One of the biggest considerations for storage is the file size. requires a massive amount of SSD space. An NVMe SSD is no longer a luxury; it is a necessity to reduce texture pop-in and ensure fast load times. With Warzone , MW2 , and MW3 potentially sharing space via Call of Duty HQ , players often find themselves managing installs exceeding 200GB.
Before diving into technicalities, it is crucial to understand why MW3 holds a special place in PC gaming history. Following the massive success of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Modern Warfare 2 , MW3 was the first title developed jointly by Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games. It took the "cinematic blockbuster" formula and refined it to a razor's edge.
Known for its large footprint, the full game requires up to 149GB of SSD space, though this is reduced to 78GB if Call of Duty: Warzone and the Call of Duty HQ are already installed. System Requirements call of duty modern warfare 3 on pc
If you find the vanilla experience too cumbersome, consider Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Remastered —but Activision has not officially remastered this title (they only remastered COD4 and MW2). Thus, the original PC version remains your only choice.
Here’s a feature summary for on PC , focusing on its standout elements at release and how it compares to console versions. One of the biggest considerations for storage is
| Feature | PC (Vanilla) | PC (Plutonium) | Console | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Up to 4K+ | Up to 4K+ | Up to 720p/1080p (BC) | | Framerate | 120 FPS cap (unlockable) | 250+ FPS | 60 FPS (Xbox BC) / 30-60 FPS (PS3) | | Controls | M+KB + Any controller | M+KB + Any controller | Controller only (no aim assist option) | | Field of View | 65° (locked) | 90°-120° via mods | 65° (locked, nauseating on modern screens) | | Online Population | ~100 players globally | ~1,000-2,000 peak | 0 (servers shut down?) | | Mods | No | Yes (Extensive) | No |
This is the most important section for anyone searching for multiplayer. The official servers are in a zombie state. With Warzone , MW2 , and MW3 potentially
The game's requirements scale from modest setups to high-end 4K rigs. All tiers require a 64-bit version of Windows 10 or 11 and an SSD. Requirement Minimum (Full Game) Recommended (60 FPS High) Competitive / 4K Ultra Intel i5-6600 / Ryzen 5 1400 Intel i7-6700K / Ryzen 5 1600X Intel i7-8700K / Ryzen 7 2700X RAM GPU GTX 960 / GTX 1650 / RX 470 GTX 1080 Ti / RTX 3060 / RX 6600 XT RTX 3080 / RTX 4070 / RX 6800 XT VRAM Storage 149 GB SSD 149 GB SSD 149 GB SSD Sources: Official Call of Duty Blog , Activision Support . Gameplay Overview Wikipediahttps://en.wikipedia.org
Today, the community is kept alive by nostalgia, the superior precision of mouse and keyboard, and a thriving modding scene that has fixed many of the original game's shortcomings.