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 (Xbox 360) - Full Game 1080p60 HD Walkthrough - No Commentary, ToughGamingGuy. 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.

Achievements

Achievements76 (1,610G)

1000G possibleYes

Total

76

Gamerscore

1610

1000G without online

Yes

Online note

Competitive multiplayer has no achievements; the base list is campaign plus Special Ops Mission and Survival modes (Digital Trends, TrueAchievements).

DLC has trophies

Yes

1000G includes DLC

No

DLC note

Three DLC collections add 26 achievements for 610G on top of the base 50 for 1000G (TrueAchievements).

Trophy list shared with other versions

No

Other versions

The 2023 Modern Warfare III is a different game with its own list and was not released on Xbox 360.

Gamerscore, base game

1000

Gamerscore with DLC

1610

Grind

• The Darkest Hour: Eye of the Storm, Blood Brothers and Stronghold on Veteran, plus the campaign on Hardened or Veteran
• Survivor (20G) and Unstoppable (40G): wave 10 and wave 15 on every Special Ops Survival map (16 maps)
• Tactician (20G): one star in every Special Ops Mission Mode mission

• Back in the Fight Start the Single Player Campaign on any difficulty. 5G 89.26% of players
• Too Big to Fail Destroy the Jamming Tower. Complete "Black Tuesday" on any difficulty. 10G 82.01% of players
• Wet Work Take back New York Harbor. Complete "Hunter Killer" on any difficulty. 10G 78.75% of players
• Carpe Diem Escape the mountain safe house. Complete "Persona Non Grata" on any difficulty. 10G 75.82% of players
• Frequent Flyer Defend the Russian President. Complete "Turbulence" on any difficulty. 10G 73.87% of players
• Up to No Good Infiltrate the village. Complete "Back on the Grid" on any difficulty. 10G 71.83% of players
• One Way Ticket Make it to Westminster. Complete "Mind the Gap" on any difficulty. 10G 69.83% of players
• Welcome to WW3 Save the US Vice President. Complete "Goalpost" on any difficulty. 10G 67.54% of players
• Sandstorm! Assault the shipping company. Complete "Return to Sender" on any difficulty. 10G 65.98% of players
• Back Seat Driver Track down Volk. Complete "Bag and Drag" on any difficulty. 10G 64.39% of players
• We'll Always Have Paris Escape Paris with Volk. Complete "Iron Lady" on any difficulty. 10G 63.43% of players
• Vive la Révolution! Reach the church. Complete "Eye of the Storm" on any difficulty. 10G 62.32% of players
• Requiem Escape the city. Complete "Blood Brothers" on any difficulty. 10G 61.83% of players
• Storm the Castle Discover Makarov's next move. Complete "Stronghold" on any difficulty. 10G 60.93% of players
• Bad First Date Find the girl. Complete "Scorched Earth" on any difficulty. 10G 59.88% of players
• Diamond in the Rough Rescue the Russian President. Complete "Down the Rabbit Hole" on any difficulty. 10G 59.26% of players
• The Big Apple Complete "Black Tuesday" and "Hunter Killer" on Veteran difficulty. 25G 21.91% of players
• Out of the Frying Pan… Complete "Persona Non Grata", "Turbulence", and "Back on the Grid" on Veteran difficulty. 25G 19.56% of players
• Payback Complete "Mind the Gap", "Goalpost", and "Return to Sender" on Veteran difficulty. 25G 18.2% of players
• City of Lights Complete "Bag and Drag" and "Iron Lady" on Veteran difficulty. 25G 17.68% of players
• The Darkest Hour Complete "Eye of the Storm", "Blood Brothers", and "Stronghold" on Veteran difficulty. 25G 17.3% of players
• This is the End Complete "Scorched Earth", "Down the Rabbit Hole", and "Dust to Dust" on Veteran difficulty. 25G 16.6% of players
• Who Dares Wins Complete the campaign on any difficulty. 40G 58.82% of players
• The Best of the Best Complete the campaign on Hardened or Veteran difficulty. 100G 21.36% of players
• Strike! Kill 5 enemies with a single grenade in Single Player or Special Ops. 20G 23.41% of players
• Jack the Ripper Melee 5 enemies in a row in Single Player or Special Ops. 20G 61.45% of players
• Informant Collect 22 Intel Items. 20G 15.46% of players
• Scout Leader Collect 46 Intel Items. 35G 9.35% of players
• This Is My Boomstick Kill 30 enemies with the XM25 in "Black Tuesday." 20G 18.75% of players
• What Goes Up… Destroy all the choppers with only the UGV's grenade launcher in "Persona Non Grata." 20G 15.77% of players
• Flight Attendant Kill all 5 enemies during the zero-g sequence in "Turbulence." 20G 14.79% of players
• For Whom the Shell Tolls Destroy all targets during the mortar sequence with only 4 shells in "Back on the Grid." 20G 18.24% of players
