'Call of Duty: Black Ops 3' now available as a multiplayer-only version on PC

Video game publisher Activision launches a multiplayer-only version of its massively popular first-person shooter "Call of Duty: Black Ops 3."

Called the Multiplayer Starter Pack, on the game's Steam page, Activision explains that this multiplayer-only version of the game "allows you to experience the ranked Multiplayer game mode of Black Ops III." The publisher also states that the Multiplayer Starter Pack has "limited content."

The "Call of Duty: Black Ops 3" Multiplayer Starter Pack offers access to Public Ranked Multiplayer matches and features that include Weapon Paint Shop, Gunsmith, Arena, Freerun, Theater, and the Black Market.

This version of the "Call of Duty: Black Ops 3" lacks other features from the main version of the game, such as the campaign game mode, the zombies game mode, the ability to play in custom multiplayer games and the ability to Prestige (progress is capped at level 55 in the Multiplayer Starter Pack).

Multiplayer Starter Pack players will also be unable to access the recently announced modding and mapping tools, which will allow players to create their own maps and game modes. Players of the main PC version of "Call of Duty: Black Ops 3" can expect those tools to be released later this year, GameSpot reported.

Although the Multiplayer Starter Pack is missing many much-loved features from the main game, this pared down version of the first-person shooter is also a lot cheaper. It costs $15, with the option to pay an extra $45 to upgrade to the full "Call of Duty: Black Ops 3" package. It should also be noted that the Multiplayer Starter Pack will only be on sale until Feb. 29 on Steam, after which point it will become unavailable.

Many fans of the "Call of Duty" series have praised Activision's decision to release this version of the game, calling it a good entry point for new players who have never played the series and for existing fans unsure of what to expect from the latest game in the franchise. "Call of Duty: Black Ops" has also bucked the series' recent sales decline, as Eurogamer reports, and so some are also seeing this is a good way for Activision to increase its profits, encouraging those who would rather play multiplayer instead of the game's story campaign.

Watch footage from "Call of Duty: Black Ops 3's" multiplayer below.