Choose Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 2 (2009)
Choose Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 2 (2009) if it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 91.4% positive across 16,740 reviews.
Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 2 (2009) vs Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3 (2011)
Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 2 (2009) and Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3 (2011) both land in Action on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both are Action games on Steam. Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 2 (2009) (2009) is 2 years older than Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3 (2011) (2011). Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 2 (2009) scores higher on Steam reviews (91.4% positive) than Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3 (2011) (88.5% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3 (2011)
Choose Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3 (2011) if it matches what drew you to this matchup. 6,925 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 2 (2009) and Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3 (2011) sit in Action on Steam and both list Multi-player, Valve Anti-Cheat enabled, and Co-op, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 2 (2009) |  Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3 (2011) | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2009 | 2011 |
| Genres | Action | Action |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Unsupported |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 39.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 91.4% positive (16,740 reviews) | 88.5% positive (6,925 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Co-op | Multi-player, Co-op |
| Developers | Infinity Ward | Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer Games |
Side by side
- Both are Action games on Steam.
- Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 2 (2009) (2009) is 2 years older than Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3 (2011) (2011).
- Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 2 (2009) scores higher on Steam reviews (91.4% positive) than Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3 (2011) (88.5% positive).
- Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 2 (2009) is currently ~50% cheaper on Steam than Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3 (2011) (19.99 USD vs. 39.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Steam Deck: Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 2 (2009) is Deck Playable, Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3 (2011) is Deck Unsupported.
Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 2 (2009) vs Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3 (2011) — FAQ
- Which is better, Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 2 (2009) or Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3 (2011)?
- On Steam reviews Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 2 (2009) scores higher (91.4% positive) than Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3 (2011) (88.5% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 2 (2009) is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 2 (2009) or Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3 (2011) first?
- If you want chronology, Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 2 (2009) (2009) came out before Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3 (2011) (2011). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 2 (2009) and Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3 (2011) similar?
- They overlap on Action on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
- Do both Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 2 (2009) and Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3 (2011) have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 2 (2009) ships Co-op; Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3 (2011) ships Co-op.