• Kill Box Kill 20 enemies with the Chopper Gunner in a single run in "Return to Sender." 20G 28.34% of players
• Danger Close Take down a chopper with an AC-130 smoke grenade in "Bag and Drag." 20G 25.98% of players
• Ménage à Trois Destroy 3 tanks with a single 105mm shot in "Iron Lady." 20G 21.1% of players
• Nein Kill 9 enemies with A-10 strafing runs in "Scorched Earth." 20G 12.1% of players
• 50/50 Complete a Special Ops Mission Mode game with the same number of kills as your partner. 20G 23.03% of players
• Birdie Kill 2 enemy helicopters without getting hit in a Special Ops Survival game. 20G 50.33% of players
• Serrated Edge Finish a Juggernaut with a knife in Special Ops. 15G 35.97% of players
• Arms Dealer Buy all items from the Survival Weapon Armory. 20G 5.35% of players
• Danger Zone Buy all items from the Survival Air Support Armory. 20G 7.59% of players
• Defense Spending Buy all items from the Survival Equipment Armory. 20G 11.14% of players
• Get Rich or Die Trying Have $50,000 current balance in a Special Ops Survival game. 25G 14.15% of players
• I Live Survive 1 wave in a Special Ops Survival game. 10G 81.61% of players
• Survivor Reach Wave 10 in each mission of Special Ops Survival mode. 20G 8.79% of players
• Unstoppable Reach Wave 15 in each mission of Special Ops Survival mode. 40G 7.83% of players
• No Assistance Required Complete a Special Ops Mission Mode game on Hardened or Veteran with no player getting downed. 20G 19.43% of players
• Brag Rags Earn 1 star in Special Ops Mission Mode. 10G 68.43% of players
• Tactician Earn 1 star in each mission of Special Ops Mission Mode. 20G 11.12% of players
• Overachiever Earn 48 stars in Special Ops Mission Mode. 40G 5.88% of players
• Shotgun Diplomacy Complete the Special Ops mission "Negotiator" on any difficulty. 15G 7.58% of players
• Not on My Watch Rescue all the hostages in the Special Ops mission "Negotiator." 35G 3.17% of players
• Skilled Negotiator Complete the Special Ops mission "Negotiator" on Veteran difficulty. 25G 3.38% of players
• Slippery Slope Complete the "Black Ice" Special Ops mission on any difficulty. 15G 10.31% of players
• A Baker's Dozen Run over and kill 13 enemies with the snowmobile in the "Black Ice" Special Ops mission. 35G 4.19% of players
• Ice in Your Veins Complete the "Black Ice" Special Ops mission on Veteran difficulty. 35G 4.42% of players
• Don't Tread on Me Complete the "Iron Clad" Special Ops mission on any difficulty. 15G 4.93% of players
• High Roller Complete the "Iron Clad" Special Ops mission on Veteran difficulty. 25G 3.11% of players
• Not a Scratch Finish with your tank at full health in the "Iron Clad" Special Ops mission. 35G 3.27% of players
• One-Four-One Complete the "Kill Switch" Special Ops mission on any difficulty. 15G 6.89% of players
• Helipocalypse Destroy 6 helicopters in the "Kill Switch" Special Ops mission. 30G 3.81% of players
• EMPressive... Complete the "Kill Switch" Special Ops mission on Veteran difficulty. 30G 3.43% of players
• Stay Frosty Complete the "Arctic Recon" Special Ops mission on any difficulty. 15G 5.11% of players
• Sub Zero Complete the "Arctic Recon" Special Ops mission on Veteran difficulty. 25G 2.59% of players
• dr0n3d Complete the "Arctic Recon" Special Ops mission in under 3:30. 35G 3.13% of players
• Apex Complete the "Vertigo" Special Ops mission on any difficulty. 15G 4.17% of players
• Pinnacle Complete the "Vertigo" Special Ops mission on Veteran difficulty. 20G 2.38% of players
• Flyswatter Destroy all helicopters in the "Vertigo" Special Ops mission. 15G 2.29% of players
• To Jugger or to Jugger-Naut Kill all juggernauts after they land on Veteran difficulty in the "Vertigo" Special Ops mission. 25G 2.2% of players
• Handle with Care Complete the "Special Delivery" Special Ops mission on any difficulty. 10G 4.47% of players
• Deliver This Complete the "Special Delivery" Special Ops mission on Veteran difficulty. 25G 2.53% of players
• Discriminating Buyer Use exactly one of each care package in the "Special Delivery" Special Ops mission. 15G 2.47% of players
• Untouchable Use only one self revive care package in the "Special Delivery" Special Ops mission. 25G 3.54% of players
• Siege Complete the "Light 'Em Up" Special Ops mission on any difficulty. 15G 4% of players
• Lights Out Complete the "Light 'Em Up" Special Ops mission on Veteran difficulty. 15G 2.51% of players
• Deer in the Headlights Stab five stunned enemies in a row in the "Light 'Em Up" Special Ops mission. 45G 2.62% of players

