CoD MW3 free weekend: Dates, confirmed times & how to play free
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We're all getting another chance to play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 with no strings attached thanks to another free weekend.
This time, the free weekend is taking place to help celebrate the release of CoD MW3 Season 3.
The new season brings with it a wealth of new content to enjoy in Multiplayer, Warzone, Warzone Mobile and Zombies. There's plenty to be getting on with if you're a CoD regular.
If you're not a regular and haven't even played the latest game in the series, Activision is giving you a limited time period to try out its Multiplayer and Zombies mode for free.
The previous free trial took place in mid-February, but it's also worth mentioning there is no guarantee of a free trial happening again for MW3.
Here's when the next CoD MW3 free weekend is taking place and what you have access to this time.
When is the CoD MW3 free weekend? Dates confirmed
The CoD MW3 free weekend is 4th April - 8th April. This has been confirmed by Activision, with the free trial now having begun.
The Free Access period gives players a chance to try the game’s Multiplayer and Zombies modes out at no cost.
During the free weekend in Modern Warfare 3, players can test out limited versions of the full game’s Multiplayer mode and Zombies. This includes Hordepoint mode.
If you're a PC player, you should be able to find the free trial on Activision's Battle.net launcher at this link.
If you're a console person, search for Modern Warfare 3 on your console's in-built store. You should be able to find the free trial version there!
You can also see the free trial option on the web versions of the PlayStation Store (you might need to scroll down a bit) and the Xbox Store.
What time does the CoD MW3 free weekend start and end?
The CoD MW3 free weekend began at 5pm BST on Thursday 4th April and the end date/time will be 5pm BST on Monday 8th April here in the UK.
Those in the US can play the Free Access period from 9am PT/12pm ET on 4th April up until 9am PT/12pm ET on 8th April.
We can now confirm these timings are correct, because Activision is showing a countdown on Battle.net.
The below screenshot was taken at 1:10pm BST on Friday 5th April, meaning the countdown will end — and the free trial with it — at 5pm BST on Monday.
In terms of what's included, Activision has revealed that during this MW3 free trial period, you can: "Dive into Multiplayer in Call of Duty and check out the brand new 6v6 map Emergency, along with five more 6v6 maps such as Das Haus, Stash House and Rust — playable across five core modes, including Capture the Flag, new to Season 3."
It's also been confirmed that you can play Zombies over the weekend and "the MWIII mode Hordepoint, playable on reskinned maps like Tetanus, Satan’s Quarry and Skidgrow".
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How to get involved with CoD MW3 free weekend
To play CoD MW3 over the Free Access period weekend, you simply need to head onto the relevant digital storefront and download the free trial version of the game.
The links you need to find the free trial on each platform are as follows:
- For PC: Battle.net launcher
- For PS4 and PS5: PlayStation Store (you might need to scroll down a bit)
- For Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S: Xbox Store
Note that Battle.net, Activision's own launcher, is the PC platform of choice for this promo. Don't expect to find the free trial on Steam.
Once you have downloaded the Free Access trial version of the game, you should have until 5pm BST on Monday 8th April to play.
While we've got you... are you the ultimate operator? Try our CoD quiz to find out!
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Authors
Toby Saunders is a freelance writer specialising in Video Game journalism. He has a wealth of experience in the field and is published on many different websites including PCGamesN, Nintendo Life and Pocket Tactics. He has a degree in Film Studies (he gets to write about Film and TV occasionally, too).
Rob Leane is the Gaming Editor at Radio Times, overseeing our coverage of the biggest games on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, PC, mobile and VR. Rob works across our website, social media accounts and video channels, as well as producing our weekly gaming newsletter. He has previously worked at Den of Geek, Stealth Optional and Dennis Publishing.