Battlefield 3 vs Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009)
Battlefield 3 is an FPS open-world game from DICE (2011) while Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) is an FPS strategy game from Infinity Ward (2009).
What each one is
Steam files Battlefield 3 under FPS and Open-World. In contrast, it files Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) under FPS and Strategy.
Enjoy total freedom to fight the way you want. Explore 29 massive multiplayer maps and use loads of vehicles, weapons, and gadgets to help you turn up the heat. Every second of battle gets you closer to unlocking tons of extras and moving up in the Ranks. So get in the action.
The most-anticipated game of the year and the sequel to the best-selling first-person action game of all time, Modern Warfare 2 continues the gripping and heart-racing action as players face off against a new threat dedicated to bringing the world to the brink of collapse.
At a glance
| Battlefield 3 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 7.1/10 | 8.2/10 |
| Steam rating | Mostly Positive (72%, 19,290) | Very Positive (93%, 60,880) |
| Critic aggregate | 89/100 | 86/100 |
| Price | $39.99 | $19.99 |
| Install size | 20 GB | — |
| Steam Deck | unsupported | playable |
| Released | 2011 | 2009 |
| Developer | DICE | Infinity Ward |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Battlefield 3 vs Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009), point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Battlefield 3FPS open-world gameCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009)FPS strategy gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Battlefield 3Action, Shooter, FPSCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009)Action, FPS, ShooterThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Battlefield 3Score 7.1 · 72% on Steam · 89 criticCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) ✓Score 8.2 · 93% on Steam · 86 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Battlefield 319,290 reviews · 2 add-ons · 20 GBCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009)60,880 reviews · 2 add-onsReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Battlefield 3$39.99Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) ✓$19.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Battlefield 3UnsupportedCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) ✓PlayableValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) takes 3 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueBattlefield 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- Mobile
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) (GamingPickz Score 8.2)
- The cheaper right now: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) ($19.99)
- Better on a Steam Deck: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) (playable)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) (60,880 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
ActionMultiplayerShooterSingleplayerFPSFirst-PersonPvPTactical
Where they differ
Team-BasedDestructionViolentCo-op CampaignOpen World
Great SoundtrackAdventureLinearStrategyModdable
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Battlefield 3 is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Battlefield 3 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | Graphics card (AMD): | — |
| Minimum CPU | 2 GHz Dual Core (Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz | — |
| Minimum RAM | 2 GB | — |
| Install size | 20 GB | — |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Battlefield 3 · Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009).
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 1 accessibility feature for Battlefield 3 and 0 for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009). A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Battlefield 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) in scope?
Battlefield 3 has drawn 19,290 Steam reviews, ships 2 add-ons and installs in 20 GB. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) has drawn 60,880 Steam reviews and ships 2 add-ons.
Is Battlefield 3 or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) rates higher (8.2 to 7.1). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Battlefield 3 or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009)?
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) is cheaper right now at $19.99, against $39.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.