

Multiplayer: Welcome home: Afghan. Derail. Estate. Favela. Karachi. Highrise. Invasion. Quarry. Rundown. Rust. Scrapyard. Skidrow. Sub Base. Terminal. Underpass. Wasteland — 16 Core Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) maps, constructed to maintain authenticity with a thorough modernization. Read more here.

Multiplayer: Aftermarket Parts:  Aftermarket Parts, a new addition to Gunsmith, are innovative modification kits that drastically change a weapon's function and identity. They offer powerful enhancements beyond regular attachments, unlocked by completing weekly in-game challenges when a weapon reaches its maximum level. Read more here.

Modern Warfare Zombies: Welcome to Operation Deadbolt. Prepare for a massive, open-world experience as a team of multinational Operators assist the members of Operation Deadbolt  in taking down the vast undead hordes and a second major enemy threat. Read more here.

The Call of Duty: Next live event dropped some major announcements, confirming Map Voting, the Classic Minimap, a Silent Movement Perk, “Covert Sneakers”, Increased Health, and other updates to Multiplayer gameplay. Tac-Stance; changes to movement, weapons and Operators; a Gear system representing the Perks you utilize; and at least 12 new Core 6v6 maps in post-launch seasons. Read more here.

From Beta to Launch

Now that the Modern Warfare III Multiplayer Beta has concluded, Sledgehammer Games is fine-tuning the gameplay based on community feedback and has created the Modern Warfare III Trello Board so you can track the progress of some of these changes. You should expect regular communications from Sledgehammer Games via the official Patch Notes webpage, with the first set of Notes scheduled  by November 10.

Let the Game Begin: Preload and Early Access Times

Check the following timeframe to ensure that you’re preloading the game as early as possible, and ready up for the exact launch date, coming November 9–10:

Preload of Campaign Early Access:

November 1, 10 AM PT (Battle.net).

Digitally preorder now and receive the Campaign Early Access, ready to preload on this date and play on November 2.

Campaign Early Access Go-Live:

November 2, 10 AM PT (Battle.net).

Adapt or die in a fight against the ultimate threat as part of Task Force 141, including Open Combat Missions, and a number of content unlocks as you play. These rewards become available in Multiplayer and Zombies when the full game releases on November 10.

Modern Warfare III Preload Timing

November 8, various times (Battle.net).

Full game preload begins, for Campaign (for those who did not partake in Early Access), Multiplayer, and Zombies:

Campaign Preload Times:

PC Owners: November 1, 10AM PT.

Full Game Preload Times (including Multiplayer and Zombies):

PC Owners: November 8, 10AM PT.

Modern Warfare III Launch Timing

November 9, various times, (Battle.net).

For PC players, the game becomes available to play on November 9 at 9 PM PT.

For exact availability in your time zone, consult the adjacent map image.

PC Platforms (Battle.net): November 9, at 9 PM PT.

Modern Warfare III: Pre-Season

November 10 to Early December

Once the full game is live, Vault Edition owners gain access to the Nemesis Operator Skins and the FATE Weapon Vaults, and rewards become available for those who unlocked them during the MWIII Beta, as well as Campaign Early Access.

During the pre-season, you have a wide range of content to unlock. Here’s what you can expect to accomplish:

Rank up your player: Level up through the Military Ranks from 1–55 to unlock all base Multiplayer and Zombies Loadout items.

Level up your weapons: Level up each of the MWIII Primary and Secondary Weapons and unlock attachments, as well as all the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II weapons you haven’t finished.

Complete challenges: Focus on completing the six different types of Challenges: Daily, Weekly, Armory, Weapons (including a massive set of Camos to unlock!), Operators, and Calling Cards.

Get good (Multiplayer): Hone your talents against fellow Operators around the world by jumping into a variety of Playlists for Core 6v6, Ground War, War, and choose from a wide variety of maps and modes.

Get good (Zombies): Join a cadre of international Operators and take on the mysterious Terminus Outcomes PMC as part of Operation Deadbolt. Complete dozens of missions and battle through the vast Zombie hordes overtaking Urzikstan.

