Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Overview

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is a 2011 first-person shooter developed by Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games and published by Activision. It came out worldwide on November 8, 2011 for Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii, with an OS X version later. It is the sequel to Modern Warfare 2, the third and last game in the original Modern Warfare trilogy and the eighth main Call of Duty game. In Japan, Square Enix published a separate subtitled version and a separate dubbed version.

The campaign picks up right after the end of Modern Warfare 2 and follows Task Force 141, with Captain Price, Soap MacTavish and a new playable character, Yuri. Together with Delta Force and the SAS, they hunt Vladimir Makarov, the Russian terrorist who leads the Ultranationalist party and who set off a large war in Europe. The story is told in three acts, and you change characters from mission to mission, including a Delta Force team in New York and an agent protecting the Russian president.

Multiplayer brought in new game modes and swapped killstreaks for Pointstreaks. Points can come from objectives as well as kills, and rewards are grouped into three packages called Assault, Support and Specialist. The ranking system no longer uses a currency, and your main weapon levels up alongside you. Special Ops returns, with Mission mode and a new wave based Survival mode for one or two players that runs on the multiplayer maps.

The game was in development from about two weeks after Modern Warfare 2 shipped. Infinity Ward co-founders Jason West and Vince Zampella had left to form Respawn Entertainment, and Activision brought in Sledgehammer Games to help, with Raven Software working on multiplayer. It runs on an improved version of the Modern Warfare 2 engine, and it was the first Modern Warfare game with built-in support for colour-blind players.

Activision announced Call of Duty: Elite alongside it, an online service for stats, videos and premium content. The Hardened Edition on PS3 and Xbox 360 came with a one-year Elite membership, a steel case, a field journal and extras. There was no Prestige Edition. Downloadable content came as Content Collections through Elite, and Xbox 360 players got each one about a month before PS3 players.

Reviews were positive, with praise for the gameplay, campaign and multiplayer and some criticism of the story and the lack of new ideas. It won Best Shooter at the 2011 Spike Video Game Awards and Action Game of the Year at the 15th Interactive Achievement Awards. It sold 6.5 million copies in the United States and United Kingdom in 24 hours, taking in 400 million US dollars, and passed 1 billion US dollars worldwide in 16 days.

Looking back, critics call it a satisfying end to the trilogy that did not match the highs of the two games before it, and its campaign recycled many set pieces. It introduced Kill Confirmed, a mode that stayed in the series. In Japan the PS3 version topped the first week chart with 180,372 copies.

Official trailer

Official Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - Launch Trailer, Call of Duty. Watch on YouTube

Gameplay

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 Full PS3 gameplay, RyoGamestation. Watch on YouTube

Screenshots

Game details

Genres

First-person shooter

Developer

Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer Games

Publisher

Activision

Series

Call of Duty

Engine

MW3 engine (IW 5.0)

Composers

Brian Tyler

Designers

Calvin Smith, Michael Condrey, Jon Porter

Writers

Paul Haggis, Will Staples

Producers

Mark Rubin, Jason Ades, John Wasilczyk, Pete Blumel, Catherine Sheu

Directors

Bret Robbins, Glen Schofield

Modes

Single player

Yes

Local multiplayer

2

Online multiplayer

18

Release dates

Editions

Buy this game

Disc IDs

The serial printed on the disc and the case. It tells you which region a copy is from.

Trophies

Trophies77

Platinum possibleYes

Platinum

1

Gold

1

Silver

25

Bronze

50

Total

77

Points

1890

Platinum time

35 hours

Difficulty

7 out of 10

Playthroughs for platinum

1

Playthroughs for 100%

1

Platinum without online

Yes

Online trophies

0

Online servers running

Yes

Boosting needed

No

Local co-op is enough

Yes

DLC has trophies

Yes

Platinum includes DLC

No

100% includes DLC

Yes

DLC comes in

Store download with DLC Collection 1, Ultimate Edition (download)

DLC still for sale

Yes

DLC note

Five Spec Ops trophy packs with 26 trophies in all.

Separate trophy lists by region

No

Only in a language other than English

No

Region note

One PS3 list for every region.

Online-only version

No

Digital-only

No

Disc-only

No

Trophy list shared with other versions

No

Other versions

Only the PS3 version has this list.

