A Call of Duty player accidentally found a third-person mode that's too cool to not come true

cod: mw season 5 release start date
(Image credit: Activision)

In a weird twist of FPS fate, one Call of Duty: Modern Warfare player accidentally discovered a third-person mode during a match of Spec Ops. Reddit user lIllIlIIlIIl posted their discovery to the Call of Duty: Warzone subreddit on Friday in a short clip demonstrating the strangely functional third-person camera.

I say strange because, as you'll see in the video below, the bug doesn't just freeze lIllIlIIlIIl's view at an overhead perspective as a traditional spectator camera would. When they aim, the camera responds like a third-person shooter by zooming in over-the-shoulder. All that's missing is the aiming reticle.

Source: lIllIlIIlIIl on Reddit

Honestly, I didn't expect to like the third-person view so much in Call of Duty. For a game that's mainly meant to be seen from the first-person perspective, character animations and models hold up remarkably well up close. It kinda looks like PUBG or, as many folks have pointed out in the comments, some alternate universe current-gen SOCOM game.

Regardless of its origins—if it's a relic of how spectating works in Spec Ops mode, or possibly some scrapped third-person option—I'm curious to know if this could be adapted to a mode that a lot more people actually enjoy, like Warzone. I'd love to know how a Warzone match would feel with third-person considerations like corner-peeking. Infinity Ward is always trying weird new variants to mix up its battle royale mode, so why not third-person? The powers that be should make it happen.

It certainly wouldn't be the first time. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 had an official third-person playlist in 2009 that supported multiple game modes. It was janky and unnatural, but a fun distraction after your fifteenth team deathmatch of the day. An official third-person Warzone mode could work for the same reasons.

lIllIlIIlIIl said in the comments that triggering the bug was an accident. They also explained how it happened, and it doesn't sound too hard to replicate. Apparently, all it took was a teammate leaving the match while lIllIlIIlIIl was reviving them. Sounds like the game got confused and just left the camera panned out.

Morgan Park
Staff Writer

Morgan has been writing for PC Gamer since 2018, first as a freelancer and currently as a staff writer. He has also appeared on Polygon, Kotaku, Fanbyte, and PCGamesN. Before freelancing, he spent most of high school and all of college writing at small gaming sites that didn't pay him. He's very happy to have a real job now. Morgan is a beat writer following the latest and greatest shooters and the communities that play them. He also writes general news, reviews, features, the occasional guide, and bad jokes in Slack. Twist his arm, and he'll even write about a boring strategy game. Please don't, though.

Latest in Call of Duty
A soldier looks out over the Verdansk map, as a single tear rolls down his cheek.
The original Verdansk map is returning to Call of Duty: Warzone, to celebrate which we get a soldier crying to Nat King Cole
black ops 6 season 1
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Season 3 has been delayed, as the devs say they're 'taking the time to deliver a great experience' for what will be a 'big moment' for Call of Duty
A zombie santa with six fingers leaps at the screen.
Call of Duty admits it's using generative AI to 'help develop some in-game assets', and suddenly all those poorly made calling cards make sense
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in Black Ops 6.
Call of Duty's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossover costs like $90 and even the die-hards are in shellshock: 'Cash cow-abunga!'
Ghost, from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022), looks bleakly at a fellow passenger in a transport.
For COD’s sake: One player’s 763-day legal quest to make Activision unban their account ends in total success: ‘Worth the effort’
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Season 2
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Season 2 will let players battle on boats and bullet-trains, with the Terminator entering the fray 'shortly after launch'
Latest in News
Collection of products to illustrate potential Amazon Prime Day deals
I'm collecting the best Amazon Spring Prime Day PC gaming deals like a bargain-hunting treasure goblin
A screenshot from SaGa Frontier 2, showing one of the protagonists wandering through a quaint fantasy village
One of Square Enix' most underrated PlayStation-era JRPGs just shadow dropped on Steam
The titular character from Princess Mononoke is depicted riding the wolf goddess Moro and carrying a spear.
Studio Ghibli AI image trend floods social media, cheered on by OpenAI and denounced by critics as an insult to Hayao Miyazaki
Marvel Rivals tier list - Wolverine
Marvel Rivals director says a future patch will reduce the shooter's insatiable hunger for RAM: 'It's a very big problem'
Hogwarts Legacy potions professor holding a potion
An unannounced Hogwarts Legacy expansion and 'definitive edition' have reportedly been cancelled
Story of Seasons - A cahacter in a purple tuxedo stands outside in a town square talking to the player
Story of Seasons is doing another Harvest Moon remake and it might be the best the series has ever looked