Complete the MWII Season 06 Battle Pass in MWIII: If you still have Sectors and Tiers to unlock in the MWII Season 06 Battle Pass in Modern Warfare II, your time playing Modern Warfare III counts toward the completion of this Battle Pass. All content within this Battle Pass carries forward and can be used in Modern Warfare III.

Modern Warfare III Season 1

Start Date: Early December

Expect a robust first season of content for Modern Warfare III when it launches in early December. Led by the arrival and integration of Call of Duty: Warzone™ and the new Urzikstan “Big Map,” ready yourself for three brand-new Core 6v6 Multiplayer Maps, additional maps and modes, and an impressive selection of free and premium content, including free functional weapons, which will be revealed in the coming weeks. Vault Edition owners can activate their free seasonal Battle Pass unlock and 50 Tier Skips.

Campaign: Early Access and Campaign Rewards

Developed by Sledgehammer Games in partnership with Infinity Ward, the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III Campaign is the direct sequel to the events of Modern Warfare II.

This Campaign features a seamless integration of missions built around Call of Duty’s signature, cinematic moments that have defined two decades of the franchise’s action-packed, narrative-driven, single-player experiences, and brand-new Open Combat Missions designed to give the player freedom to approach the action in a variety of ways.

Prepare for uneasy alliances and unfinished business: To save a world on the brink, the time has come to confront your past. . . . 

Campaign: Completion Rewards

The Campaign consists of 15 different missions. Almost every one of these missions rewards players with items upon completion, which can be used across Multiplayer, Zombies, and Call of Duty: Warzone. These are available to all players, regardless of whether the Campaign was played during Early Access or not:

“Breather” Calling Card

30 mins Double Player XP Token & 30 mins Double Weapon XP Token

“Corso” Operator

“Ghillie Guy” Calling Card

30 mins XP Token and 30m Weapon XP Token

“Pathfinder” Operator

“Toxic Drip” Calling Card

1 hour Double Player XP Token and 1 hour Double Weapon XP Token

“Doc” Operator

“Skull Rhapsody” Calling Card

1 hour Double Player XP Token and 1 hour Double Weapon XP Token

“Jabber” Operator

Campaign Completion Emblem

Campaign Completion Weapon Blueprint

Modern Warfare III Launch Comms Continues

Be sure to check back at the Call of Duty Blog between now and launch, as we confirm in-game content and offer deep dives on both Multiplayer and Zombies. Here’s what to expect prior to November 10:

Blog 1: Pre-Season Preparation: You’re Reading This Blog!

Blog 2: Mapping Out Multiplayer: Details on the launch modes (3v3v3, 6v6, and 32v32), Additional Mode Intel, all the launch maps (both Core and Ground War), Carry Forward Maps, and the Modern Warfare III Operators from SpecGru and Kortac.

Blog 3: Fully Equipped: A Deep Dive into Loadouts (MP, MWZ): Gear up for the evolution of Perks, with detailed confirmation on all the launch Equipment, including Vests, Gloves, Boot, and Gear. Tacticals, Lethals, Field Upgrades, and Killstreaks are also confirmed.

Blog 4: Upping Your Arsenal: Primary and Secondary Weapons (MP, MWZ): All launch weapons are confirmed, including Aftermarket Parts, and a weapon-balancing pass. The Gunsmith receives a statistical overhaul, and we break this all down for you.

Blog 5: Cosmetic Customization: Weapon Camos (MP, MWZ): Could this be the biggest weapon progression feature in Call of Duty history? We detail the immense Multiplayer and Zombies Camo Challenge and Weapon Mastery system for your MWII and MWIII arsenal!

Blog 6: Modern Warfare Zombies: Launch Content Overview: Join Operation Deadbolt, learning about the Mission structure, your Equipment and Zombies Field Upgrades, Acquisitions and Schematics, Acts, Tiers, Rewards and what to find during your deployments to the Exclusion Zone.

Stay Frosty.

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