Modern Warfare 3 Beta: How To Join & What You Get To Play

Modern Warfare 3 will be released on November 10, but on two weekends in early October you can enjoy the game's beta. This will be a free trial version of MW3 that will allow you to test out the game and experience a few of the maps and modes.

MW3 Beta
Modern Warfare 3 beta. | © Activision

Modern Warfare 3 is the new CoD game for 2023. It will continue the story of last year's game, MW2, but in all other regards it's shaping up to be quite a different game "under the hood" (there is a different studio in charge). We will get to see how different the new game is in the beta taking place in October.

How To Get Access To The MW3 Beta

The first weekend of the beta is PlayStation only (October 6-10) but the second weekend is for all platforms (October 12-16). However, both weekends are further split into two sections: Early Access and Open Access. The Early Access period lasts for 48 hours at the start of both weekends, and the remaining time on both weekends is the Open Access period.

  • To get Open Access just search for the Modern Warfare 3 Beta in the Xbox Store, PlayStation Store or on Steam, change version on the Call of Duty app to "Beta", and download the beta.

So if you want to play the absolute most you will need to pre-order and be on PS5 or PS4. It's as simple as that.

MW3 Beta Release
Modern Warfare 3 Beta: Early Access. | © Activision

If you are strapped for cash but really want to play early, you can find third-party beta code sellers online. We saw lots of Early Access codes pop up online for about $5, and we expect the same again this year.

Modern Warfare 3 Beta: Maps & Modes

The MW3 beta will feature a handful of modes and the following five maps from Modern Warfare 2 (2009): Estate, Skidrow, Rust, Favela and Highrise (Weekend 2), as well as one currently undisclosed Ground War map. In other words we will get five 6v6 maps and then a small variety of classic modes (TDM, Domination, Headquarters), and probably a brand-new mode (just like we got Prison Rescue during last year's beta).

You won't be able to access your Modern Warfare 2 weapons and operators during the beta, even though, they will carry forward into the full MW3 game. More info will come at Call of Duty Next, shortly before the beta starts.

And there you have it, everything we know so far about the Modern Warfare 3 beta.

Busted:

Jon Ramuz

Jon has a BA and an MA in English Literature, and as Content Lead for EarlyGame has written over 1,500 articles. He focuses on shooters, but also writes about entertainment and gaming in general....