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[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Call of Duty MW3 multiplayer is here, but the Sledgehammer Games FPS is struggling to find its footing at launch, being met by ‘mostly negative’ Steam reviews and a somewhat underwhelming peak player count for Activision’s Call of Duty HQ, which was introduced in 2022 and incorporates Modern Warfare 3, last year’s MW2, and Warzone 2 into one package on the Valve platform.

Now that Modern Warfare 3 is out, plenty of players will be going head-to-head in the latest installment of the Call of Duty series, which celebrates its 20-year anniversary this year and has many of the best FPS games to its name. As players figure out the best MW3 guns, however, it seems the reception has been somewhat lukewarm after a rather robust performance from Modern Warfare 2 in 2022.

Firstly, it’s important to establish that Modern Warfare 3 isn’t a standalone game on Steam in the traditional sense – you have to play it through the Call of Duty HQ, a central hub that includes MW2, MW3, and the free-to-play Warzone 2. That means statistics such as player numbers are combined for all three games, although even this isn’t enough to save MW3 from a fall compared to its predecessor – and in fact, perhaps makes it even more damning.

On launch day, Modern Warfare 2 reached a peak Steam player count of 238,522 concurrent players on Friday, October 28, 2022. It climbed a little higher over the weekend following, to a high of 263,174, but given that MW3 hasn’t had the chance to take advantage of weekend players yet we’ll just look at that first number for comparison.

On Friday, November 10, 2023, MW3’s launch day, the Call of Duty HQ reached a peak of 177,881 concurrent players on Steam. That’s down 25.4% from MW2’s launch day peak – even though this year’s number includes players still on Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2 (the latter of which is a free game), whereas the MW2 launch number was entirely players who had paid to play the game, as Warzone 2 didn’t release until November 16, 2022.

While pinning down exactly how many of those players are on MW3 specifically versus the two other options is tough to do, one thing that is more definitive is the new Call of Duty game’s Steam ratings. Modern Warfare 3 Steam reviews sit at ‘mostly negative’ with just 31% of its user reviews offering a positive outlook at the time of writing.

Reviews for the overarching Call of Duty HQ, meanwhile, are ‘mixed,’ with just 44% of user reviews listed as positive in the last 30 days – although, again, some of these will have come in prior to MW3’s launch. Along with muddying the statistical waters, the HQ is also just a pain to use – having to boot it up only to then switch over to Modern Warfare 3 is a rather clunky system, and doesn’t appear to be winning Activision any favors among its audience either.

Call of Duty MW3 faces ‘mostly negative’ Steam reviews as player count struggles

The Call of Duty MW3 multiplayer launch is met with negative Steam reviews and a player count far below that of Modern Warfare 2 at launch.

www.pcgamesn.com

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

On steamdb the user review score is currently sitting at 32.89% .

 

[twilo99]

For me personally the multiplayer is a solid 8/10 with good potential for improvement with some bug fixing, etc.

 

[Starcheif]

How is the Zombie mode?

 

[willothedog]

People are probably on peasant internet and still downloading.

 

[Cornbread78]

$70 for a 4 hour dlc campaign & map pack, of which many maps have been pulled from rotation already.... hmmm

 

[Codes 208]

Im not even remotely surprised. Even taking into account the good ol’ “its cool to hate on cod”, mw3 is pretty shallow (even if i have been enjoying myself in the multiplayer. The maps are better than mw2’s and the gameplay feels more like traditional cod, but whatevs)

How is the Zombie mode?

From what ive been hearing its actually pretty bleh. The issue with going free-roam is that theres a ton of space with very little going on

Havent had a chance to try it out myself yet

 

[jorgejjvr]

Funny, cause it's the better game

 

[mindfreak191]

Weird, cause I find it miles better than MW2 multiplayer, different folks different strokes I guess.

 

[Revolutionary]

I've heard that the install process is a nightmare of restarts and updates, even for folks who just want to continue playing MW2, so I wouldn't be surprised if that's why the player count is low right now.