Players with the platinum

3.79%

Grind

• Special Ops Survival waves
• Spec Ops stars

• All In Earn all available Trophies for Modern Warfare® 3. Platinum 3.79% of players
• Back in the Fight Start the Single Player Campaign on any difficulty. Bronze 77.32% of players
• Too Big to Fail Destroy the Jamming Tower. Complete "Black Tuesday" on any difficulty. Bronze 70.69% of players
• Wet Work Take back New York Harbor. Complete "Hunter Killer" on any difficulty. Bronze 67.81% of players
• Carpe Diem Escape the mountain safe house. Complete "Persona Non Grata" on any difficulty. Bronze 64.95% of players
• Frequent Flyer Defend the Russian President. Complete "Turbulence" on any difficulty. Bronze 63.13% of players
• Up to No Good Infiltrate the village. Complete "Back on the Grid" on any difficulty. Bronze 61.21% of players
• One Way Ticket Make it to Westminster. Complete "Mind the Gap" on any difficulty. Bronze 59.31% of players
• Welcome to WW3 Save the US Vice President. Complete "Goalpost" on any difficulty. Bronze 57.14% of players
• Sandstorm! Assault the shipping company. Complete "Return to Sender" on any difficulty. Bronze 55.64% of players
• Back Seat Driver Track down Volk. Complete "Bag and Drag" on any difficulty. Bronze 54.2% of players
• We'll Always Have Paris Escape Paris with Volk. Complete "Iron Lady" on any difficulty. Bronze 53.3% of players
• Vive la Révolution! Reach the church. Complete "Eye of the Storm" on any difficulty. Bronze 52.14% of players
• Requiem Escape the city. Complete "Blood Brothers" on any difficulty. Bronze 51.67% of players
• Storm the Castle Discover Makarov's next move. Complete "Stronghold" on any difficulty. Bronze 50.76% of players
• Bad First Date Find the girl. Complete "Scorched Earth" on any difficulty. Bronze 49.86% of players
• Diamond in the Rough Rescue the Russian President. Complete "Down the Rabbit Hole" on any difficulty. Bronze 49.26% of players
• The Big Apple Complete "Black Tuesday" and "Hunter Killer" on Veteran difficulty. Silver 15.24% of players
• Out of the Frying Pan... Complete "Persona Non Grata", "Turbulence", and "Back on the Grid" on Veteran difficulty. Silver 13.47% of players
• Payback Complete "Mind the Gap", "Goalpost", and "Return to Sender" on Veteran difficulty. Silver 12.45% of players
• City of Lights Complete "Bag and Drag" and "Iron Lady" on Veteran difficulty. Silver 12.01% of players
• The Darkest Hour Complete "Eye of the Storm", "Blood Brothers", and "Stronghold" on Veteran difficulty. Silver 11.69% of players
• This is the End Complete "Scorched Earth", "Down the Rabbit Hole", and "Dust to Dust" on Veteran difficulty. Silver 11.18% of players
• Who Dares Wins Complete the campaign on any difficulty. Silver 48.74% of players
• The Best of the Best Complete the campaign on Hardened or Veteran difficulty. Gold 14.37% of players
• Strike! Kill 5 enemies with a single grenade. Bronze 18.85% of players
• Jack the Ripper Melee 5 enemies in a row. Bronze 51.37% of players
• Informant Collect 22 Intel Items. Bronze 11.37% of players
• Scout Leader Collect 46 Intel Items. Silver 6.96% of players
• This Is My Boomstick Kill 30 enemies with the XM25 in "Black Tuesday." Bronze 13% of players
• What Goes Up... Destroy all the choppers with only the UGV's grenade launcher in "Persona Non Grata." Bronze 10% of players
• Flight Attendant Kill all 5 enemies during the zero-g sequence in "Turbulence." Bronze 10.1% of players
• For Whom the Shell Tolls Destroy all targets during the mortar sequence with only 4 shells in "Back on the Grid." Bronze 12.68% of players
• Kill Box Kill 20 enemies with the Chopper Gunner in a single run in "Return to Sender." Bronze 20.32% of players
• Danger Close Take down a chopper with an AC-130 smoke grenade in "Bag and Drag." Bronze 18.8% of players
• Ménage à Trois Destroy 3 tanks with a single 105mm shot in "Iron Lady." Bronze 14.79% of players
• Nein Kill 9 enemies with A-10 strafing runs in "Scorched Earth." Bronze 7.91% of players
• 50/50 Complete a Special Ops Mission Mode game with the same number of kills as your partner. Bronze 17.39% of players
