Early Access playthroughs suggest Modern Warfare 3's campaign can be completed in around 4 hours

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 — (Image credit: Activision Blizzard)

Early Access for Modern Warfare 3's campaign began yesterday, November 2, giving players the opportunity to experience the story ahead of the game's official release, and if the footage appearing online is anything to go by, you'll be able to comfortably blast through it in a single afternoon.

As spotted by VGC, YouTuber MarleyThirteen, who got in on the action early, managed to beat the campaign in just four hours. The player posted their full playthrough on their YouTube channel and can be seen watching the credits mere minutes after crossing that four-hour mark.

Of course, four hours for Modern Warfare 3's campaign is only a rough guide. In this instance, MarleyThirteen played on normal difficulty, so upping the challenge could potentially increase your playtime while lowering it could see you sail past the finish line even sooner - depending on your skill level. Taking the time to explore the more open levels, rather than making a beeline for the objectives, could also push that playtime up.

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Putting the length aside, players have also taken to the web to share their disappointment at the quality of the campaign. "Just finished the Modern Warfare 3 Campaign and that was so unbelievably poorly written," said Twitter user @TheGamingRevo3. "No tension. No stakes. All just felt like pointless filler."

While over on the Modern Warfare 3 subreddit, one player described it as "Probably one of - if not - the worst in the series", and another wrote, "This was by far the weakest and feels like just filler until the next game".

Following the Modern Warfare 3 reveal, fans suspected that the game began life as an expansion pack before morphing into a standalone game, and this has done little to change their minds. "Clearly originally DLC," wrote Reddit user fiveringz, before adding "So disappointed."

For more titles coming your way in the near future, check out our guide to new games 2023.

Originally from Ireland, I moved to the UK in 2014 to pursue a Games Journalism and PR degree at Staffordshire University. Following that, I've freelanced for GamesMaster, Games TM, Official PlayStation Magazine and, more recently, Play and GamesRadar+. My love of gaming sprang from successfully defeating that first Goomba in Super Mario Bros on the NES. These days, PlayStation is my jam. When not gaming or writing, I can usually be found scouring the internet for anything Tomb Raider related to add to my out of control memorabilia collection.