Is there Call of Duty MW3 early access? Being able to get into the doors early of a new Call of Duty game is always worth it since you’ll be able to get ahead of your fellow players, getting to try out the new guns and Perks before anyone else. But best of all, you can brag to your friends that you’re playing a game earlier than them. So, here’s everything there is to know about Call of Duty MW3 early access, and most importantly, how to get early access.
While the Call of Duty MW3 release date is creeping closer every day, it’s safe to say that we’re all dying to get into the game as soon as possible and play some MW3 multiplayer in what we hope is one of the best competitive FPS games. But can we play the latest Call of Duty any earlier than launch day?
Call of Duty MW3 early access dates
Call of Duty MW3 early access to multiplayer will begin on October 6 – October 10, 2023, for PS5 and PS4 players and October 12 – October 16, 2023, for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC players. Campaign early access will also begin on Friday, November 3, 2023.
With the full MW3 release date being November 10, and Activision pledging up to a week of early access for players, you can hop into the game’s campaign ahead of launch on November 3.
Modern Warfare 3 early access will include the MW3 campaign only, so you will have to wait until the full release before you can play the exciting MW3 Zombies and multiplayer modes (outside of the beta weekends).
While it’s a shame you won’t be able to try out the Zombies mode early, especially given it’s the biggest iteration of the mode yet, it is a great opportunity to beat the story. In fact, one of the main reasons behind early access is to give players time to beat the MW3 missions ahead of the release of the competitive multiplayer. This allows players to complete the story at their own pace, without worry of being left behind in the multiplayer scene.
As mentioned though, that won’t technically be your earliest opportunity to play Modern Warfare 3. There are two MW3 beta weekends that will let you experience multiplayer well before the official early access period begins. The dates for the two beta weekends are October 6-10 2023 for PS4 and PS5 players, and then October 12-16 for all platforms.
How to get MW3 early access
To get Call of Duty MW3 early access, you need to pre-order any edition of the game. Pre-ordering gives you access to the multiplayer betas and grants you campaign early access, so you’re covered in both areas.
This is a very similar – in fact, almost identical – playbook that Activision has used in the past to boost pre-orders of the latest CoD. Securing an MW3 pre-order is the only confirmed way so far of getting early access and beta access, but even if other methods become available, such as giveaways or promotional events, this is your best bet as you’re guaranteed to get it.
Is Call of Duty MW3 early access worth it?
Given you have to pre-order the game, the question of whether Call of Duty MW3 early access is worth it is at the top of many player’s minds. Ultimately, if you’re a big fan of the series and like what you see from MW3, then it’s worth pre-ordering the standard edition at the very least, as this not only includes early access to the campaign and multiplayer beta but also a unique Soap Operator pack containing cosmetics.
However, since there’s no early access for multiplayer (besides beta access), there’s no competitive advantage to be gained. Instead, it’s simply for the convenience of being able to play the campaign before multiplayer comes out so you don’t have to divert your attention from either one. Also, progress from the early multiplayer betas in October won’t carry over to the full game, so once again, there’s no advantage to be had progression-wise by playing them.
Overall, we’d recommend any existing CoD fan to pre-order MW3 and get early access – especially if you enjoyed and sank a lot of hours into its predecessor, MW2, as your weapons and cosmetics will carry over to the new game and the story is a continuation of where it left off. If you’re new to the CoD series, we’d maybe recommend watching gameplay footage of the first multiplayer beta and watching a playthrough of MW2’s campaign to see if MW3 is something you might be interested in. If it looks like your kind of thing, then get that pre-order in so you can enjoy the second beta weekend and hop into the campaign early.
That’s everything you need to know about MW3 early access to get stuck in ahead of release. Before you play the campaign, make sure to find out about the Call of Duty MW3 characters so you know who’s returning (or who isn’t!) and the MW3 cast that portrays them. It’s worth also reading up on MW3 modes, as there will be several new and returning multiplayer game modes to experience.