Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
⤏ Go to series page | |
Call of Duty | 2003 |
Call of Duty 2 | 2005 |
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (series) | |
Call of Duty: Black Ops (series) | |
Call of Duty: Ghosts | 2013 |
Call of Duty: Online | 2013 |
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare | 2014 |
Call of Duty: Heroes | 2014 |
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare | 2016 |
Call of Duty: WWII | 2017 |
Call of Duty: Warzone | 2020 |
Call of Duty: Vanguard | 2021 |
Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 | 2022 |
General information
- Official Call of Duty series site
- Steam Users' Forums
- Call of Duty Wiki - A detailed wiki for every Call of Duty game made.
Availability
- All versions require Steam, including retail.
Improvements
Utilities
- MW3 Configuration Utility - advanced mouse and graphics settings utility.
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Multiple Profiles - allows user to hack in the feature of multiple profiles (managed in a utility external to the game).
Game data
Game files location
Save game location
-
config.cfg
is for single player,config_mp.cfg
is for multi-player
Save game cloud syncing
Template:Save Game Cloud Syncing
Video settings
Field of view (FOV)
- FOV Changer - Can adjust your field of view well beyond the game's default of 65. Thus far use has not resulted in a VAC ban for users.
Input settings
Network Settings
Port 3074 (UDP) must be open to join and host multi-player games. Unlike Black Ops, the game does not support automatic port assignment through UPnP.
Users may opt to host their own dedicated, unranked multi-player servers as an alternative to the ranked matchmaking. This requires the hosting computer to have a sufficient processor and a minimum bandwidth, and the game to be installed. The server is launched from iw5mp_server.exe
and can be configured with the play list recipes and server.cfg
in the admin folder. In order to join dedicated servers, the option must be enabled from the in-game menu under the Dedicated Server category. You may list game servers using Steam's Server list function, and view the status of any server through the Join Game dialogue, or use the in-game server browser found under the Servers menu.
Issues fixed
- A small tweak guide is available at PC Gamer
- A collection of potential crash fixes are available at Crash Fixes
General Crashing Problems
Black Screen on Start-up
With some users, a black screen will display on start-up, though game music can be heard in the background. This is caused by a collision with the Mumble voice client. Within Mumble, be sure to disable the in-game overlay, and this will solve the problem.
PC Crashing/Freezing in game
Disable Steam community in-game.
Run dxsetup.exe
located in
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\call of duty modern warfare 3\RedistDirectX\
Game Freezes during the Intro Video
Verify the integrity of your Steam game cache. Update DirectX and GPU drivers. You can also try going to your MW3 installation folderTemplate:Where? and delete the file called: “ModernWarfare3.bik” as this is the video file that is causing most of the lock up during start-ups. Pretty straightforward, but this tip has already fixed the problem for many people.
Crash to Desktop
If you’re game randomly crashes upon launching the game, ensure or try the following:
Update DirectX and GPU drivers.
Turn off SLI / Crossfire.
Try using only one GPU first (turn the other one off via your graphics control panel).
Disable anti-aliasing and filtering.
Disable V-sync.
Disable background applications; turn off your anti-virus software.
First, try setting your desktop to a resolution of 1024×768, 32 bit True Color.
All background applications should be shut down prior to running the game.
Go to the Start bar and select Run. (If you are on Vista or Windows 7, hit the Windows key and the R key at the same time)
In the Run window, type in msconfig
and hit enter.
Once the utility comes up, go to the Start-up tab and hit the Disable All button.
Next go to the Services tab and check the “Hide All Microsoft Services” check-box and then hit the Disable All button.
Hit the OK button and close the utility, and restart your computer when prompted to.
Windows XP:
Turn your sound acceleration down.
Control Panel > Sounds and Audio Devices > Volume > Speaker settings > Advanced button > Performance
Reduce the Hardware acceleration to Basic, the 2nd notch from the left.
DirectX error while loading
Change texture quality to automatic.