 

[Codes 208]

Funny, cause it's the better game

Multiplayer yes, campaign lol no (not that i care for the campaigns anymore, but plenty of people apparently still do)

 

[jorgejjvr]

Multiplayer yes, campaign lol no (not that i care for the campaigns anymore, but plenty of people apparently still do)

No one buys $70 cod for a 3-4 hour campaign. Cod is for the MP, and yeah it's much better

BO4 didn't even have one

 

[DaleinCalgary]

The interface is suck a clusterfuck now

 

[jorgejjvr]

Are daily challenges still broken?

 

[Ogbert]

How is the Zombie mode?

I really like it, but I think that Zombie purists will dislike the fact that it's not round based. It doesn't have that sense of ratcheting up tension. Instead, you mooch around, shoot stuff, do contracts and then either die or leave.

It's also fun to be on a warzone map where there aren't pvp sweats killing you within seconds.

 

[twilo99]

 

[twilo99]

Are daily challenges still broken?

Yep.

 

[jorgejjvr]

Yep.

Damn, whats the point of playing then

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

For me personally the multiplayer is a solid 8/10 with good potential for improvement with some bug fixing, etc.

The MP is great but they need to do something with locking all the gear behind dailies

Not sure which is worse, this current system or the playing guns to unlock attachments for different guns fiasco

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

Just my 2 cents every game feels like a pro sweat match because people are starved for wins to unlock shit

When people get their gear and start grinding camos and playing guns they hate things will get easier

 

[LordCBH]

I've heard that the install process is a nightmare of restarts and updates, even for folks who just want to continue playing MW2, so I wouldn't be surprised if that's why the player count is low right now.

I booted up my Xbox to play MW 2 and was met with a 130 GB update for MW3 (which I don’t own) that I couldn’t install because I have almost no free storage space….not quite sure why I have to download 130GB of shit that’s not needed for MW2….

 

[Ogbert]

The MP is great but they need to do something with locking all the gear behind dailies

Not sure which is worse, this current system or the playing guns to unlock attachments for different guns fiasco

They've hugely overcomplicated the entire levelling process.

I'm not entirely sure why. It throws casuals like me way off.

 

[MikeM]

Just my 2 cents every game feels like a pro sweat match because people are starved for wins to unlock shit

When people get their gear and start grinding camos and playing guns they hate things will get easier

I’m below 1 KD right now because i’m sticking to MW3 guns and have no attachments lol MW2 I’m at 1.2KD

 

[Drizzlehell]

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

They've hugely overcomplicated the entire levelling process.

I'm not entirely sure why. It throws casuals like me way off.

Needlessly trying to reinvent the wheel as there has been great systems in the past as I don't want to have to do dailies to get the better gear/attachments

I’m below 1 KD right now because i’m sticking to MW3 guns and have no attachments lol MW2 I’m at 1.2KD

I haven't even wanted to look at my current KD because working on weaker guns to do camos though not sure I can bring myself to do the massive camo grind

At least they removed a lot of the long shots needed

Still opening camos should just be a certain amount of kills with each gun, not silly requirements

 

[jorgejjvr]

Wish MW2 got hit this hard, being the worse of the two games

 

[Knightime_X]

This is easy to answer.
Everyone knows Mw2 2009 maps inside and out.

 

[twilo99]

This is easy to answer.
Everyone knows Mw2 2009 maps inside and out.

That's what I thought as well.. I haven't played 90% of these maps myself, but I think learning new maps is part of the fun

 

[MrA]

I've heard that the install process is a nightmare of restarts and updates, even for folks who just want to continue playing MW2, so I wouldn't be surprised if that's why the player count is low right now.

Amazing how a but over a decade ago pc developers worked hard to improve pc ease of use because pc gaming was on shakey grounds due to consoles ease of use
Now that pc gaming is 100% on solid footing they're like screw it who cares if it works just ship it

 

[TGO]

This is easy to answer.
Everyone knows Mw2 2009 maps inside and out.

