Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III

Sledgehammer Games led the charge on this twentieth main entry in the franchise, delivering a direct sequel to 2022's Modern Warfare II. Released on November 10, 2023, the game drops players into the boots of Task Force 141 as they hunt Vladimir Makarov across a global stage set in 2023. The campaign pushes the squad through high-stakes missions designed to stop an ultranationalist from sparking World War III. While the story mode clocked in at roughly six hours, drawing criticism for its brevity, the title delivered a massive multiplayer suite and a new cooperative Zombies experience built by Treyarch.

The commercial performance was immediate and staggering. Activision reported that the game generated over $800 million in revenue within its first five days, selling approximately 6.5 million copies during that same period. This launch surpassed the performance of its predecessor, pushing total sales past 10 million units by the end of the first month. Despite these record-breaking numbers, critical reception remained mixed, with major outlets awarding scores between 6/10 and 7/10 due to technical polish and multiplayer variety overshadowed by complaints about the short campaign length. [edit]

The core loop retains the series' signature first-person shooter style but introduces the Combat Rig system, which lets players customize loadouts with specific perk slots and equipment configurations. A new Stun Gun melee weapon joins the arsenal alongside an updated Gunsmith feature for deeper weapon tuning. Movement mechanics received a significant overhaul to include tactical sprinting, sliding, and wall-running. Multiplayer modes span standard team deathmatch and domination, while the new Invasion mode pits 40 players against each other in massive battles reminiscent of the Battlefield series. The launch roster included modernized versions of classic maps from the original Modern Warfare 2, such as Shipment and Vacant, alongside fresh environments like Rust and Crash. [edit]

Task Force 141, under the command of Captain Price, tracks Vladimir Makarov following his escape from custody in the previous game. The narrative unfolds across several continents as the squad attempts to prevent Makarov from triggering a global conflict. Players engage in a series of intense missions ranging from urban warfare to covert operations. The campaign concludes with the final confrontation against Makarov, wrapping up the storyline arc started in the 2019 reboot. This shorter narrative structure focused heavily on action sequences rather than character development, leading to discussions about the pacing and depth of the plot compared to previous entries. [edit]