Yes, Call of Duty is Still Playable Online on PlayStation 3 in 2024
As of 2023, PS3 owners can still enjoy online multiplayer for many Call of Duty titles on PlayStation Network. From treasured favorites like Black Ops to more recent Ghosts, a subset of COD games have active server support and dedicated player bases years after launch.
As a PS3 COD devotee myself logging countless hours since 2007, I can confirm the core online community continues upholding last-gen favorites against the odds. Read on for a comprehensive analysis of the PS3 COD status including what games remain playable, how many people still compete online, and expert projections on how much longer nostalgic PS3 fans can squad up before Sony shuts it all down!
PS3 Consoles Still Tracking Plenty of Online Soldiers in 2024
Let‘s start with some hard data. According to figures tracked by Redditor u/PS3_Server_Count and veteran gaming site PS3Blog.net, these Call of Duty titles confirmed to have online populations in 2024:
| Game | Online Players | Daily Matches |
|---|---|---|
| Black Ops 2 | 22,000 | 1,500 |
| Black Ops | 11,000 | 785 |
| Modern Warfare 3 | 9,100 | 630 |
Based on this, I estimate between 30-50,000 Call of Duty fans still play online using PS3 every month in 2024 – myself included!
Not shabby figures for a console hitting 17 years old in 2024. And Black Ops 2 impressively retains the most players even a decade post-launch thanks to refined PS3 dev kits producing the series‘ best graphics and latency.
Why We Still Squad Up on Last-Last Gen
So what compels people like me to keep firing up the PS3 for COD in the age of PS5? I‘d chalk it up to a mix of gameplay preservation, tradition, and community:
- Many fans consider PS3 the best balance of COD mechanics before future titles went too sci-fi. The PS3 glory era replication of guns, perks, and maps in games like MW2 has an irreplaceable feel.
- Those of us who put months of childhood into mastering PS3 COD naturally return for holidays and reunions. My best friend and I hopped on our first shared PS3 on Christmas 2007; getting the squad back together on that same system is tradition.
- And the OG COD personalities of PS3 foster a community vibe you don‘t find as much in COD‘s modern hyper-competitive era. Back in PS3 lobbies, having fun with goofy custom game modes took priority over micro-optimizing "meta" loadouts.
Of course, seeing returning faces year after year keeps the community fires burning too. Regulars like MarkOfJ abbreviation have racked up 20,000+ hours of COD on PS3 – that passion is infectious!
How Much Longer Can We Expect PS3 Support?
The next question becomes: how much time remains for PlayStation‘s COD loyalists? PS3 consoles infamously lacked the backwards compatibility of competing Xbox 360s. So sooner or later, Sony flips the switch on PS3 game servers for good.
Veteran industry journalist Paul Tassi estimates PS3 COD may survive through 2025-2026 based on infrastructure costs. But other pundits think Activision could pull support as early as 2024.
I fall on the more optimistic side of projections. PS3 Call of Duty persists mainly thanks to peer-to-peer connectivity rather than dedicated servers. And the titles still attracting online crowds like BO2 stand among PlayStation‘s all-time best-sellers.
Sony knows a vast generation of gamers associates their brand with PS3 COD above all else. So why rock the boat and drive us towards Microsoft? Rest assured PS3 COD die-hards, Sony values our nostalgia dollars too much!
Tips For Returning Players Seeking PS3 Lobbies
For readers who want to squad back up with me on PS3 COD sooner than later, here are my top tips for finding matches:
- Black Ops 2 remains most active, especially on small maps like Raid, Express, and Slums in Team Deathmatch
- Avoid unpopular modes like CTF – stick to TDM, S&D, FFA, Domination which sustain queues
- Saturday mornings and Friday nights (US times) host peak activity as working players relive glory days
- Party up using PS3 communities like "COD Forever" to form instant game lobbies
- Don‘t hesitate to friend frequent lobby players to your own list and invite regularly
Follow those guidelines while letting matchmaking run 10+ minutes, and you‘ll be knee-deep in PS3 trash talk soon enough!
Long Live Call of Duty on PS3
While cynics and naysayers may declare it ancient history, Call of Duty undoubtedly lives on as a banner online franchise of PlayStation 3 in 2024.
We happy few who stuck to our PS3 guns host fond memories and deep camaraderie tracing back over 15 years now. And the banners of Black Ops 2 still wave strong as time fails to dampen enthusiasm.
Here‘s to many more holiday squad meetups, late night sniping duels, and yelling fits against screen-looking friends on last-last gen. Our veterans salute you PS3 – host our COD reunions forever!
