Activision’s Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 is free to play from December 14 to December 18, across Xbox consoles, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 and PC.
Only the multiplayer component is playable during this freebie period, but it’s a great way to test out a new game you’ll otherwise pay up to £60 for on disc, or £70 direct from the PlayStation Store.
Activision will unlock the “Season 1” content to play free of charge this weekend. That includes six core maps for six-player versus six-player play. Four of the key modes are here: Team Deathmatch, Hardpoint, Kill Confirmed and Domination.
Players can also try both Modern War Zombies and Ground War, large-scale battles with vehicles on the field. The Popov Power, Orlov Military Base and Levin Resort Ground War maps will be available.
The free access starts at 6pm UK time on December 14 and ends at 6pm on Monday December 18.
These free-play weekends are very common, but this one is particularly notable.
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 is a recent release, having arrived on November 8.
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 reviews
It also proved to be a highly contentious one, attracting very poor reviews from some outlets. We gave it a middling 3/5 write-up, saying its “mighty multiplayer action salvages a disappointing follow-up".
The weakest part of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 is the element not included in this free trial, the single-player campaign.
While it starts with a bang, the campaign is tired and often feels like it resorts to dumping you in something similar to a multiplayer arena with a bunch of bots. That’s not the cinematic action Call of Duty’s single-player experience is known for.
“These levels run short of the thrills, the big moments and the cleverly orchestrated action sequences that make a great Call of Duty so exciting. Instead, the Open Combat Missions feel more like what they really are: chunks of the free-roaming Warzone mode with AI troops, objectives and a story bolted on,” our review says.
This trial will help you decide whether it’s worth paying the big bucks effectively just for multiplayer action.
Prepare for a big download, though. The full download for the game on PlayStation 5 can take up upwards of 200GB.
