Parents' Guide to

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

By Chad Sapieha, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Bloody military shooter with disturbing cinematic moments.

Game Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 2011
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Game: Screenshot #1
  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Game: Screenshot #2
  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Game: Screenshot #3

Community Reviews

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age 12+

Based on 113 parent reviews

Bocat32
Bocat32 Parent
October 21, 2020
age 10+

Kids 10 plus should play it!

Cod mw3 is personally me favourite call of duty out if all of the modern warfare series. Also it’s arguably one of the LEAST violent call of duty’s there are. Also commonsense media make everything sound worse than it actually is. On paper it doesn’t sound great. But actually playing the game it’s so much less violent than you would think. And don’t even get me started on the multiplayer, it is the best multiplayer any cod has ever had in my opinion!!! And campaign has great and engaging storyline! And there are some great role models in the game because they work as a team and support each other!! Overall this is a fantastic game and I would recommend this to ages 10+ but if your child is really mature I would say maybe even 9+

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Chavela O.
Chavela O. Adult
September 29, 2020
age 6+

Not as bad as you think,

I watched my dad play this game when I was 4 years old and I started playing when I was 5 or 6. I love this game and I turned out fine. Yes, there is swearing and violence but that is a real thing. And war is real. If you try to hide it from your kids and act as if it isn't real, when they find out what it truly is, it will be much much worse. Especially growing up in a Mexican and Puerto Rican household, this wasn't a concern for my parents and they let me play the game. Also, there is way more cussing in middle school and high school. I of course understand wanting to shelter your kids from some things, but if you shelter them from everything you get spoiled privileged and ignorant children. By the way, Im 13.
See all 113 parent reviews

What’s It About?

CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE 3 picks up where its predecessor left off, with global superpowers engaged in a third world war. Led astray by terrorists with an inscrutable agenda, Russian soldiers are attempting to invade the United States and several European nations. Players take on the roles of several different soldiers -- Americans, Brits, and even a couple of Russians -- in the fight to repel the invasion on several fronts, with battle zones ranging from New York to Berlin.

Outside the campaign, players can engage in solo or cooperative missions in Special Ops mode, which allows teams of players to work together to complete short, story-driven missions or attempt to survive endless waves of enemy attackers. However, the most popular part of the game is sure to be online competitive multiplayer, which allows players to increase in rank and ability via experience points and specific challenges. It offers new modes -- including one called "Confirmed Kill," which requires players to collect enemy dog tags to score points -- as well as a new online community called Call of Duty Elite, which allows players to track their progress and communicate with one another outside the game.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (113):
Kids say (324):

There are plenty of reasons why the Call of Duty games are so popular, and they're all on display in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Its cinematic campaign is essentially an interactive Hollywood war film filled with implausible -- but highly entertaining -- action sequences experienced from a soldier's perspective, including a plane crash, a high speed boat ride through a burning Manhattan harbor, and a firefight inside a blinding African dust storm. It only lasts around six hours, but they're six of the most thrilling hours adult gamers will spend in front of their televisions all year.

Online multiplayer, meanwhile, is polished, deep, and extraordinarily habit-forming. Its enormous array of modes and rewards is unmatched, and the new Call of Duty Elite community provides players a way to be part of the game even when they're away from their consoles. There's no denying that it feels a lot like its recent predecessors, and some players may be beginning to tire of the formula, but incremental improvements to an already great experience should go a long way to appeasing most of the franchise's tens of millions of fans.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about violence in games. What markers do you look for to determine whether a game is too violent for your kids? Do your kids understand why violent games may be inappropriate for their age?

  • Families can also discuss online safety. What should you watch out for when playing online? What would you do if you encountered someone who was rude or, worse, seemed potentially dangerous?

Game Details

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