Summary
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3is now the worst-rated game in the history of the franchise, based on aggregated review scores from critics. AlthoughActivision recently revealed it has the next four years ofCall of Dutyfigured out, this series low suggests that the Microsoft subsidiary might have to reconsider its near-term plans for the franchise, given its current trajectory.
October 29 markedthe 20th anniversary ofCall of Duty, which arrived just a few days before theModern Warfare 3campaign early access promo kicked off. While the game’s multiplayer beta already yielded plenty of player criticism throughout October, the start of its single-player early access period on November 2 is what truly opened the complaint floodgates. Many fans have subsequently taken to social media to bemoan the game’s lackluster story campaign, with some going as far as to claim that it took them longer to downloadModern Warfare 3than beat its single-player mode.
Looking at the game’s current ratings, it would appear that critics are largely in agreement with that assessment, as manyreviewers pannedModern Warfare 3for its underwhelming single-player experience. That issue and some other shortcomings such as recycled content all contributed toModern Warfare 3becoming the worst-rated game inCall of Duty’s history, going by the aggregated review scores compiled byMetacritic. Specifically, the PC version of the game currently has an average score of 45 out of 100, while its PS5 and Xbox Series X/S ports are rated at 53 and 62, respectively.
Never before has a mainlineCall of Dutygame averaged a rating in the 40s, or even 50s, on any platform. As for those that scored in the 60s, there are only two: the 2013Ghostsand 2006Call of Duty 3. Both of those boast scores in the high 60s on select platforms, althoughCOD 3was only dragged down by its lackluster Wii port.
2003
91
78
72
Call of Duty 2
2005
86
89
Call of Duty 3
2006
80
82
69
2007
92
94
76
2008
83
85
84
2009
2010
81
88
87
2011
70
2012
74
2013
68
2014
2015
73
2016
77
2017
79
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
75
2023
45
53
62
While Metacritic is expected to add moreModern Warfare 3reviews in the coming days, the fact that this abysmal aggregate rating is already based on over 50 evaluations suggests that the game will likely retain its unenviable title of the worst-rated installment in the history of the franchise. For reference, last year’sModern Warfare 2currently has 120 reviews on Metacritic.
This series low arrives mere days after a Bloomberg report claimed thatModern Warfare 3was developed in only 16 months. Sledgehammer Games promptlydenied the implication thatModern Warfare 3was rushed, but its response didn’t offer much in the way of an alternate explanation for why the latestCall of Dutygame ended up disappointing so many reviewers.
Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023)
WHERE TO PLAY
The war has changed. Call of Duty returns with an all-new campaign, modernized versions of classic Multiplayer maps and an open-world PvE Zombies experience. The campaign, a direct sequel to the record-breaking Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, sees Captain Price and Task Force 141 face off against ultranationalist war criminal Vladimir Makarov as he extends his grasp across the world. In Multiplayer, the 16 maps that launched with Modern Warfare 2 in 2009 return with upgraded graphics, new modes and innovative gameplay features. In Modern Warfare Zombies, team up with other squads for the first time ever as you work together to survive in the largest Zombies map yet
