Is Rio Coming to MW3 Ranked Play in Season 2? Answered

After Rio received a primarily positive response from the community, fans are wondering if the recently released map is coming to MW3 Ranked Play in Season 2.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Season 1 Reloaded brought massive changes to multiplayer. Not only did the update introduce new Hardpoint hills and spawns for four of the five competitive maps, but it also featured the highly anticipated release of Ranked Play. Plus, the developers added Rio to the long list of 6v6 maps in MW3. However, unlike previous map releases, like Meat and Greece, Rio is a viable map for competitive Call of Duty, especially after the conclusion of Call of Duty League Major 1.

As hype builds around Rio, rumors are circulating that it could be the first original MW3 map to enter the competitive rotation.

Is Rio Coming to MW3 Ranked Play in Season 2? Answered

Yes, Rio is likely coming to MW3 Ranked Play in Season 2. Although Activision has not confirmed the addition to the Ranked map pool just yet, the map is well on its way to entering the competitive rotation.

OpTic Texas coach and analyst, JohnPaul "JP" Krez, confirmed the map is being tested in scrims post Major 1. Check out the clip from Sam "Octane" Larew's Twitch stream below.

At the moment, it sounds like Rio is likely to join the CDL map rotation ahead of Major 2. Toronto Ultra's Thomas "Scrap" Ernst posted on X, "Rio SND came in for Skidrow….Hopefully you guys are all excited for a year full of Terminal!!!"

At the time of writing, we are still awaiting confirmation from the CDL that Rio has indeed been added as only Search & Destroy map, especially when it has great potential as a Hardpoint map.

As Scrap alludes to, it is no secret the respawn maps in MW3 are less than ideal, especially with the spawns in the latest update; Rio could save both the players and the viewers the experience of having to load into or watch another Terminal HP.

If the map does officially get added to the CDL map pool, then rest assured it will find its way into Ranked Play shortly after.

Here's All MW3 Ranked Play Season 2 Rewards

As fans wait for Rio to come to Ranked Play, they can still get started earning the following MW3 Ranked Play Season 2 rewards:

• Win 5 Ranked Matches: “MWIII Season 2 Competitor” Sticker
• Win 10 Ranked Matches: “Pro Issue MCW” Weapon Blueprint
• Win 25 Ranked Matches: “Farmed Them” Charm
• Win 50 Ranked Matches: “Hard Day’s Work” Weapon Decal
• Win 75 Ranked Matches: “MWIII Season 2 Competitor” Loading Screen
  
• Win 100 Ranked Matches: “MWIII Season 2 Ranked Veteran” Weapon Camo

MW3 Season 2 drops on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024, at 12 p.m. ET.