Cannot Install
This is a Microsoft C++ bug so the quick fix is to de-install your C++ files. If you see 2 instances of Microsoft C++, de-install both of them; and don’t worry, they are easy to reinstall. There are also a couple workarounds online if you don’t want to de-install them.
Failed to run install script
This is a common problem on Windows 7.
Locate setup.exe
for Call of Duty: MW3 and Run as Administrator
- In Steam, go to your library and right-click on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
- Now insert Disk 1 into your DVD drive and close Steam (File, Exit).
- Go to the Start Menu and either click Run (Windows XP) type Run into the Search box (Windows Vista)and click Run.
- In the window Run box enter the following:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steam.exe -install D:
- Press OK. Steam should now start the installation from Disk 1 and will ask for Disk 2 a bit later on.
At the end of the installation process, Steam will connect on Internet to download a small update which should take no more than few minutes.
Graphical issues
Multiple monitor problems
A common problem when playing on multiple screens. For now, the solution is to unplug other monitors and play on single screen. If that doesn’t work, try playing in windowed mode.
nVidia Optimus
If you’re using a newer laptop that’s using an nVidia Optimus card, try checking your Optimus settings.
- Open the “nVidia Control Panel” from your start menu.
- On the left hand side, under “Select a task…”
- Open the “3D Settings” tree, and select “Manage 3D Settings”
- On the right hand panel, click the “Program Settings” tab.
- Under '1': Select a program…”, click “Add”, navigate to your installation folder and navigate to the application / exe file.
- Under '2': Select the preferred graphics…”, choose “High-performance NVIDIA processor”
- Click “Apply”.
- Launch the game.
Low frame rate
Disable V-SYNC and Anti-Aliasing on codmw3.exe after enable/force Anti-Aliasing on AMD Vision Engine Control Center (AMD/ATI) or Nvidia Control Panel. Finally enable/force Triple Buffering and VSYNC on D3DOverrider.
Alternatively, press Ctrl+Alt+Del to bring up the Task Manager, go to processes, select the game’s respective exe file and set priority above normal or higher. You must do this every time you play the game.
Fuzzy Textures
Set Image Quality to "Native", as "Extra" up-scales the textures resulting in poor image quality.
Wide-screen Fix
- Widescreen Fixer - Modern Warfare 3 is reported to cooperate well with this application.
DirectX 9 Compatibility With Older Video Cards
Appended the game laucher with -dx9
to force DirectX 9 compatibility mode.
"seta rRendererPreference "Shader model 2.0""
in the player config for single player or multi-player respectively.
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\call of duty modern warfare 3\players2\config.cfg
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\call of duty modern warfare 3\players2\config_mp.cfg
DirectX error while loading
Change texture quality to automatic.
Audio issues
Audio issues
Windows 7 and Windows Vista: Update sound card drivers; set volume to maximum.
Another tip you could try is to go to Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Sound > Communications Tab
then select the Do Nothing
radio button to permanently fix this issue.
Windows XP users: Reduce hardware acceleration, or set your speakers to Stereo.
DirectX
C:\Windows\system32\XAudio2_1.dll is either not designed to run on Windows or it contains an error.
Type this command into Run
:
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\Steam.exe" -install D:
Control issues
Mouse problems
Shut down any software used for the mouse.
Also try a lower polling rate if the mouse has this function.
Controller
Game pad controllers are not supported by Modern Warfare 3. Please check our controller page for information about how to hack controller support into the game.
Other issues
RELIABLE COMMAND BUFFER OVERFLOW
Go through the building on the right with the broken glass, and stay in there until the end of the offices, and it will auto save.
Rank problems
MW3 will soon restore them using their cloud backup. However you will lose all progress so far. The developers are working to stabilize this issue.
Restart Steam or the computer.
DLC content is required. Required map (map name) is missing or damaged.
Make sure both the single player and multi player versions of the game are installed, and do a file integrity check. If the problem persists, reinstall the game while the anti-virus is turned off.