You read the headline correctly, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III is officially coming to Game Pass today, 24 July. Unfortunately, we’re not talking about 2011’s half-decent Modern Warfare 3 but 2023’s shambolic (or so we’ve heard) attempt to capitalize on the nostalgia left in the wake of the original Modern Warfare series.
Not the Call of Duty you want, but the Call of Duty you get
You’ll need a dying Game Pass for Console, PC Game Pass or Game Pass Ultimate subscription before you can drop into the latest Call of Duty without first paying a hefty fee. Those currently subscribed to the R100/m Game Pass Core will have to up their spend if they want in on the action.
On the surface, that might sound like a win considering Modern Warfare 3 can be picked up for R400 (or less on sale) while the 2023 game of the same name still carries a R1,370 price tag. But once you get a peek at the game’s consensus from players and critics, our disdain makes a little more sense. To use Greyrat’s slightly uncouth phrasing – “it sucks.”
Read More: Xbox may have a cheaper cloud-based Game Pass tier tucked away
Still, a free game is a free game, right? That’s… one way of looking at it. Once you’ve gotten over the excitement of the four-hour-long campaign, your mind may start to wander and remember that Microsoft recently hiked prices across the board for its several Game Pass tiers – with customers being charged more than double for an Ultimate subscription than they were a month ago.
The only solace for Xbox players? Microsoft is finally putting that $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard to good use – and will bring Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 to Game Pass on day one when it releases in October. Unless you’re one of those who hop over to the new Standard tier, expected to land sometime in September.