Is Modern Warfare 3 releasing on Xbox Game Pass?

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has been released and while players have to pay $70 for the full game right now, the general consensus has been solid around the bulk of the game. However, in the background of the game’s release, there is the ongoing acquisition deal between Activision and Microsoft, which has been closed and will be finalized in 2024. This deal has some players wondering if Modern Warfare 3 will be the first COD title to be released on Xbox Game Pass.

As many players likely already know, Xbox Game Pass is the premier video game subscription service owned by Microsoft. The company has made it no secret that once the deal between it and Activision closes, Activision titles will start to arrive on Game Pass. However, can we expect that to start with MW3 or will players have to wait another year to see a COD release arrive on the service?

Will Modern Warfare 3 come to Xbox Game Pass?

Unfortunately, Microsoft executives have confirmed that Modern Warfare 3 will not come to Game Pass when it launches or anytime after its release.

While the Activision and Microsoft deal has closed and is simply waiting to be finalized later in 2024, there’s simply not enough time to get MW3 onto the subscription service. This also applies to recent Activision Blizzard titles, such as Diablo 4.

According to Activision, players will start to see more of the publisher’s titles appear on Game Pass “over the course of the next year.” This likely means that the next COD title coming in 2024 will arrive on Game Pass, but no title in the series will be available on the service before then. This might be disappointing to some fans who might not want to pay full price for MW3 or simply want to experience a COD title for the first time.

However, this will likely be the last COD ever to not be available through Game Pass, assuming the Activision and Microsoft deal is fully completed. It’s widely expected that Treyarch’s COD title in 2024 will launch and be prominently featured on Game Pass, but we’ll have to wait and see about that.