Skip to main content

Xbox Game Pass is getting its first Call of Duty game

Xbox isn’t waiting until Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 to get a Call of Duty game on Game Pass. The company announced Tuesday that 2023’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will be added to the service on Wednesday, July 24.

The announcement was heavily rumored beforehand, with reports from outlets like Insider Gaming, but it was made official on Xbox Wire. Xbox confirmed that the game will be hitting Game Pass for Console, PC Game Pass, and Game Pass Ultimate (so every old tier ahead of the upcoming price hike), and it will include most modes, including single-player and the more open-world Zombies mode. It doesn’t appear to include Warzone, the series’ battle royale spinoff, although that’s free to play.

Recommended Videos

Activision has been remaking the Modern Warfare trilogy over the past few years. It hit the ground running with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, a remake of Call of Duty 4: Modern WarfareModern Warfare 2 was similarly a hit.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Modern Warfare 3 didn’t receive great reviews from critics. We at Digital Trends said it might be “the series’ worst installment yet,” as it had nothing to say in its single-player campaign, as well as boring missions and no original 6v6 maps for its multiplayer. It doesn’t feature much that’s original at all in multiplayer, bringing back classic maps from the original Modern Warfare 2. However, there are modern tweaks, including the deeper weapon customization we’ve seen over the past few years.

Despite the flaws, this is a Call of Duty game, and while some sell better than others, they all draw millions of players. Modern Warfare 3, in particular, was the second bestselling game of the year behind Hogwarts Legacy. 

Since Microsoft finalized its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, fans have been waiting for those games to get added to Game Pass. While nothing has been finalized yet, rumors suggest that Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is coming soon.

Carli Velocci
Carli is a technology, culture, and games editor and journalist. They were the Gaming Lead and Copy Chief at Windows Central…
All Resident Evil games in order, by release date and chronologically
Leon parries a chainsaw villager in Resident Evil 4.

There are almost no survival horror games that last for more than few entries, let alone ones that have persisted for decades like Resident Evil. This series had humble beginnings as a small horror experience set in a single mansion to explore, solve puzzles, and fight against the clunky tank controls and fixed camera angles. Since then, the series has evolved and grown into one of the most recognizable Capcom IPs there is, with new entries and amazing remakes coming out almost every year.

Currently, the highest-numbered Resident Evil game is 8, aka Village, but you would be wildly off if you thought there were only eight entries to consider when looking to complete the series. Right from the start, Resident Evil has loved expanding its world with a massive cast of characters and new protagonists from game to game. Resident Evil 7 was a soft reboot for the series, but there is still a cannon order to the events surrounding Umbrella, the various zombie viruses, and all our favorite heroes like Chris and Leon.

Read more
Kunitsu-Gami devs break down the secret to Capcom’s new success
Soh, Yoshiro, and Villagers prepare for battle in Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess.

The video game industry is in a period of contraction. Companies like Bungie are canceling games and laying off developers so they can home in and focus on one or two big titles. Why invest in smaller, riskier projects when making larger games in well-known franchises will yield greater returns? Capcom, on the other hand, is committed to doing both.

"I believe that the experience with a series or remake is important, but the experience of a new IP is also important," Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess Director Shuichi Kawata told me in an email interview following the release of one of Capcom's more experimental new games yet.

Read more
Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is more like Dead Space’s remake than Resident Evil 4’s
Frank talks to Jessica in Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster.

Don't let Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster's name fool you; this is essentially a full-on remake of Capcom's classic zombie game. While the narrative and core gameplay loop are the same, Dead Rising has seen a complete visual overhaul, as well as a few gameplay tweaks to make it more enjoyable to play. It's the same great game you remember, but it now just feels like something that could be released in 2024 rather than 2006. After going hands-on with Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster, it's clear that this game is less like the remake treatment Capcom gave Resident Evil 4 last year and more like the one EA gave Dead Space. It's an extremely faithful modern upgrade for a horror classic that still holds up today.

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster - Announcement Trailer

Read more