Space and patches

Space needed11.58 GB

Update patchTitle updates 1 to 23

The title updates on record for this game.

DLC

Four Content Collections of maps and Special Ops missions came out from January 2012, Xbox 360 first. They and the free Face-Off maps are still on the Xbox store for the backward compatible version on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. Three collections carry achievements.

Items

Name	Adds	Obtainable today	Price
Collection 1	Released 24 January 2012 on Xbox 360. Maps and Special Ops missions.	yes	US$14.99
Collection 2	Maps and Special Ops missions.	yes	US$14.99
Collection 3: Chaos Pack	Maps and the Chaos Special Ops mode.	yes	US$14.99
Collection 4: Final Assault	Maps and Special Ops missions.	yes	US$14.99
Free maps: Erosion, Aground and Terminal	Multiplayer maps, including the small Face-Off maps first given to Xbox Live Gold members on 15 May 2012.	yes	Free

Playable today

Playable offline todayYes

The campaign and Special Ops play offline from the disc, online multiplayer still runs over Xbox Live, and every collection is still sold.

Online

Online servers runningPartly

Plays offlineYes

Online multiplayer runs over Xbox Live, and no shutdown has been announced. Call of Duty: Elite, the stats and content service tied to this game, closed on 28 February 2014.

Services

Service	Status	Shutdown date
Online multiplayer over Xbox Live	running	None announced
Call of Duty: Elite	closed	2014-02-28

Reception

Aggregates

Outlet	Platform	Score	Scale
Metacritic	Xbox 360	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 Xbox 360 list has 76 achievements worth 1,610 gamerscore. 50 are in the base game for 1,000 and the rest come with the Special Ops DLC.
• Xbox 360 players got every Content Collection about a month before PS3 players, because of a deal between Microsoft and Activision.
• The Hardened Edition came with a one-year Elite membership, a steel case and a field journal. On Xbox 360 the matching extra is a Juggernaut avatar outfit.
• Some copies were sold in the United States a few days before the November 8 release, after a shipping error at one retailer.
• 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

Director

Bret Robbins, Glen Schofield

Released

2011-11-08

Age rating

M (Mature)

Disc ID

415608CB

Region

US

Time to beat

about 6 hours

Copies in the shop

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (XBOX 360) CA$14.99