Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (2023)

Modern Warfare III is the 2023 entry in the Modern Warfare series, made by Sledgehammer Games with Infinity Ward. It arrived on November 10, 2023 on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC. It was the first premium release in the franchise to directly continue the previous year's story: Task Force 141 faces Makarov in a 15-mission Campaign, multiplayer brings back the 16 maps of Modern Warfare 2 (2009) and Zombies becomes an open world in Urzikstan.

Source: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III Is Officially Live Worldwide

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Modern Warfare III is the 2023 entry in the Modern Warfare series, made by Sledgehammer Games with Infinity Ward. It arrived on November 10, 2023 on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC. It was the first premium release in the franchise to directly continue the previous year's story: Task Force 141 faces Makarov in a 15-mission Campaign, multiplayer brings back the 16 maps of Modern Warfare 2 (2009) and Zombies becomes an open world in Urzikstan.

  • Studio: Sledgehammer Games, in partnership with Infinity Ward; Treyarch leads Zombies, together with Sledgehammer. Additional support from other Activision studios such as Activision Shanghai, Beenox, Demonware, High Moon Studios, Raven Software and Toys for Bob.
  • Platforms: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC (Battle.net e Steam)
  • Modes: Campaign (15 missions), a direct sequel to Modern Warfare II, with the new Open Combat Missions; Multiplayer with all 16 launch maps from Modern Warfare 2 (2009) remade, such as Afghan, Favela and Highrise, plus the 3v3v3 Cutthroat mode and the return of War Mode; Modern Warfare Zombies: open world, player versus environment, with extraction and squads, in Operation Deadbolt, in Urzikstan; Carry Forward: weapons, attachments and unlocks from Modern Warfare II carry over
  • Setting: Right after Modern Warfare II. The Campaign opens in Verdansk in 2023, with the raid on the Zordaya Prison Complex, visits the Gora Dam and takes Task Force 141 after Makarov into Western Europe.

Story

The Modern Warfare III Campaign picks up exactly where Modern Warfare II left off. Captain Price and Task Force 141 now face Vladimir Makarov, an ultranationalist extending his reach across the world. According to the official blog, the game pays off threads from earlier games to "settle old scores and start new ones".

The first mission, Operation 627, follows a private military fireteam, Alpha Team, in Verdansk, the capital of Kastovia, now seen in 2023 and locked down by a new threat. At 2 a.m. on October 13, 2023, the team sneaks into the Zordaya Prison Complex through the tunnels, with amphibious gear, in the middle of a riot, to find an important prisoner deep inside the complex.

The Campaign's big new feature is Open Combat Missions. The objective is fixed, but the route is up to the player: you can go quietly, with night vision and suppressed weapons, or go in loud. The area is much larger than in a regular mission, with few checkpoints, supply boxes and loadout crates to swap your class mid-mission, weapons dropped by enemies, vehicles such as SUVs and ATVs, parachuting, climbing and swimming.

One example Activision showed before launch is the Gora Dam mission, also in Verdansk. Players control Simon "Ghost" Riley and must defuse several bombs across the dam, one of them on a moving truck. On the hardest difficulty, the blog warns that staying stealthy is tough and that players can face dozens of enemies, vehicles and sentry turrets.

Players who pre-ordered a digital edition could play the Campaign about a week before launch, starting November 2, 2023. Finishing the Campaign also grants rewards for the other modes, such as the Operators Corso, Pathfinder, Doc and Jabber, calling cards, an emblem and a weapon blueprint.

After Task Force 141 disrupts his plans again and again, Makarov turns to Western Europe. His plan is to set off a dirty bomb inside the Channel Tunnel, the link between the United Kingdom and France, to destabilize the continent. Price and Soap head into the London Underground tunnels to find and defuse it.

Heads up, this paragraph reveals the ending: according to the official recap published in 2026, Makarov ambushes them in the tunnels and Soap loses his life protecting Price. Price blames General Shepherd for letting Makarov grow unchecked and settles the score with him. In the end, Price is forced into hiding and begins his own hunt for Makarov.

Videos

Sources

  1. New Chapter in Call of Duty’s Modern Warfare Universe Begins Tomorrow ()
  2. Worldwide Reveal: Announcing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III ()
  3. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III: Detailing all Game Editions and Pre Order Benefits ()
  4. Announcement: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III Campaign Details, COD Next, and Multiplayer Beta Dates ()
  5. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III Campaign Innovation Deep Dive: Open Combat Missions ()
  6. Launch Comms: Prepare for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III — Everything You Need to Know ()
  7. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III Is Officially Live Worldwide ()
  8. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4: The Story So Far ()