Available since November 11, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III has attracted a lot of attention. If the development of the game does not seem to have been easy, what about its performance on consoles? Digital Foundry has obviously looked into the matter, and here’s what you need to remember.
Similar graphics quality on Xbox Series X and PS5
As is often the case, we first notice that the graphic quality is similar between the Xbox Series X version and the PS5 version of the game.
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Both consoles offer dynamic 4K for a rather decent result, but Digital Foundry nevertheless notes that the image reconstruction is sometimes broken, particularly on the first frame which follows a camera change, with a minimum resolution of 1080p.
Apart from this concern, experts note a slight difference in the colorimetry between the two consoles during the first mission, but overall they are very close and both offer a good visual experience.
Satisfactory performance on both consoles
As for the framerate, the game runs at 60 FPS most of the time and offers a satisfactory experience on both machines during its campaign. Digital Foundry nevertheless highlights slight fluctuations more present on Xbox Series
Generally speaking, the game also offers decent performance in multiplayer, whether on small maps or more open environments as well as zombies mode, which highlights the scalability of the engine.
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Both consoles also offer a 120 Hz mode which generally runs between 80 and 100 FPS in campaign mode, and a more stable 120 FPS in multiplayer, especially on remastered maps.
Players equipped with VRR compatible screens also benefit from a slight boost in controller responsiveness in hand, and smoother movements on screen.
A rather pretty Xbox Series S version…
As for the Xbox Series S, Digital Foundry begins by praising the visual quality of the game given the power of the machine, with a target resolution of 1440p maintained most of the time. However, there are also some glitches with image reconstruction, which can lead to a resolution of 720p in certain cases.
Compared to the Xbox Series X version, the Xbox Series S offers lower image quality, which is particularly noticeable on vegetation and barriers, which impacts visibility.
Reflections in SSR are also singled out, and are considered less fine and less precise, while the level of geometric detail is also slightly lower. The display distance, textures and even shadows are, however, identical between the two versions.
… but inconsistent performances!
Microsoft’s small console, on the other hand, has a lot of trouble maintaining its framerate, and the game generally runs between 40 and 60 FPS in the campaign mode.
The Digital Foundry expert claims that this is the least stable experience offered by a Call of Duty game on Xbox Series S to date, and while indoor environments are less impacted, it is clear that the machine has not not been the studio’s priority during optimization.
In multiplayer, the situation is more pleasing with a framerate approaching 60 FPS on the majority of the 16 multiplayer maps available.
The 120 FPS mode is also present on Xbox Series S, but struggles to convince, especially in the campaign; the machine struggles to exceed 80 FPS, and generally hovers around 60 FPS. In multiplayer, the observation is generally the same, although the framerate is slightly higher on small maps and in less busy areas.
The expert believes, however, that we are losing parity between machines in multiplayer, and that PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X players potentially have a big advantage in visibility and fluidity compared to Xbox Series S players in the 120Hz mode.
You’ll find Digital Foundry’s full analysis with console-specific details in the video below.
Remember that Call of Duty Modern Warfare III is available now on Xbox Series X|S, PS5 and PC, and that our full test can be found at this address.