MW3 is the worst-rated Call of Duty game of all time

There are some absolute classics in the Call of Duty franchise, including Call of Duty 4, MW2 (2009), the OG Black Ops, and World at War. All of these titles have stellar critical ratings, placing them at the top of the rankings for the series.

Of course, not every CoD game has been met with widespread praise at launch, with titles like Vanguard, Ghosts, and WW2 scoring on the lower end of the spectrum.

Well, unfortunately for Sledgehammer, Modern Warfare 3 is also struggling when it comes to its critical rating. It's so low at the moment, that it's currently the worst-rated Call of Duty game of all time, and by a pretty big margin as well.

Modern Warfare 3 is the worst-rated game in the franchise

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The reviews are gradually trickling in for Modern Warfare 3 on Metacritic, and it's looking quite dismal at the moment. Currently, Sledgehammer's newest title sits at 53 overall based on critical reviews. It also has an unbelievably low user score of 1.7. 

To put it in perspective, the lowest-rated Call of Duty game up until MW3 was Vanguard, with 73 from critics and 3.6 from users. This makes MW3 by far the lowest in the rankings. Its predecessor, MW2, even managed to scrape a respectable 75.

While there are still plenty of critical scores to come in from outlets, it's hard to imagine 2023's Call of Duty will reach over 60 once every rating is counted.

Why does MW3 have such a low rating?

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Ultimately, the downfall of MW3's rating appears to be mainly linked to the campaign, which was released in early access before multiplayer.

With a lot of the community describing it as half-baked, cobbled-together, and filled with boring missions, it's clear the fans felt like this was a story that didn't need to be told. All of this comes amidst claims production was 'rushed,' with some saying Sledgehammer only had 16 months to bring MW3 together.

While multiplayer is receiving a lot of positive feedback, there's also criticism from certain players that the experience leans too heavily on nostalgia and doesn't bring enough new additions to the table. With abysmal critical reviews and an equally worrying player count at launch, it's not looking good.

Either way, the legacy of MW3 will likely be decided over the course of its multiplayer life cycle, so Sledgehammer still has plenty of time to redeem itself.