How to slide-cancel - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Published November 13, 2023 8:00 AM, by Larryn Bell

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 reintroduces the popular slide-cancel maneuver from Modern Warfare 2019 and Warzone, albeit with slight modifications this time around. Slide-cancelling allows skilled players to become a slippery target and avoid incoming fire. Although, this movement mechanic has been tweaked slightly for its inclusion in Modern Warfare 3, it is still worth knowing how to do for players looking to hone their multiplayer skills. This guide will go over what you need to know about how to slide-cancel on PC and consoles in Modern Warfare 3.

How to slide cancel

The steps for performing a slide-cancel in Modern Warfare 3 are the same across consoles and PC. Slide-cancelling involves initiating a slide and then cutting the animation short by pressing the slide and jump buttons while sprinting.

To execute a slide-cancel, perform the following steps:

1. Enter Tactical Sprint.
2. Double press crouch to begin sliding.
3. Press jump to cancel slide animation.

When done right, you should be able to cancel your slide mid-animation while sprinting. If you have customized your button layout, then you will have to adjust accordingly. Here are the button combinations to perform a slide-cancel in Modern Warfare 3 on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC: 

The slide-cancel is best paired with the Tactical Pads, found under the Boots section. This gear increases slide distance and allows you to aim while sliding. It is important to note that unlike the original version, Modern Warfare 3's slide-cancel does not reset the Tactical Sprint, creating a slight delay afterward that prevents players from endlessly sprinting like they once did.

For better slide-cancelling, it can help to disable the dolphin dive, which is mapped to the same button as sliding by default. To change this, you will have to go to the Controller settings within the Options menu and under the Gameplay tab change the slide/dive behavior to Slide Only. This will prevent the dive mechanic from conflicting with your ability to slide, allowing for a more responsive slide-cancel. Other useful settings include selecting Automatic Tactical Sprint and ensuring that the Slide Cancel Sprint setting is turned off.

Now that you know how to slide-cancel in Modern Warfare 3, you can now deploy this maneuver strategically during battle to gain an edge over your opponents.