People are also forgetting everything except your Rank carries over.
So all those weapons in MWII that people have mastered are available with all attachments once you unlock custom loadouts

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

Nice.

 

[splattered]

Sure there are problems that will be sorted but at this point I just expect almost every new Microsoft game to come out to get shit on. People going hard riding those hate boners after the acquisition.

 

[Kenneth Haight]

Sure there are problems that will be sorted but at this point I just expect almost every new Microsoft game to come out to get shit on. People going hard riding those hate boners after the acquisition.

MS had nothing to do with the development of this game.

Surely they must improve on this pile of shit next year. No horse in this race as I haven’t played COD since black ops.

The formula looks stale as fuck now.

 

[LordBritish]

Bad Company 3s time... I could only dream.... but seriously I enjoyed the new campaign.... it was fine. Warzone is warzone and always fun.... zombies any good this time?

 

[Zuzu]

The multiplayer is great. It’s like a hybrid of MW2019 and Cold War/Black Ops 4. They taken many of the best aspects of past COD multiplayers and brought them into one package.

 

[Starcheif]

The multiplayer is great. It’s like a hybrid of MW2019 and Cold War/Black Ops 4. They taken many of the best aspects of past COD multiplayers and brought them into one package.

Can I just get the MP for 20 bucks?

 

[shaddam]

I wonder how many bad cod games like this could kill the franchise

 

[Sub_Level]

I had to download this garbage just because I own mw2022. So obnoxious.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

Woah, those are pretty massive drop offs in numbers. Is this the first year CoD has massively missed concurrent users like that?

 

[Quantum253]

Is Steam a good indicator of online activity? Isn't COD mainly popular on consoles. I'm sure with cross-play now it's closer but I would think it's a bigger indicator of PC engagement.

 

[LordBlodgett]

The multiplayer will still be great though, but I do think the price is hurting this one now that everyone knows you get very little for your money

 

[havoc00]

The gunplay is so much better in MW2, also these maps are nostalgic but most are too big and everyone just camps or snipes which negates the new movement

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

The gunplay is so much better in MW2

When people say this, what do they mean?

Your TTK was a microsecond sooner than it already is?

 

[Ozriel]

Woah, those are pretty massive drop offs in numbers. Is this the first year CoD has massively missed concurrent users like that?

…it’s just the second year it’s been on Steam, ya know.

 

[BigLee74]

I wonder how many bad cod games like this could kill the franchise

It will never happen, because there is no other game like it. Others have tried and failed. The COD player base is strong and forgiving.

Ghosts, Advanced Warfare, Vanguard. All generally considered poor for MP (never mind the campaign). COD just keeps on going.

 

[havoc00]

When people say this, what do they mean?

Your TTK was a microsecond sooner than it already is?

The feel of the guns firing, the feel when you put a target down just had this pop and weight to it.

 

[Dutchy]

From what ive been hearing its actually pretty bleh. The issue with going free-roam is that theres a ton of space with very little going on

They doubled down on the Cold War concept which was already met with negative reception. I don't understand why making a round-based, objective/easter egg driven zombie game is beyond these people. BO1-2-3 zombie merch is still selling like crazy and the BO3 workshop probably has more people playing than the actual later games their zombie modes.

 

[Arsic]

All my buddies bailed on picking it up, and so this is the first CoD ever I haven’t got on launch.

Trying to hold strong and maybe the curse will be broken .

 

[unlurkified]

$70 for half a campaign and all remade maps (even though they’re some of the best in the series). The game should be $40, maybe $50 tops. I really would’ve liked to see IW spend three years on a proper MW3 sequel.

 

[Quantum253]

All my buddies bailed on picking it up, and so this is the first CoD ever I haven’t got on launch.

Trying to hold strong and maybe the curse will be broken .

The first is always the hardest. I got every COD up to BLOPS4. It was hard not to get modern warfare(19') or Coldwar. But once I got over it, I haven't purchased a COD since.