What are the game modes in Modern Warfare 3? We could play Team Deathmatch all day, but this does get boring after the hundredth game. Not only does adding some variety to your usual batch of game modes keep things fresh, but you also become a stronger player by learning how enemies behave during different situations.
While we only know about a handful of MW3 game modes in the Modern Warfare 3 beta, the devs will regularly add more with their seasonal content drops every few months. We’re patiently waiting for Gunfight to be confirmed for Modern Warfare 3, but there’s still plenty to be excited about, like learning about all of the MW3 guns being added to the FPS game later this year.
MW3 game modes
Here are the game modes you can access during the Modern Warfare 3 beta:
- Domination
- Ground War
- Hardpoint
- Kill Confirmed
- Team Deathmatch
Domination
Capture and secure three flags located on the map. The team that secures the flags for the longest amount of time wins the game.
Ground War
A large-scale battle involving ground and air vehicles that also includes points to secure and hold. As each team secures more points, the spawn locations on the map move further ahead to make the action more intense. While most game modes feature 6v6, Ground War is playable with up to 64 players.
Hardpoint
Featuring the titular hardpoint zone, this location constantly moves around the map as teams fight to secure it. The team that secures the Hardpoint for the longest amount of time wins.
Kill Confirmed
Similar to Team Deathmatch, Kill Confirmed forces players to play aggressively as they hunt for dog tags scattered on the ground via player deaths. Pick up enemy dog tags to earn points for your team, and pick up your team’s dog tags to stop the opposing side from earning points.
Team Deathmatch
Eliminate the enemy team to earn points. Reach the score limit to win the game.
MW3 beta playlists
In the full release of Modern Warfare 3, players will be able to pick the exact game mode they want to play. Right now, you have to select a playlist that contains a variety of game modes across the MW3 maps.
Here are the playlists you can access during the Modern Warfare 3 beta:
- Mosh Pit (Team Deathmatch, Domination, Hardpoint, and Kill Confirmed)
- Ground War
MW3 missing game modes
There have been plenty of fan-favorite game modes that won’t be around for the MW3 release date, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be added later down the road.
Here are the game modes that could be added to Modern Warfare 3 in the future:
- Control
- Domination
- Free For All
- Gun Game
- Headquarters
- Search and Destroy
Control
The attacking team must capture two points on the map to win the game. Both teams have 30 lives, forcing players to rethink how they approach combat as their respawns are limited. Attackers must capture both points to secure one point, after which the teams swap over so the attacks become the defenders. The first team to acquire three points wins.
Domination
There are three objectives split into A, B, and C that teams must fight to maintain control over. It takes ten seconds to capture each point, but the enemy team can contest the point by standing on it at the same time. As teams hold an objective, they gain one point per second. The team that reaches the score limit wins the game.
Free For All
As the name implies, each player must fend for themselves as they fight against up to 11 other soldiers. The player with the most amount of points after the time limit ends wins the game.
Gun Game
While aspects of Gun Game change depending on the game, certain principles always stay the same. Players are given a weapon that they must land a kill with, after which the weapon transforms into a new gun. This weapon might be in the same class, or it could be something entirely different. As players progress through the levels, the guns typically get harder to use until you reach the last level where you have to kill someone using a knife.
Headquarters
Teams must work together to fight to capture the Headquarters. Whoever holds the Headquarters has respawns temporarily disabled as they fight to defend the capture point from the enemy team. Once the Headquarters goes down, a new capture point is established somewhere on the map.
Search and Destroy
If you’ve ever played Counter-Strike, this mode should sound familiar. One team must plant a bomb on the map in two designated zones, the other team has to defend against the attacking team. There are no respawns in this mode, and the defending team can lose if the bomb explodes before they have the time to defuse it.
Those are all of the game modes you need to be aware of in Modern Warfare 3. In case you aren’t aware, MW3 cross progression makes it easy for people who own Modern Warfare 2 to rank up in the multiplayer game. We also have a MW3 voice actors cast list to read just in case you recognize one of the raspy voices in the campaign.
