Highlights

  • Activision and Sledgehammer Games released a massive pre-launch update for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, with a file size exceeding 100 GB on consoles and PC.
  • Modern Warfare 3 players will have access to multiplayer and Zombies modes at launch, and completing the campaign can earn rewards for multiplayer, such as double XP tokens and weapon blueprints.
  • The large file size of the update has disappointed some players, as it takes up a notable portion of console storage, as has Activision's previous statement about the file size being smaller on launch day.

Ahead of the game's launch, Activision and Sledgehammer Games released a massive update for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 with a file size exceeding 100 GB on consoles and PC. The new update preloads Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, allowing players to immediately access the game's modes on November 10 at 12:00 AM ET.

At launch, Modern Warfare 3 players will have access to the multiplayer and Zombies modes. Those who haven't pre-ordered the game will also be able to play Modern Warfare 3's new campaign. Although the Modern Warfare 3 campaign is under heavy scrutiny for its mission structure and story beats, players who complete it will earn several rewards that may be used in multiplayer. These rewards include double XP tokens, weapon blueprints, operators, and calling cards.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 promotional art
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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Local Multiplayer Playable Ahead of Schedule

Due to some technical hiccups, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's local multiplayer is available to play more than a day before the game's launch.

The preload update for Modern Warfare 3 is now available on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S with a file size of 135 GB according to CharlieIntel on Twitter. Other Twitter users note that the update is smaller on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 at 100 GB, while the update for the PC version is nearly 132 GB. However, those who haven't installed 2022's Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone may need to download the update with an even greater file size. As shown in a reply by Twitter user KatKatTrollin, players installing the Call of Duty HQ launcher on consoles and PC may need to reserve up to 180 GB to preload Modern Warfare 3.

Call of Duty fans are not pleased with the new update since the file size takes up a notable portion of a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X console's internal storage. Some players were also disappointed with Activision, since the company previously stated that the Modern Warfare 3 file size would be smaller on launch day.

An additional storage drive seems more like a requirement for players who want to install Modern Warfare 3 and download more games in the near future. Fortunately, the burden may be lessened by uninstalling certain game files within the Call of Duty HQ launcher, including the entirety of Modern Warfare 2. More updates will likely increase Modern Warfare 3's file size after launch, however.

Players may continue to earn rewards from Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone Season 6 within Modern Warfare 3 during the remainder of the month. Season 1 is expected to begin sometime in December with updates for Modern Warfare 3's multiplayer and Zombies modes.