Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 (AKA MW3) will be this year’s entry in the COD franchise – here’s everything we know and all the leaks so far!
MW3 has finally been announced, and the rumor mill is in full flow. And as Activision begins to tease new content and features, we already know a surprising amount about the upcoming release.
Everything Confirmed for MW3 – COD 2023
Here’s everything that’s officially been confirmed for COD 2023 by Activision:
COD 2023’s Name
It’s official, Call of Duty 2023 will be called ‘Modern Warfare III’ – though to the fans, we’re certain it’ll always be MW3.
Activision finally confirmed what we all already knew, with an announcement on Twitter on August 7, 2023.
This was initially confirmed after leaked images of the new logo posted on Twitter triggered DMCAs from Activision with a copyright claim from ‘Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III’.
Since then, the official MW3 logo and key art appeared have leak from an upcoming promotion with Monster energy drink.
It appears we’ll be getting another promotion between Activision and Monster, with Double XP tokens and an exclusive Operator skin available to energy drink consumers.
MW3 Release Date
Alongside the official reveal of the MW3 name and logo, Activision confirmed that Modern Warfare 3 will release on November 10.
This seems to confirm Insider Gaming’s release date leak, which would suggest that the follow early access dates are also correct:
- MW3 PlayStation Beta: October 6-10, 2023
- Second Beta Weekend: October 12-16, 2023
- Campaign Early Access: November 2, 2023
While the Beta and Campaign early access dates are currently unconfirmed, this layout certainly looks very familiar. After all, Activision offered similar early access with MW2 last year.
MW2 Content to Carry Over
For the first time ever, it appears that your MW2 & Warzone weapons, Operators, and store bundles will all carry over to MW3.
This means that you won’t lose any premium skins or your weapon level progress in the move to the next game. Activision officially announced the content carry forward in a jokey poll on Twitter
If rumors are true, MW2 initially had a ‘Year Two’ of content that Activision decided to package into a new premium title. This would suggest that MW3 will be very similar to its predecessor, and explains why a content ‘carry forward’ is even possible.
Reveal Event Date
We already have our first details about MW3’s reveal event, which was previously leaked to be coming to DMZ.
According to the official Season 5 Announcement blog, players will “join the ranks of Shadow Company to take on Konni forces and secure the chemical weapon threat before it’s too late.”
The MW3 reveal event is now confirmed to drop on August 17.
Makarov & Verdansk Return
The after-credits sequence of MW2 saw terrorists on board a plane receive a text with the phrase ‘No Russian’.
Now, Activision is confirming that Makarov, the iconic villain of the original Modern Warfare series, is back in MW3.
And in the trailer revealing MW3’s antagonist, fans were quick to notice Verdansk making a cameo.
The beloved Warzone launch map features heavily in the footage, suggesting that it could appear in the upcoming campaign.
Classic MW2 Maps Return
Modern Warfare 3 is finally bringing classic MW2 maps to multiplayer! Every one of the following MW2 2009 launch maps appears to be available at launch for MW3 2023:
- Afghan
- Derail
- Estate
- Favela
- Highrise
- Invasion
- Karachi
- Quarry
- Rundown
- Rust
- Scrapyard
- Skidrow
- Sub Base
- Terminal
- Underpass
- Wasteland
In a new Call of Duty mysterious phone number promo, texting the name of each of the maps above to 202-918-3022 leads to a response text with a pin drop emoji.
Therefore, it seems clear that all 16 maps will be arriving in MW3 – most likely on release day!
Zombies Is Back
And it’s not just multiplayer maps that the mysterious phone number is confirming either! Texting the word Zombies leads to users being sent an audio message containing the sounds of the undead.
The rumor mill has long stated that COD 2023 will feature undead survival in what Insider Gaming hears could be an Outbreak 2.0 mode.
Outbreak was first introduced in Black Ops Cold War, as a mix of a round-based Zombies map and an open world survival mode.
It wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but many fans were happy to see Treyarch try something new with the formula.
All Leaks & Rumors for MW3
Next, here’s a compilation of all the MW3 leaks that have surfaced online, giving us an idea of what else the game has to offer:
MW3 Warzone Map
After multiple rumors regarding a new Warzone map dropping alongside MW3 Season 1 this December, we now have further details regarding the upcoming battle royale arena.
A new map has been leaked repeatedly throughout 2022 and Insider Gaming believes it’ll arrive on December 5, 2023 – alongside MW3 Season 1’s release date.
According to content creator Metaphor, who is known for leaking gameplay details about MW2 and Al Mazrah prior to launch, the new map looks amazing.
Metaphor states that the downtown section of the map is very Verdansk-like, with many large buildings to explore. Reportedly, the classic MW3 map Overwatch will appear on top of the tallest tower, and COD 4’s Countdown also appears on the map.
downtown is VERY Verdansk like, with the biggest building being "Overwatch" from MW3 dlc at the top, very reminiscent of blackouts construction site.
— Metaphor (@Metaaphor) July 25, 2023
Countdown from cod4 is also in the map.
Game looks exactly like mw2 but improved, hoping they make animations smooth/faster
Furthermore, the leaker states that there’s no giant hill in the middle of the map like in Caldera, with tons of memorable POIs to explore. They believe that it’s going to be a fan-favorite and we can’t wait to see it for ourselves!
