How to download and play the Modern Warfare 3 beta on PC
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How to download and play the Modern Warfare 3 beta on PC
Image via Activision
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Call of Duty
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How to download and play the Modern Warfare 3 beta on PC

The beta floodgates have opened
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Joey Carr
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Published: Oct 10, 2023 08:58 pm

After a PlayStation-only exclusive weekend, the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 beta is finally arriving for those on PC. Both Battle.Net and Steam players will get access to the beta starting on Thursday, Oct. 12. However, that early start date is only for players who pre-ordered an edition of MW3 or redeemed a beta code through their storefront of choice.

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Players who did not pre-order or redeem a code will need to wait until Sunday, Oct. 15 to play the free access portion of the beta, which is open to any and all players. Regardless of your start time, though, you will need to learn how to download the Modern Warfare 3 beta files to start playing on PC. You can learn how to do just that in the guide below.

Downloading the Modern Warfare 3 beta on PC

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 beta on PC
Image via Activision

Fortunately, there’s not much involved in downloading the MW3 beta on PC. The process is almost identical regardless of if you’re on Battle.Net or Steam.

The main application you need to have downloaded first, though, is COD HQ. This application will already be downloaded if you have played Warzone or Modern Warfare 2 previously. For those who haven’t played either of those games, you can download the free application from either Battle.Net or Steam.

Once COD HQ is downloaded, you can either pre-order the edition of MW3 you want to purchase, redeem a beta code, or simply wait until the free access portion of the beta. If you pre-order the game, all you need to do is download the early access files from either Battle.Net or Steam. This will be done automatically if you’re on Steam, but Battle.Net users need to do it manually by selecting on “Download pre-release content” under the COD HQ page on the application.

Related: How to download the Modern Warfare 3 beta on Xbox

Then, once the beta goes live, you can access it through a special tab within the COD HQ application. It will say “Modern Warfare 3 Beta” and clicking it will take you right to the beta’s lobby screen. However, if you try to access the beta before it opens for you, you’ll be met with nothing, so you need to wait.

The beta for early access players goes live at 1 pm ET on Oct. 12 while free access players need to wait until 1 pm ET on Oct. 15.

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Author
Image of Joey Carr
Joey Carr
Joey Carr is a full-time writer for multiple esports and gaming websites. He has 7+ years of experience covering esports and traditional sporting events, including DreamHack Atlanta, Call of Duty Championships 2017, and Super Bowl 53.
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