MW3 Zombies is finally here, but is MWZ free to play or is it part of the premium Call of Duty experience?
In MW2, Infinity Ward introduced a new DMZ extraction shooter mode that offered a new way to play.
This mission-heavy mode was technically part of Warzone 2, which has since rebranded to just ‘Warzone,’ making it an entirely free gamemode.
But now MW3 is here, it’s brought with it a very similar mode: MWZ. This is Modern Warfare 3 Zombies, and no, it is not free to play.
Replacing A Free Mode With a Paid One
While MW2’s DMZ mode was completely free as part of Warzone, MWZ (MW3 Zombies) is decidedly not free to play.
To access the new Zombies mode, which takes DMZ and adds the undead to it, you’ll need to purchase Modern Warfare 3.
What’s more, a recent 100 GB Call of Duty actually uninstalled DMZ on many systems, and replaced it with MW3 content – whether users bought COD 2023 or not.
If you were a DMZ fan, you may need to redownload the mode entirely. However, be aware that it will likely no longer be supported with additional content or updates in MW3’s lifespan.
It seems crazy that this mode isn’t coming to Warzone, but is instead locked behind a $70 MW3 paywall. After all, It feels remarkably similar to DMZ, which worked well as a free-to-play mode.
Could MW3 Zombies Become Free in the Future?
Perhaps Activision will change its mind and open up the mode to all players in the future.
But seeing as the company made it one of the selling points of MW3 (alongside a 4-hour long Campaign), we highly doubt it.
Unfortunately, with fewer people able to play MWZ due to its price tag, we can’t see the game mode surviving for long – unless it gets some serious updates.
On the plus side, perhaps this means that MWZ won’t contain pay-to-win store bundles like DMZ did, given that it’s part of the premium game.
But realistically, we think that they’re already on their way too. At least with this mode, there’s no PVP to worry about balancing.