Slide Canceling Return
Alongside Metaphor’s Warzone map leak, the content creator also attests that slide canceling is back in MW3, at least in Warzone. However, reportedly the mechanic was also present in MW2 before being removed later in development.
And that’s not all the evidence we have that slide canceling is making a return either. Activision sent out a surprise package to select livestreamers such as major content creator FaZe Swagg.
Inside, the Call of Duty fan discovered a pair of Sliders, a Tin Can, and a Cellphone. This cryptic clue was soon solved by fans to be hinting at Slide, Can, Cell.
When the battery was inserted and the cell phone turned on, Swagg then received a text message that said ‘You’ll be expected to move more quickly in Al Mazrah.”
We wouldn’t be surprised to see slide canceling back in action. After all, Warzone 2 is becoming Warzone 1 in more ways than just dropping the ‘2’ branding.
Every major update makes the battle royale more similar to its predecessor, and there are still a lot of players calling for the slide cancel to return.
New Gear Perks System
According to leaker BobNetworkUK, a new Gear system aims to bring back Perks in MW3. Simply put, players will be able to choose 4 items of Gear, such as a Helmet, Vest, Gloves, and Boots, which each offer a set Perk bonus.
For example, players may be able to equip the Scavenger Gloves in order to replenish ammo from fallen enemies.
Bob teases that when using Gunner Vest, players gain the ability to hold two Primary Weapons in their loadout too, but lose their Lethal and Tactical weapons.
From the leak, Gear doesn’t sound very different from Perks, but it’s worth noting that the system will be replacing MW2’s time-based Perk system which was relatively unpopular.
And what’s more, it seems that the Ninja perk could be back, for those who want to avoid letting others hear their footsteps!
Classic Minimap Is Back
Allegedly, it’s not just classic maps that will be making a return in MW3, but a classic minimap is also on the cards! Leaker BobNetworkUK was responsible for this leak too, but it’s worth noting that he states that it is simply a rumor.
For those unaware, a ‘classic’ COD minimap is one that shows player locations through the use of red shots whenever that player fires an unsuppressed weapon.
Texting the mysterious promotional number the phrase ‘Red Dot’ does lead to a confirmation message stating ‘Confirmed,’ so we think it’s very likely the case that the classic minimap will be back in action.
And it’s not just the minimap that’s supposedly back…
Reload Canceling Returns
Reload canceling is a high-skill player mechanic that players can use to speed up their reload by switching weapons before the action’s animation has time to complete.
On top of the in-game advantages, this feature also lets players halt their reload and resume firing if necessary, such as if an enemy enters your vision unexpectedly.
In MW2 you’re required to sit through the entire reload once it’s begun, but it seems that MW3 could be bringing back the popular reload cancel already.
Map Voting & HP Increase
It seems that map voting, the feature that allows players in a lobby to choose between two options or a random map for their next game, could be making a welcome return too.
Leaker Bob, who is being proven correct about several of his leaks already, posted a screenshot of the old feature with the hashtag #MW3.
On top of that, the leaker also posted a short but sweet tweet:
It appears that the TTK could be getting a small extension in MW3, with 150 base health coming to multiplayer modes.
This would be a 50% increase from MW2’s 100 HP, and bring the new game more in line with Black Ops Cold War’s Time to Kill.
WW2’s War Mode Returns
Those who enjoyed Call of Duty WW2’s War Mode may be happy to hear that the feature could be returning in MW3. This leak comes again from BobNetworkUK, who is quickly turning into the most prominent Modern Warfare 3 leaker.
War Mode was a narrative-driven battle that has teams either attacking or defending a large map. During the mode, attackers storm objectives while the opposing side attempts to hold them off.
Once an objective is taken, the battle moves further up the map, to a set of new objectives.
Activision hasn’t commented on War Mode just yet, but it’s worth noting that Sledgehammer Games was the lead developer on WW2 and are also behind MW3 this year.
MW3 Weapon Leaks
Modern Warfare 3 will not only be keeping all of MW2’s weapons in the game, but the new release will also bring with it a significant new arsenal to change the meta for good.
The following weapons were revealed in now-deleted in-game screenshots posted by TaskForceLimg on Twitter.
- AK-556 (Assault Rifle)
- ANVL-B (Assault Rifle)
- BAS-B (Battle Rifle)
- CDG-58 (Assault Rifle)
- MCW (Assault Rifle)
- MTZ-556 (Assault Rifle)
- MTZ-762 (Battle Rifle)
- Sidewinder (Assault Rifle)
- AMR-50 (Sniper Rifle)
- KVB-73 (Sniper Rifle)
- KVS Terminus (Sniper Rifle)
- Weapon Code Name JP 10 (Sniper Rifle)
- LACH-9 (SMG)
- Striker 45 (SMG)
- WSP-9 (SMG)
- RIVAL-9 (SMG)
- Raffica (Handgun)
- SAR-9 (Handgun)
Of course, none of these guns share an name with their real-world counterparts. However, we think we know what most of them are modeled after!
These are all of the MW3 leaks that the internet has to offer at this point in time. Check back again soon though, as we’ll keep this article up to date with all the latest developments as they arrive.