All MW3 Hardpoint rotations

One, two, three, four, five, one again.

A squad of players fires their guns in Call of Duty.
Image via Activision

Hardpoint, a Call of Duty staple, is back for Modern Warfare 3 and brings the team-oriented mode to the classic Modern Warfare 2 maps for the first time.

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Each map has five hardpoints, each open for capture for 60 seconds. Your team must solely enter and hold within the hardpoint zone, scoring a point for every second held. After a minute the point will rotate to a new location—but the order of the spots is always the same. If you know when and where the next hardpoint will spawn, you’ll have a huge leg-up over your opponent.

The Hardpoint game mode is also featured in the Call of Duty League, the game’s top-flight competition for the pros, but not every map is selected as it may lack the proper edge.

UPDATE:

This list is accurate as of MW3 Season Four and the addition of Tokyo and Paris, which went live on May 29, 2024.

Here is the Hardpoint rotation order for each map in MW3, starting with those chosen for the CDL.

All Hardpoint locations and rotation orders in MW3

All Call of Duty League MW3 Hardpoint maps

There are five Hardpoint maps used in the CDL, with 6 Star, Karachi, Rio, Sub Base, and Vista currently active in the pro map pool according to Competitive Settings V 1.1. Check back over time in case certain maps are rotated in or out of the competitive pool.

6 Star

A screenshot of the MW3 map 6 Star with hardpoint order shown.
Just four points remain for 6 Star. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Karachi

An overhead shot of Karachi in Modern Warfare 3 with the five hardpoints marked in order.
Less compact than before. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Rio

A screenshot of the CoD tactical map of Rio with Hardpoint hills shown in order.
A map with a bit of everything. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Sub Base

An overhead shot of Sub Base in Modern Warfare 3 with the five hardpoints marked in order.
The submarine hardpoint is gone, rejoice. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Vista

A screenshot of the CoD tactical map of Vista with Hardpoint hills shown in order.
Open air and inner hallways make for an enjoyable experience. Screenshot by Dot Esports

All Season Four MW3 Hardpoint maps

The remaining maps were not chosen for CDL Hardpoint picks, and for the most part, there’s a good reason. The map must be sized well and offers a great mix of combat styles or balanced points across all five capture zones. The maps may also have just recently been added to the game, so it’s not clear whether they are competitively viable yet.

These maps simply don’t cut the mustard, but you can still play them in MW3’s multiplayer. We will continue to update this with more maps as more are added in MW3.

Paris

A screenshot of the MW3 map Paris with hardpoint order shown.
Un croissant, s’il vous plaîts. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Tokyo

A screenshot of the MW3 map Tokyo with hardpoint order shown.
Play a little pachinko while you capture Point Four. Screenshot by Dot Esports

All Season Three MW3 Hardpoint maps

Checkpoint

A screenshot of a map of Checkpoint in MW3 with Hardpoint locations marked.
Hardpoint Five is very hard to defend. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Emergency

An image of a map in Call of Duty with the order of Hardpoints displayed.
Ah, a hospital, in case I get shot capturing the point. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Grime

A screenshot of a map of Grime in CoD: MW3, with its Hardpoints marked.
The canal doesn’t seem to be of much use here. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Growhouse

An image of a map in Call of Duty with the order of Hardpoints displayed.
Tight vents and corridors mean plenty of entries and exits here. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Tanked

An image of a map in Call of Duty with the order of Hardpoints displayed.
I’m sorry but the gift shop is closed. Screenshot by Dot Esports

All Season Two MW3 Hardpoint maps

Das Haus

A screenshot of the minimap of Das Haus with the Hardpoints selected.
This map is a tad too small for Hardpoint. Image via Dot Esports

Departures

A screenshot of the CoD tactical map of Departures with Hardpoint hills shown in order.
Don’t miss your flight. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Dome

A screenshot of the CoD map Dome with each hardpoint shown in order.
You’ll be bouncing all over Dome chasing the hardpoint. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Shipment

A screenshot of the CoD tactical map of Shipment with Hardpoint hills shown in order.
I don’t recommend Hardpoint on Shipment. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Stash House

A screenshot of the CoD tactical map of Stash House with Hardpoint hills shown in order.
Somehow worse than Shipment. Screenshot by Dot Esports

All Season One MW3 Hardpoint maps

Afghan

An overhead shot of Afghan in Modern Warfare 3 with the five hardpoints marked in order.
Hope you’ve got a Trophy System for point one. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Derail

An overhead shot of Derail in Modern Warfare 3 with the five hardpoints marked in order.
A bit too large for Hardpoint. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Estate

An overhead shot of Estate in Modern Warfare 3 with the five hardpoints marked in order.
A sniper’s paradise. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Favela

An overhead shot of Favela in Modern Warfare 3 with the five hardpoints marked in order.
As chaotic as the infrastructure. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Highrise

An overhead shot of Highrise in Modern Warfare 3 with the five hardpoints marked in order.
A fun map for Hardpoint that didn’t make the CDL cut. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Invasion

An overhead shot of Invasion in Modern Warfare 3 with the five hardpoints marked in order.
A slight tweak on hardpoint locations compared to launch. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Quarry

An overhead shot of Quarry in Modern Warfare 3 with the five hardpoints marked in order.
Plenty of elevation changes here. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Rundown

An overhead shot of Rundown in Modern Warfare 3 with the five hardpoints marked in order.
Does Rundown actually have any fans? Screenshot by Dot Esports

Rust

An overhead shot of Rust in Modern Warfare 3 with the five hardpoints marked in order.
I can’t believe this didn’t make the cut! (Sarcasm) Screenshot by Dot Esports

Scrapyard

An overhead shot of Scrapyard in Modern Warfare 3 with the five hardpoints marked in order.
Slightly too small for Hardpoint. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Skidrow

An overhead shot of Skidrow in Modern Warfare 3 with the five hardpoints marked in order.
A great balance of long and short sight lines. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Terminal

An overhead shot of Terminal in Modern Warfare 3 with the five hardpoints marked in order.
Point 4 has been moved forward a touch. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Underpass

An overhead shot of Underpass in Modern Warfare 3 with the five hardpoints marked in order.
From KorTac spawn to Specgru in 60 seconds. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Wasteland

An overhead shot of Wasteland in Modern Warfare 3 with the five hardpoints marked in order.
Way, way too big for Hardpoint. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Greece

An overhead shot of Greece in Modern Warfare 3 with the five hardpoints marked in order.
A fairly classical take on an FPS map with three distinct lanes. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Meat

An overhead shot of Meat in Modern Warfare 3 with the five hardpoints marked in order.
Even we could tell you this was a bad idea. Screenshot by Dot Esports
Author
Image of Nicholas Taifalos
Nicholas Taifalos
Weekend editor for Dot Esports. Nick, better known as Taffy, began his esports career in commentary, switching to journalism with a focus on Oceanic esports, particularly Counter-Strike and Dota. Email: nicholas@dotesports.com
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