Activision Explains Huge Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 File Sizes

Activision has moved to explain the enormous file sizes Call of Duty fans can expect to hit their hard-drives with the launch of Modern Warfare 3 this month.

With Modern Warfare 3 campaign early access now live, players have found a total Call of Duty install imprint of an eye-watering 234.9GB on PlayStation 5. This install appears to include Modern Warfare 2, now Call of Duty HQ, as well as Modern Warfare 3’s campaign. It does not include other unreleased parts of Modern Warfare 3, such as Multiplayer and Zombies.

Activision issued a statement explaining what’s going on, while admitting file sizes “are larger than last year”.

“This is due to the increased amount of content available day one, including open world Zombies, support for item carry forward from Modern Warfare 2, as well as map files for current Call of Duty: Warzone. (Note: as part of our ongoing optimization efforts, your final installation size will be actually smaller than the combined previous Call of Duty experiences).”

Activision pointed out players are able to reduce the install footprint by heading to the manage files section of the COD HQ launcher menu. From there, you can uninstall specific content you’re not playing. Activision said it will share more information on the launch in the coming days.

Call of Duty players are used to huge file sizes for the shooter series, but it seems Modern Warfare 3’s unique launch has increased the load.

The Modern Warfare 3 campaign was developed by Sledgehammer Games in partnership with Infinity Ward, and is the direct sequel to last year’s Modern Warfare 2. It includes 15 missions, each of which rewards players with items upon completion. These rewards can be used across Multiplayer, Zombies, and Warzone.

Here are the Modern Warfare 3 campaign rewards:

• “Breather” Calling Card
• 30 mins Double Player XP Token & 30 mins Double Weapon XP Token
• “Corso” Operator
• “Ghillie Guy” Calling Card
• 30 mins XP Token and 30m Weapon XP Token
• “Pathfinder” Operator
• “Toxic Drip” Calling Card
• 1 hour Double Player XP Token and 1 hour Double Weapon XP Token
• “Doc” Operator
• “Skull Rhapsody” Calling Card
• 1 hour Double Player XP Token and 1 hour Double Weapon XP Token
• “Jabber” Operator
• Campaign Completion Emblem
• Campaign Completion Weapon Blueprint

Modern Warfare 3 launches proper November 10. It’s the first Call of Duty game to launch following Microsoft’s $69 billion buyout of Activision Blizzard, but don’t expect it to hit Game Pass until 2024. Check out IGN’s Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer review in progress to find out what we thought of the recent open beta.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].