The short answer is no, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2‘s campaign is not free to play in 2023. You‘ll need to purchase the full Modern Warfare 2 game to experience the thrilling story campaign. However, there have been some limited-time free access events that gave players a taste of multiplayer and Spec Ops modes.
As a fellow gamer and Call of Duty fan, I‘ll provide an in-depth look at everything you need to know about MW2‘s pricing and free trial events. Read on to get the full breakdown!
A Recap on Modern Warfare 2
Let‘s start with a quick recap. Modern Warfare 2 is the latest entry in Activision‘s blockbuster Call of Duty series. It‘s a direct sequel to 2019‘s Modern Warfare reboot and continues the narrative with returning characters like Captain Price and Ghost.
MW2 launched on October 28, 2022 for PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. It was developed by Infinity Ward, who last worked on the original Modern Warfare 2 back in 2009.
The game includes a thrilling single-player campaign, co-op Spec Ops missions, and several multiplayer modes. It‘s being praised for its stellar gameplay and production values.
Campaign Is Not Free – Requires Full Purchase
Now to answer the question clearly: No, Modern Warfare 2‘s campaign is not free to play in 2023.
The campaign is a full cinematic, story-driven experience similar to past Call of Duty games. To access the campaign, you‘ll need to purchase the full Modern Warfare 2 game.
The standard edition costs $69.99 on console and $59.99 on PC through Battle.net. There is no way to play just the campaign for free.
Here‘s a quick breakdown of what‘s included with the base version:
- Single-player story campaign
- Competitive multiplayer
- Co-op Spec Ops missions
- DMZ extraction mode
All of these modes require the paid version – there is no free campaign access even in 2023.
Early Campaign Access for Pre-Orders
There was a special Early Access event for those who pre-ordered MW2 digitally. They got access to the full campaign up to a week early on October 20, 2022.
However, this was only for paying pre-order customers, not free for everyone. It gave fans a head start on the story before launch day.
So while pre-ordering allowed early campaign access, you still had to pay for the game. No freebies!
Limited Free Trial Events
Now, Activision HAS held some free trial events that gave players a taste of Modern Warfare 2, but these did not include full campaign access.
For example:
March 2023 Free Access – 5 days of free MP access from March 16-20. This was limited to 6 maps and modes, no campaign.
Holiday 2022 PlayStation Trial – 10 hours of playtime from Dec 16-20 across MP and Spec Ops. Campaign was capped at just 2 hours.
So in summary, the full MW2 campaign has never been playable for free. Only multiplayer and Spec Ops have seen temporary free access events. Don‘t expect the campaign to become free anytime soon!
Warzone 2.0 Is Free-to-Play
One important note – Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 is completely free to play!
Warzone 2.0 is the sequel to the popular free battle royale experience. It launched alongside MW2 but does not require owning the base game.
Warzone 2.0 takes place on the brand new Al Mazrah map and includes a new DMZ extraction mode. This is entirely separate from Modern Warfare 2‘s content.
So if you‘re looking for free Call of Duty action, Warzone 2.0 is your best bet. But the MW2 campaign still remains paid-only in 2023.
Cost Breakdown Summary
Let‘s recap the pricing breakdown across Modern Warfare 2‘s various modes:
- Campaign – Paid Only, $59.99+
- Multiplayer – Paid, $59.99+
- Spec Ops – Paid, $59.99+
- DMZ – Paid, $59.99+
- Warzone 2.0 – Free!
I hope this detailed breakdown clarifies exactly what content is free vs. paid in Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2.0 as of 2023. Let me know if you have any other questions!
Why Isn‘t the Campaign Free?
You might be wondering – why doesn‘t Activision just make the MW2 campaign free to play?
As a fellow gamer, I can speak to why Activision still charges full-price for the game:
Development Costs – MW2 is a massive, big-budget production. The campaign experience alone takes huge resources and manpower to create. Activision needs revenue to justify spending on future titles.
Maintains Value – Keeping the campaign paid retains the perceived value of Call of Duty releases. If all modes went free, it would dilute the premium status of new titles.
Incentivizes Purchasing – Having a paid campaign incentivizes buying the full game for the complete experience. Players still see great value in the content.
Warzone Draws Free Players – With Warzone 2.0 being free, Activision already attracts free-to-play users into the Call of Duty ecosystem without giving away everything.
As a fellow gamer, I do think Modern Warfare 2 offers incredible value even at $70. The campaign, multiplayer, and co-op provide endless hours of entertainment!
Can We Expect Future Free Access?
Is there a chance the MW2 campaign could go free someday? Based on past Call of Duty games, it‘s unlikely to go fully free until the next new title is out.
We‘ll probably continue to see limited multiplayer trial events, but I wouldn‘t expect the full campaign to be playable for free until the next game‘s marketing cycle starts ramping up.
For now, MW2‘s campaign remains a paid experience throughout 2023. But you can likely expect free access events for the next Call of Duty game next year!
So that sums up the scoop on whether Modern Warfare 2‘s campaign is free or not. Let me know if you have any other questions! I‘m always happy to provide tips and info to fellow gamers. Enjoy the action!
