Call of Duty: MW3 Dev Clarifies Why Game Requires Absurd Amount of Storage

When gamers learned Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 would have a dizzying install size of over 200GB for all platforms, most were stunned. Now, Activision has explained why MW3 requires such an absurd amount of storage, promising the final build “will be actually smaller” for launch.

News of this comes from the official Call of Duty account on Twitter. In the post, the account explained that the massive chunk of storage required for the shooter title is due to the “increased amount of content available [on] Day 1.”

The post continued, “Including open world Zombies, support for item carry forward from MW2, as well as map files for current Call of Duty: Warzone.”

Moreover, as part of the developer’s ongoing optimization efforts, the “final installation size will be actually smaller than the combined previous Call of Duty experiences.” Supposedly, MW3 will shrink down from its over 200GB storage requirement, but Activision didn’t say by how much. 

Related: How to Get Early Access to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

One plus to this whole debacle is that players can manage their MW3 files in the “Manage Files” section of the COD HQ launcher menu if they’d like, including the ability to uninstall specific content not actively played. Leading up to the game’s release, Activision plans to share more information.

Frankly, players have reacted sourly to having to download over 200GB of storage for MW3 in a blockbuster year like 2023 with so many titles to experience.

The campaign and multiplayer features have always come packaged together for Call of Duty titles; however, as better graphic fidelity and more content get implemented into future games, splitting them might be a necessary consumer-friendly change.