How to Install Call of Duty: Modern Warfare on PC and Consoles Without Downloading Warzone
As a passionate Call of Duty player and content creator, one of the top questions I get asked is: "How do I install Modern Warfare without having to download Warzone?"
It‘s a great question. With Modern Warfare‘s install hovering around 136 GB and Warzone adding another 84 GB, you‘re looking at 220+ GB to have both games installed. That‘s a ton of SSD space!
Thankfully, there is a way to selectively install Modern Warfare‘s components and avoid automatically downloading the huge Warzone pack. In this guide, I‘ll show you how it‘s done on both PC and consoles.
Step-by-Step: Installing Modern Warfare without Warzone
Here is the full process for skipping the Warzone install:
On PC
- Launch the Battle.net app
- Click on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
- Select the Options menu (next to Play button)
- Choose "Modify Install"
- Uncheck the box next to Warzone
- Confirm the modified installation
Battle.net will then download and install all of Modern Warfare‘s components except for the Warzone ones. Pretty simple!
On PlayStation and Xbox
- Access the store page for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
- Find the option to "Install Select Components"
- Only select Campaign and Multiplayer packs
- The system will avoid installing the Warzone content
Both PlayStation and Xbox make it easy to skip unused sections. This prevents Warzone from downloading automatically with the base Modern Warfare install.
"With Modern Warfare and Warzone sharing the same client, installing both games can demand over 200GB of your console‘s storage." – CharlieIntel
Why Only Install Modern Warfare‘s Components?
As a competitive Call of Duty player, you might be wondering: why avoid installing Warzone in the first place?
Here are the key reasons:
Faster download times: only installing Campaign and Multiplayer reduces the total download size from 220GB to around 100GB. So if you‘re only interested in standard multiplayer or the story mode, you can get gaming way quicker.
Save SSD space: with some SSD drives offering 1 TB or less, 220GB+ is a huge chunk of space. Removing Warzone gives your other games and applications more breathing room.
No need to delete later: once Warzone is installed, completely removing it from consoles can be tricky or impossible. So avoiding the initial install makes everything easier.
In my case, I‘m laser-focused on competitive Modern Warfare multiplayer rather than the battle royale Warzone mode. As a content creator, those faster download times are super valuable as well. So I only install the components I actually need.
Installation Requirements for Modern Warfare (2022)
If we break it down by component, here‘s the installation size as of 2022 for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare on PC and consoles:
| Component | Install Size |
|---|---|
| Campaign | 16 GB |
| Multiplayer | 32 GB |
| Special Ops | 4 GB |
| Warzone | 84 GB |
| Total (without Warzone) | 100 GB |
As you can see, avoiding Warzone cuts the total install size by over 50%! This table makes it easy to see how selective installation provides smaller, more optimized download and storage requirements.
"Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2‘s size differs depending on the platform — mostly due to texture resolution differences…" – MP1st
Now let‘s compare across platforms. While installation options remain consistent, the actual download sizes vary due to texture resolutions, audio quality, and device optimization.
Modern Warfare Install Sizes by Platform
| Platform | All Components + Warzone | Without Warzone |
|---|---|---|
| PC | 232 GB | 148 GB |
| PS5 | 270 GB | 186 GB |
| Xbox Series X | 252 GB | 168 GB |
| PS4 | 175 GB | 91 GB |
| Xbox One | 175 GB | 91 GB |
As expected, PC has the leanest install footprint while still delivering ultra graphics and high FPS gameplay. Consoles require more storage overhead for their 4K textures and controller-specific features.
But regardless of platform, you can easily avoid installing over 80 GB of Warzone content through component selection. That‘s a huge reduction in download sizes and storage space!
What Does the Future Hold for Call of Duty File Sizes?
If these numbers seem extreme already, be warned: Call of Duty install sizes will only balloon further over time.
Here are my predictions for the next couple years:
- Modern Warfare 2 (2023): 250 GB
- Warzone 2 (2023): 115 GB
- Modern Warfare 3 (2024): 300 GB
- Warzone 3 (2024): 150 GB
With 4K textures, new modes, additional equipment, extra loadouts slots, and HD audio coming…we could realistically see 500+ GB installs by 2025.
That‘s why selective component installation is so valuable – it avoids bloating your precious SSD with content you may not even use!
The Bottom Line
I hope this guide has shown exactly how to install Call of Duty: Modern Warfare while conveniently skipping the Warzone download.
No matter your reasons for avoiding Warzone (smaller downloads, saving SSD space for other games, solely playing multiplayer game modes, etc.) – the option exists on all platforms.
So free up your hard drive, optimize download speeds, and get right into Modern Warfare‘s thrilling campaign and competitive multiplayer by only installing the components you actually need.
Let me know if you have any other questions around optimizing your MW experience!
