Xbox Game Passmight have its best year yet in 2025. While Xbox as a whole has seen some major struggles regarding layoffs and game cancellations, with some even claiming that2025 is Xbox’s worst year yet, it’s hard to deny that Game Pass has been excelling.
This year alone, there’s beenThe Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered,South of Midnight,DOOM: The Dark Ages,Clair Obscur: Expedition 33,Avowed,Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4,Grounded 2, and future games likeThe Outer Worlds 2,Keeper,Ninja Gaiden 4, andCall of Duty: Black Ops 7. Xbox just re-released two otherCall of Dutygames —Modern Warfare 2(2022) andModern Warfare 3(2023)— and now’s a better time than ever to experience them.
MW2 Has An Amazing Campaign
One Of The Best Of The Series
On July 29, Xbox released the newCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2andModern Warfare 3as standalone games, separate from the Call of Duty HQ app. If you’re just looking to check them out without worrying about a massive installation, this is a huge improvement, and Game Pass especially needed a big win after the problems that plaguedCall of Duty: WW2on PC Game Pass. The2022 MW2is the worst game in the series for many, butthe campaign proved to be a standout aspect.
Nicely continuing the story fromModern Warfare 2019,MW2offers one of the most diverseCall of Dutycampaigns. It has all sorts of gameplay, whether driving, sniping, or intense shootouts, butthe stealth sections are where the campaign excels. There are many moments throughout the campaign where you’re completely stripped of guns and must rely on stealth and crafted tools to get by.
The intense final encounter might bemy favorite ending section to aCall of Dutycampaign, right up there with the ending to the originalMW3. It’s a shame that the multiplayer was so bad that many forgot just how good the campaign was. Thankfully, you only need to complete the campaign and co-op to get all the achievements, so if you’re a Game Pass achievement hunter, you won’t even need to touch the multiplayer.
MW3 Offers The Best COD Multiplayer Experience Of The 2020s
Criminally Underrated
While the2023 Modern Warfare 3had an awful campaign, the multiplayer, on the other hand, was thebestCODmultiplayer in years, making it one of thebest FPS games on Xbox Game Pass. It’s a shame Activision releasedMW3as a full-priced game instead of a DLC as originally planned, because fans would have liked it much more.
MW3continues the developer’s pedigree of post-launch content.
Modern Warfare 3gives the fans exactly what they want, coming off the disastrousMW2. WhileMW2was extremely slow,MW3was exceptionally fast, and for me, it felt better to play than even the newestCall of Duty,Black Ops 6. The maps were also incredible, with most being returning favorites. However, over the course of the game’s life, many amazing new maps were added as well.
Speaking of the game’s life, Sledgehammer Games did a phenomenal job updatingModern Warfare 3over the course of the year, withregular content updates thattrump all the other newerCall of Dutytitles. Sledgehammer always does a great job of this, as seen inCall of Duty: WW2, andMW3continues the developer’s pedigree of post-launch content.
Ten years later, no otherCall of Dutygame hastopped the multiplayer ofBlack Ops 3, butMW3 2023is the closest to reaching the zenith of Treyarch’s FPS masterpiece. Even if the campaign leaves a lot to be desired, it’s at least short enough to avoid feeling like a chore.
Achievement Hunters Especially Must Check These Games Out
Double Achievements For The Same Progress
The newly released standalone versions ofModern Warfare 2andMW3brought significant changes to achievements/trophies. The standalone game apps forMW2andMW3now have their own achievement/trophy lists. It’s worth noting that these titles' achievements werepreviously included within the Call of Duty HQ app. Your progress remains intact, so if you boot up these new versions, the achievements/trophies should auto-pop.
The achievement list change also applies to PlayStation.MW2actually has two platinum trophies across Call of Duty HQ and its separate game app, so you can get two platinums by completing the list only once.
They will take a while, though, and they don’t all pop at once. Just leave the game sitting there on the main menu, and let the achievements pop one after another. However, Xbox did something incredible here, as theachievements/trophiescarry over both ways.
I was expecting that Xbox would discontinue the old Call of Duty HQ achievements, but this is a huge win for all achievement hunters alike. While Xbox certainly makes its mistakes, these newly separateCall of Dutytitles were phenomenally executed. If you’ve never played these games before, it’s a great time to check them out onXbox Game Pass.
