Activision and Sledgehammer Games have announced that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III is scheduled to launch on November 10.

For the first time in back-to-back years, Call of Duty returns with a direct sequel as Modern Warfare III picks up immediately following the events of last year’s Modern Warfare II. The game will allow players to continue their journey, progression, and story seamlessly.

Here are some of the details of what will be carried over to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III:

• All MWII weapons, attachments, and unlocks will Carry Forward. There will be seamless functionality between new attachments and global Weapon Platforms.
• Any MWII attachments that were considered “universal” will be available to attach to MWIII weapons, where applicable.
• In certain cases, MWII weapons carried forward into MWIII will be able to utilize MWIII attachments that you unlock, where applicable.
• The number of Weapon Platforms (a.k.a. “Receivers”) has been increased for some categories, reducing restrictions on weapon customization by allowing for core attachments to be added to your favorite MWII weapons.

An all-new campaign that continues the story immediately following the events of Modern Warfare II will be the highlight of the new game, which will contain action-packed operations ranging from signature cinematic experiences to free-form Open Combat Missions, resulting in more player choice than ever before.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III will see Captain Price and Task Force 141 face off against the ultimate threat. The ultranationalist Vladimir Makarov is extending his grasp across the world, causing Task Force 141 to fight like never before.

The game will introduce Open Combat Missions, with even greater emphasis on player choice. Players can take advantage of any operable vehicles within their area of operation, experiment with and leverage tactical and lethal equipment, and enjoy the flexibility to maneuver across the sizable landscape of a mission’s AO and approach objectives from multiple angles.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III celebrates the 20th anniversary of the series with one of the greatest collections of Modern Warfare Multiplayer maps ever assembled. All 16 launch maps from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) have been modernized with new modes and gameplay features and will be available at launch to get everyone started, while over 12 all-new core 6v6 maps will fuel post-launch live seasons.

The maps are:

• Afghan
• Derail
• Estate
• Favela
• Karachi
• Highrise
• Invasion
• Quarry
• Rundown
• Rust
• Scrapyard
• Skidrow
• Sub Base
• Terminal
• Underpass
• Wasteland

In addition to brand-new modes like Cutthroat (a competitive 3v3v3 experience), a full range of fan-favorite and innovative gameplay features will be available at launch, like choosing to play Hardpoint and Kill Confirmed on Favela, providing a refreshing multiplayer experience within these familiar environments.

Additionally, Ground War and War Modes will make a return in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, bringing three brand-new large-scale Battle Maps for the Ground War and Invasion game modes and a single, colossal War map for the legendary War Mode.

Many customization advancements and new gameplay mechanics will also be introduced over the coming weeks, but here’s a sneak peek at three innovations:

New Gameplay Innovation: Tac-Stance

Breach and clear with the new Tactical Stance feature, a perfect middle-ground between hip-fire and aiming down sights. This optional feature, available to toggle on and off during match gameplay, strikes the perfect balance between mobility and accuracy. 

New Gameplay Innovation: Evolving Loadouts

Modern Warfare III brings new levels of customization to Create-a-Class. Get ready to build your Loadout based on cutting-edge military helmets, gloves, tactical vests, boots and more, allowing you to customize more aspects of gameplay.

New Gameplay Innovation: After-Market Parts

The evolution of the Gunsmith continues with the addition of After-Market Parts. This is a special set of customization options allowing focus on your preferred and specific playstyle. After-Market Parts enable you to construct unique weapon configurations or types, and will offer new progression paths, challenges to unlock, and the use of these parts will open up new approaches to complete existing weapon challenges.

Along with the advancements and innovations, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III also heralds the return of classic mechanics such as:

• Map Voting returns, allowing players greater autonomy over their Multiplayer matches.
• Classic Minimap Behavior, with red dots indicating when an enemy is firing an unsuppressed weapon.
• All chosen Perks are available at the start of each match. 
• The Covert Sneakers Perk allows for silent movement 
• Core Multiplayer Health is increased, lengthening the Time-to-Kill (TTK).

Maneuvering also gets tweaks and abilities, including:

• You can cancel Slide animations (i.e., “slide cancel”), but Slide Cancelling does not reset Tactical Sprint.
• You can cancel a Reload during an animation (i.e., “reload cancel”).
• Mantling is faster, and you can Mantle while Sprinting.
• You can fire during and immediately after sliding, and more.

Zombies will also bring new innovations to the scene, allowing players to team up with other squads. This year, Zombies tells an involved and unearthly Dark Aether Zombies story set in the Modern Warfare universe, bringing missions across different regions that escalate in difficulty, with core Zombies features and a cavalcade of secrets to discover.

Call of Duty III: Modern Warfare III Pre-orders

Preorders are now available at the PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, Steam, and Battle.net.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III is scheduled to launch on November 10 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, and PC.