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Is Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 Steam Deck compatible?

To ensure you don't run into issues playing Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 on the Steam Deck, we have low-down on the game's compatibility.

An image of Price from Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, on the screen of a Steam Deck.
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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 PC games hardware Steam Deck 

Is Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 Steam Deck compatible? Loading up on the brand-new addition to the Call of Duty lineup won’t be a straightforward process on the Steam Deck, as Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 requires you to add Windows 11 to your Valve handheld arsenal. Equipping your Steam Deck with the Windows operating system will involve a series of elaborate steps, but once complete, you can get to taking down your enemies on the go in no-time.

The Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 system requirements demand a colossal 149GB worth of install space before you can take on the solo campaign, or blast your way through online matches with friends and strangers alike. Picking up one of the best microSD cards for Steam Deck will ensure you have enough storage space at your disposal, especially if you’re equipped with the 64GB model of the PC gaming handheld.

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Is Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 Steam Deck compatible?

Yes, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 is playable on the Steam Deck, however, you will need to install Windows 11 to run it, due to the game’s inclusion of Ricochet anti-cheat technology.

The release of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 marks the end of the Call of Duty exclusivity with Activision Blizzard and its Battle.net game launcher. As a result, this latest addition in the long line of COD games is available on Steam, making it easier for Steam Deck users to pick up this brand-new first-person shooter. However, even though it’s never been easier to access this brand-new COD game, running it on the handheld will require a few extra steps.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 comes integrated with the Ricochet anti-cheat technology, and while that means good things for those who want a fair fight on the battlefield, it does mean the latest COD game won’t run natively on the Steam Deck. In order to get around this, your Steam Deck will require the installation of Windows 11, which can be a tricky process.

Getting the Windows operating system to run on your handheld requires the use of a separate microSD card to boot Windows, or setting up your handheld to dual-boot both SteamOS and Windows 11. Either process involves a series of elaborate steps, and while it can get around Ricochet, it doesn’t facilitate the absence of any performance issues Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 may still have on the Valve handheld.

Until Valve provides an update, or develops a version of Proton that’s compatible with the Ricochet anti-cheat engine, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 may be better left for your desktop PC for the inevitable future.

The Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 release date is closer than ever, and while it likely won’t appear on our best Steam Deck games guide, we still have plenty of recommendations that play perfectly on the go. If you already have plenty to play, picking up one of the best Steam Deck docks will help unlock the full potential of your favorite PC gaming handheld.

Rosalie is a hardware staff writer for PCGamesN, based in Scotland. After writing about the development of adaptive game audio at the end of their music degree, Rosalie was inspired to pursue a career in journalism. They took their love of video games, and the hardware they run on, to write for sites like TechRadar and GameByte, until landing a full time role with the team at PCGamesN. When not gazing upon their ever-growing anime figure, and physical game collection, you can find Rosalie writing about everything to do with Steam Deck, as well as catching up with the latest AMD and Nvidia news.