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Xbox Game Pass is getting its first Call of Duty game

Xbox isn’t waiting until Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 to get a Call of Duty game on Game Pass. The company announced Tuesday that 2023’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will be added to the service on Wednesday, July 24.

The announcement was heavily rumored beforehand, with reports from outlets like Insider Gaming, but it was made official on Xbox Wire. Xbox confirmed that the game will be hitting Game Pass for Console, PC Game Pass, and Game Pass Ultimate (so every old tier ahead of the upcoming price hike), and it will include most modes, including single-player and the more open-world Zombies mode. It doesn’t appear to include Warzone, the series’ battle royale spinoff, although that’s free to play.

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Activision has been remaking the Modern Warfare trilogy over the past few years. It hit the ground running with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, a remake of Call of Duty 4: Modern WarfareModern Warfare 2 was similarly a hit.

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Modern Warfare 3 didn’t receive great reviews from critics. We at Digital Trends said it might be “the series’ worst installment yet,” as it had nothing to say in its single-player campaign, as well as boring missions and no original 6v6 maps for its multiplayer. It doesn’t feature much that’s original at all in multiplayer, bringing back classic maps from the original Modern Warfare 2. However, there are modern tweaks, including the deeper weapon customization we’ve seen over the past few years.

Despite the flaws, this is a Call of Duty game, and while some sell better than others, they all draw millions of players. Modern Warfare 3, in particular, was the second bestselling game of the year behind Hogwarts Legacy. 

Since Microsoft finalized its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, fans have been waiting for those games to get added to Game Pass. While nothing has been finalized yet, rumors suggest that Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is coming soon.

Carli Velocci
Carli is a technology, culture, and games editor and journalist. They were the Gaming Lead and Copy Chief at Windows Central…
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