• Birdie Kill 2 enemy helicopters without getting hit in a Special Ops Survival game. Bronze 44.7% of players
• Serrated Edge Finish a Juggernaut with a knife. Bronze 28.24% of players
• Arms Dealer Buy all items from the Survival Weapon Armory. Bronze 4.85% of players
• Danger Zone Buy all items from the Survival Air Support Armory. Bronze 7.07% of players
• Defense Spending Buy all items from the Survival Equipment Armory. Bronze 9.83% of players
• Get Rich or Die Trying Have $50,000 current balance in a Special Ops Survival game. Silver 11.36% of players
• I Live Survive 1 wave in a Special Ops Survival game. Bronze 70.94% of players
• Survivor Reach Wave 10 in each mission of Special Ops Survival mode. Silver 7.78% of players
• Unstoppable Reach Wave 15 in each mission of Special Ops Survival mode. Silver 6.95% of players
• No Assistance Required Complete a Special Ops Mission Mode game on Hardened or Veteran with no player getting downed. Bronze 13.97% of players
• Brag Rags Earn 1 star in Special Ops Mission Mode. Bronze 57.37% of players
• Tactician Earn 1 star in each mission of Special Ops Mission Mode. Bronze 8.64% of players
• Overachiever Earn 48 stars in Special Ops Mission Mode. Silver 5% of players
• Shotgun Diplomacy Complete the Special Ops mission "Negotiator" on any difficulty. Bronze 17.14% of players
• Not on My Watch Rescue all the hostages in the Special Ops mission "Negotiator." Silver 4.41% of players
• Skilled Negotiator Complete the Special Ops mission "Negotiator" on Veteran difficulty. Silver 5.15% of players
• Slippery Slope Complete the "Black Ice" Special Ops mission on any difficulty. Bronze 25.7% of players
• A Baker's Dozen Run over and kill 13 enemies with the snowmobile in the "Black Ice" Special Ops mission. Silver 6.04% of players
• Ice in Your Veins Complete the "Black Ice" Special Ops mission on Veteran difficulty. Silver 8.05% of players
• Don't Tread on Me Complete the "Iron Clad" Special Ops mission on any difficulty. Bronze 11.31% of players
• High Roller Complete the "Iron Clad" Special Ops mission on Veteran difficulty. Silver 5.42% of players
• Not a Scratch Finish with your tank at full health in the "Iron Clad" Special Ops mission. Silver 5.34% of players
• One-Four-One Complete the "Kill Switch" Special Ops mission on any difficulty. Bronze 20.32% of players
• Helipocalypse Destroy 6 helicopters in the "Kill Switch" Special Ops mission. Silver 7.37% of players
• EMPressive... Complete the "Kill Switch" Special Ops mission on Veteran difficulty. Silver 7.01% of players
• Stay Frosty Complete the "Arctic Recon" Special Ops mission on any difficulty. Bronze 15.69% of players
• Sub Zero Complete the "Arctic Recon" Special Ops mission on Veteran difficulty. Silver 5.32% of players
• dr0n3d Complete the "Arctic Recon" Special Ops mission in under 3:30. Silver 6.98% of players
• Apex Complete the "Vertigo" Special Ops mission on any difficulty. Bronze 13.48% of players
• Pinnacle Complete the "Vertigo" Special Ops mission on Veteran difficulty. Bronze 5.34% of players
• Flyswatter Destroy all helicopters in the "Vertigo" Special Ops mission. Bronze 4.89% of players
• To Jugger or to Jugger-Naut Kill all juggernauts after they land on Veteran difficulty in the "Vertigo" Special Ops mission. Silver 4.53% of players
• Handle with Care Complete the "Special Delivery" Special Ops mission on any difficulty. Bronze 13.27% of players
• Deliver This Complete the "Special Delivery" Special Ops mission on Veteran difficulty. Bronze 5.2% of players
• Discriminating Buyer Use exactly one of each care package in the "Special Delivery" Special Ops mission. Bronze 4.59% of players
• Untouchable Use only one self revive care package in the "Special Delivery" Special Ops mission. Silver 9.27% of players
• Siege Complete the "Light 'Em Up" Special Ops mission on any difficulty. Bronze 10.73% of players
• Lights Out Complete the "Light 'Em Up" Special Ops mission on Veteran difficulty. Bronze 4.99% of players
• Deer in the Headlights Stab five stunned enemies in a row in the "Light 'Em Up" Special Ops mission. Silver 4.72% of players

