Call of Duty 3 Gameplay (PS2)

Call of Duty 3 is a 2006 first-person shooter game developed by Treyarch and published by Activision. It is the third major installment in the Call of Duty series. It was released for PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii. It was a launch title for the PlayStation 3 and Wii in North America, Europe and Australia. It is also the only major installment to not release on PC.

The game received positive reviews on release and received several awards and nominations. Retrospective assessments have been more negative, with critics criticizing the game for lacking in innovation following its predecessors, although some noted the game featured elements that would be incorporated into later games in the series. Call of Duty 3 has placed low in lists ranking the series' games.

As of 2025, Call of Duty 3 remains the only title with officially active multiplayer servers on the PlayStation 2. Although connecting requires the use of custom DNS settings, the servers are still maintained and functional. On the original Xbox, Call of Duty 3 is playable online on Insignia, a revival server restoring online functionality to original Xbox Live capable games.

Gameplay
Call of Duty 3 is a historical first-person shooter game that has a single-player campaign mode and multiplayer mode.[2] It is open-ended, giving the player multiple paths to complete objectives, but plays similarly to the series' previous installment.[3] Players fight alongside AI-controlled teammates against enemies who use various attack patterns, hide behind cover, and regroup to improved defensive positions.[3]

A character can be positioned in one of three stances: standing, crouching, or prone, each affecting the player's rate of movement and accuracy. Two firearms can be carried, and both fragmentation and smoke grenades can also be equipped; unlike previous installments in the series, players have the ability to toss live grenades back at the enemy.[3][4] Weapons and ammo from fallen foes or friendlies can be picked up to replace weapons in a player's inventory. A player may fire from the hip or aim down the gun's iron sights for increased accuracy.[4] The compass on the heads-up display (HUD) helps the player navigate to the location of each objective.[5]

Using cover helps the player avoid enemy fire or recover health after taking significant damage. Similar to Call of Duty 2, the edges of the screen turn red and the character's heartbeat will increase in volume, indicating that the player's health is low; it can be replenished through an automatic recovery system when the character is not taking fire.