Call of Duty fans are hoping to one day see Modern Warfare 3 Remastered. We did finally get a remaster of the first Modern Warfare game, but it was unfortunately tied to your purchase of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (at first). Players were eventually able to buy it separately. Modern Warfare 2 also got a remaster and rumors are pointing to a remaster of Modern Warfare 3 coming sometime in the future. But when is it coming out?
Modern Warfare 3 Remastered – The remasters so far
So far. there’s only been one modern Call of Duty title that’s gotten a remaster and that’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Fans had been hoping for it for a while and they got it, but they also had to buy Infinite Warfare. This didn’t set well with some people who were uninterested in a newer game. While our review scored it pretty decently, the reviews of the game on Steam are far less kind.
Modern Warfare 3 Remastered could very well be making its way to our gaming machines sometime in the next few years, but something else has to happen first. There still needs to be a release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Remastered. Rumors are flying that the 2019 entry for the franchise will be a new title in the Modern Warfare series and that it will also include a remaster of Modern Warfare 2 in the same way that Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare pulled things off. Modern Warfare 3 Remastered would likely follow a similar pattern which means that we’ll probably be in for a bit of a wait.
Modern Warfare 3 Remastered release date – When can I play it?
The first Modern Warfare remaster launched in late 2016 alongside Call of Duty: Infinite. In a way, our chances are very good for getting a Modern Warfare 3 Remastered for 2019’s Call of Duty release according to the rumors in this article.
There’s a certain logic to this, and it comes down to the special way the Call of Duty games are released. We pretty much get a new game every year, but it isn’t the same team making each game. There’s a three-year rotation. Dev A releases in 2016, Dev B in 2017, Dev C in 2018, and then it comes back to Dev A. This gives developers a solid three years to make their next Call of Duty game while fans get to enjoy a new entry in the series every year without a massive dip in quality. “Dev A” in this scenario happens to be Infinity Ward, the guys who brought the Call of Duty games to the big leagues.
Infinity Ward’s last release was Infinite Warfare in 2019 and that included the remaster of the first game. That means that we may very well see Modern Warfare 2 Remastered this year since it’s Infinity Ward’s turn to put out a new game. There’s unfortunate news, though—if they keep to this schedule, the earliest we would be getting our hands on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Remastered is 2022. It’s possible that we could get it earlier, but I don’t think the developers would want to rush on a game that was enjoyed by so many people. Amusingly, if we do get the fourth Modern Warfare game this year, that means that we could potentially see a remaster of that title in 2025—just six years after its (anticipated) release.
Modern Warfare 3 Remastered Backwards Compatibility – As good as it gets (for now)
For now, the closest thing you’re going to get to Modern Warfare 3 Remastered is playing it on a newer console. It just so happens to be one of the hundreds of titles that you can play from older Xbox systems. Thankfully, it’s pretty easy to get it set up!
If you already own Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 in the Xbox ecosystem, it should already be available for download. Simply head over to the “Ready to Install” section on your Xbox One. Hit the Xbox button and navigate down to “My games & apps”. Go to “Games” and then “Ready to Install”. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 should be one of the items on this list. If you don’t, simply pop your disc into the Xbox One and it should detect it and give you the digital version from there.
We may very well get Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Remastered sometime in the future, but we’re probably going to be waiting for a few years. The more immediate question is what this year’s Call of Duty is going to be all about and whether or not we’ll see the second Modern Warfare entry get some upgrades. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait too long to find out.