Space and patches

Space neededAbout 8 GB

Update patch01.24

These are the patches Sony still hosts for this disc ID. The game's real history can be longer.

DLC

Map packs and Special Ops missions came first as Elite drops, then as four Collections. All four Collections are still sold on the PS3 store.

Items

Name	Date	Adds	Price	Obtainable today
Collection 1	2012-04-19	Multiplayer maps and the Black Ice and Negotiator Spec Ops missions.	US$14.99	Yes
Collection 2	2012-06-21	Multiplayer maps and Spec Ops missions.	US$14.99	Yes
Collection 3: Chaos Pack	2012-09-13	Multiplayer maps and Spec Ops missions.	US$14.99	Yes
Collection 4: Final Assault	2012-10-10	Multiplayer maps and Spec Ops missions.	US$14.99	Yes
Free drops	2012-06-14	Free maps: Erosion, Aground and Terminal.	free	Yes

Playable today

Playable offline todayYes

Campaign, Spec Ops and split-screen play offline. PS3 multiplayer still runs for older accounts.

Online

Online servers runningPartly

Plays offlineYes

Call of Duty Elite closed on 28 February 2014. PS3 multiplayer still runs for older accounts, as 2026 recordings show; new accounts cannot reach it. Spec Ops and every trophy work offline or in split-screen.

Services

Service	Status	Shutdown date
Call of Duty: Elite	closed	2014-02-28
Online multiplayer (PS3)	running

Reception

Aggregates

Outlet	Platform	Score	Scale
Metacritic	PS3	88	100

Critics

Outlet	Score	Scale
IGN	9	10
GameSpot	8.5	10
Game Informer	9	10
Eurogamer	8	10
GameTrailers	9.3	10
Official Xbox Magazine	8.5	10
Giant Bomb	4	5
Joystiq	4.5	5
The Daily Telegraph	5	5

Staff and cast

Staff

Role	Name
Developer	Infinity Ward
Developer	Sledgehammer Games
Publisher	Activision
Director	Bret Robbins
Director	Glen Schofield
Writer	Paul Haggis
Writer	Will Staples
Composer	Brian Tyler
Artist	Joe Salud

Cast

Character	Actor
Soap MacTavish	Kevin McKidd
Captain Price	Billy Murray
Nikolai	Robin Atkin Downes
Yuri	Tony Curran
Sandman	William Fichtner
Truck	Idris Elba
Grinch	Timothy Olyphant
Wallcroft	Craig Fairbrass

Notes for collectors

• The PS3 trophy list has 77 trophies. 51 are in the base game, including the Platinum, and the other 26 are in five DLC trophy packs for the Special Ops missions.
• The Platinum comes from the 51 base game trophies, so the DLC packs are not needed for it.
• The Hardened Edition on PS3 has an exclusive animated timeline theme. On Xbox 360 the matching extra is a Juggernaut avatar outfit.
• Japan got two separate Square Enix discs, one subtitled and one dubbed. The PS3 disc ID for Japan is BLJM60404.
• Some copies were sold in the United States a few days before the November 8 release, after a shipping error at one retailer.
• There are eight PS3 disc IDs: BLUS30838 for North America, BLES01428 and BLES01430 to BLES01434 for Europe, and BLJM60404 for Japan. All have the same six patches, 01.19 to 01.24.
• The 2023 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III is a different game. Fans mixed the two up when that one came out.

Credits

Publisher

Activision

Developer

Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer Games

Released

2011-11-08

Age rating

ESRB M

Disc ID

BLUS30838

Region

US

Time to beat

about 6 hours