5 Call of Duty campaigns you need to play before Modern Warfare 3

The release date of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is getting closer and closer. Many fans of the long-running first-person shooter franchise are extremely excited to try out the upcoming entry’s new multiplayer and Zombies Mode. Others are looking forward to continuing the story of Task Force 141.

Before Modern Warfare 3, Activision released plenty of campaigns with compelling narratives and interesting characters. Few are related to the storyline of the upcoming installment, but there are also good unrelated campaigns that are worth checking out.

In no particular order, here are five of the campaigns you need to try before playing Modern Warfare 3.

Note: This list is subjective and solely reflects the opinions of the writer

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5 campaigns to play before jumping into Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

1) Modern Warfare (2019 reboot)

Since the upcoming Call of Duty installment is a direct continuation of the last two games in the series, it makes sense to check out where it all began. This rebooted Modern Warfare game brought back some fan-favorite characters while also introducing a few new ones. It also featured a whole new narrative for Task Force 141.

From a narrative standpoint, it makes perfect sense to at least try out the first game in the rebooted series to see where everything began.

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2) Modern Warfare 2 (2022)

Of course, after you've played through the campaign of Modern Warfare, it is only right to check out what happened next in Modern Warfare 2. If you don't, then there will be a huge gap in the story, and the plot of the upcoming game might not make sense.

While this title isn't quite as good as the original Modern Warfare 2, it is still worth a shot to make sense of the story. Additionally, with Vladimir Makarov set to make his return, it is worth getting to know exactly what led Task Force 141 to this point.

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3) Black Ops series

The Black Ops series is completely unrelated to the Modern Warfare series. However, it provides a decent narrative that is certainly worth checking out. This franchise followed the story of Alex Mason and his fellow CIA black ops operatives.

Black Ops 2 was the first in the series to feature branching narratives and the ability to choose your loadout before starting a mission. With Modern Warfare 3 reportedly featuring a sandbox-like feature, it is certainly worth seeing how Call of Duty has done it before.

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4) World at War

Call of Duty first entered the first-person shooter genre when the World War Two era setting was common. The first three games in the series were set in this real-life conflict before Activision developed the first one, which took place in a modern setting in 2007.

The Call of Duty franchise returned to the Second World War once more in 2008 with World at War before focusing on modern and futuristic settings. World at War is probably the best among all FPS games to have put players in the shoes of a soldier in the Red Army and a US Marine who served in the Pacific Theater.

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5) Original Modern Warfare series (2007, 2009, 2011)

While the current Modern Warfare series strays away from the story of the original Modern Warfare franchise, the original is definitely worth checking out.

The first-ever Modern Warfare marked a breakthrough moment for the series by stepping away from the Second World War. It was also the first time that players saw the iconic Captain John Price. Furthermore, the entirety of the series introduced several characters that are present in the reboot.

The first Modern Warfare series contains some of the most memorable scenes, lines, and missions, and playing it just to experience them is certainly worth your time.

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These are five Call of Duty campaigns you need to try out before getting into the Modern Warfare 3 campaign, which will be released on November 10, 2023.