The Call of Duty community doesn’t have to wait much longer for the release of Modern Warfare 3, with the launch date of Nov. 10 coming rapidly. In preparation for the launch, you might be curious as to what exact time Modern Warfare 3 will release, especially on PC.
Every year, there is some confusion over the release windows on console and PC for the new Call of Duty. For several years now, millions of players on either PlayStation or Xbox get to experience the new title a few hours before those on PC do. Essentially, both PlayStation and Xbox users get to start playing as soon as the clock hits midnight local time.
Unfortunately, the PC release works differently, which is the primary cause of confusion for players.
PC release time for Modern Warfare 3
The newest Call of Duty blog post gives all of the details for the PC release of MW3. This includes when the game will officially launch for users on either Battle.Net or Steam.
The short answer is MW3 launches on PC at 12 am ET on Nov. 10/9 pm PT on Nov. 9. This goes for all timezones, so just because it’s midnight local time where you live, doesn’t mean the game is live for you on PC. Everyone in the world has to wait until those specific times to gain access to MW3 on PC.
Basically, everyone around the globe gains access to MW3 at the same time, regardless of where you live. This differs from the release times on PlayStation and Xbox, where the game launches once the clock strikes midnight in your timezone (or 12 am ET).
Below, you can see some conversions for different parts of the world. This is when MW3 launches on PC for all of these specific timezones:
- 16:00 pm AEDT
- 14:00 pm JTS
- 14:00 pm KTS
- 6:00 am CEST
- 5:00 am GMT
- 2:00 am BRT
- 12:00 am ET
- 23:00 pm CT (Nov. 9)
- 21:00 pm PT (Nov. 9)
If you don’t see your timezone listed, you simply need to find out how many hours you are ahead or behind 12 am ET. Once that time strikes the clock for you, MW3 will officially be open for you on Steam or Battle.Net.
You can read my previous guide about how to preload MW3 on PC, which allows you to download the game file before 12 am ET so you can start playing as soon as that time strikes.
Can you do the New Zealand trick to play MW3 early?
If you’re wondering if there is a way to play MW3 early on PC, you might be curious about using what players call the “New Zealand trick.” This has been around for years and involves changing your system’s time zone and region to New Zealand, which is the first location to gain access to MW3 (6 am ET).
Unfortunately, this trick only works for Xbox consoles. You cannot use the trick on either Battle.Net or Steam, so don’t even attempt to try and change your time zone and region to New Zealand. No matter where you are located in the world, MW3 launches on PC at the same time for everyone.
Published: Nov 8, 2023 09:50 pm