Critics and players have raised questions about its pricing and how it fits into the overall Call of Duty franchise. Indeed, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is a standalone game that does not require ownership or purchase of Modern Warfare 2.

Previous reports revealed that Modern Warfare 3 was originally conceived as an expansion to Modern Warfare 2, but that Activision decided to make it into a full sequel. It initially was supposed to take place in Mexico, but the finished version fully rebooted the story and instead featured the villain Vladimir Makarov.