The next Call of Duty looks like it’s almost certainly going to be the first direct sequel in a while.
Activision
There’s been quite a lot of chatter about what we can expect from Call of Duty as the slot for 2023’s game gets closer – and it looks like Activision’s plans have changed substantially.
What was initially heavily rumoured to be an expansion to the current game, Modern Warfare 2, has apparently instead been packaged up as a full release, and will arrive as Modern Warfare 3, completing a second trilogy of Modern Warfare games. Find out all the key details you need to know, right here.
COD Modern Warfare 3 title
It hasn’t officially been confirmed that 2023’s Call of Duty is actually Modern Warfare 3, but we’ve been hearing rumours around that fact for a number of months now.
Way back before the release of Modern Warfare 2, reports indicated that Activision was considering a break with tradition – that it would give the game two years of full support with just a paid expansion after 12 months, not a new game entirely.
That’s now been overwritten, though, and we’ll instead be getting a full game instead, with all the signs pointing toward Moden Warfare 3.
COD Modern Warfare 3 release date
Each year, the annual Call of Duty’s precise release date is a closely-guarded secret until it’s officially announced, and that’s no different this time around – perhaps more so, given the late nature of the game’s confirmation.
We’d expect Modern Warfare 3 to drop sometime in late October or early November though, as the series usually does, and you can be pretty confident that this will be roughly correct.
COD Modern Warfare 3 platforms
Given that it will be built on the same platform and engine as MW2, you can probably be fairly safe in betting the house on MW3 appearing on the same platforms.
This means it should be playable on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PC.
COD Modern Warfare 3 trailers
There haven’t been any trailers for Modern Warfare 3, as the game hasn’t yet been announced or unveiled, but as soon as any are released we’ll be adding them to this article right here for you.
COD Modern Warfare 3 story and gameplay
On the story front, Modern Warfare 2’s tale of global espionage and terrorism has continued through the release of four episodic Raids that have complemented its post-launch seasonal content drops.
Those are now finished, and while they don’t make for the most intense story revelations, they do bring back at least one major character from 2019’s Modern Warfare, and further confirm that nature of the baddies we’ll be most likely taking on in Modern Warfare 3.
This is the first time in ages that we’ll have a direct story sequel to play without any intervening games from other sub-series like Black Ops, which should be nice.
On the gameplay side, there are more rumours circulating – in particular, it’s been widely reported that we’ll be able to carry over all of our Operators, skins, gun unlocks and progression from Modern Warfare 2 into MW3, as hinted at by the official poll below.
This would be very welcome to save any duplicated unlock requirements, but is also an acknowledgement of the fact that a lot of the weaponry and operators we’ll have access to in multiplayer will be the same as in MW2.
That similarity should mean a smooth transition for Warzone, too, which is likely to get an all-new map (probabl situated in the fictional Las Almas area) but otherwise maintain the same gameplay options and feel.