Call of Duty (CoD) Games in Order

Last Updated on February 17, 2022 by OoS

We have ranked ALL the CoD games in order from Old to New! (2003 – 2022)

Call of Duty (Cod) is one of the longest and best-selling game series of all time. Ever since its debut in 2003, the gaming industry has never been the same again. The game was always the innovator – the pioneer that set the standards for FPS especially when it comes to multiplayer.

From its humble beginnings as a WWII first-person shooter to what we see now as the biggest name in action games, Call of Duty has sold millions of copies and won the hearts of the mainstream gaming community. You have seen it several times on the news, references in movies and more recently due to the security breach, perhaps video game companies should considering hiring cyber security firms like Aptive to perform more in depth penetration testing to help identify security issues before they are discovered by real hackers.

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Whether you are a fan of the franchise or not, Activision’s #1 IP keeps dominating the annual charts when it comes to sales. In this article, we will take a look at every CoD game from A to Z and give a brief review for each: the single player campaign, the multiplayer, the presentation and the sounds.

Prologue: Medal of Honor: Allied Assault 

Before Infinity Ward became what we know today, their former name was 2015 – the developer behind the iconic EA’s Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. However, they wanted to stray from the cinematic storylines and focused on a more realistic scale where you, as a player, feel vulnerable just like the dying NPCs that surround you. Thus, a lot of the members from 2015 established Infinity Ward and was brought in by Activision. From here, Call of Duty was born.

Call of Duty (2003) 

On October 29, 2003, Activision released the first ever Call of Duty game. It was – at the time – very groundbreaking. 

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First person shooter games always made you feel like a one-man army who is out to save the world from destruction. Unlike Half-Life, Goldeneye, Halo: Combat Evolved, Doom, and even Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, Call of Duty made you feel like a nameless soldier on a battlefield.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbaO9_DIdeY

Storyline, Visuals  and Atmosphere

Distancing from other FPS games, CoD focused more on AI squads that help you push forward on your objectives and finish the level. Without them, you will die easily just like any trooper. In fact, there is not even an actual story to the campaign – you play in 3 different Allied factions: the Americans, the Russians and the British. The main plot of each campaign is straightforward: defeat the Nazis. 

There are no surprising twists or even an ounce of character building. However, what it does have is the fearful atmosphere and the soldiers around you – every soldier has a name and position and they constantly scream and let out emotions from cowardice to patriotism. When they die, they die for good. The game is very linear, but the pacing is also unscripted (except for key scenes); you will never know who’s who that gets shot first or who survives in the end. The opening sequence for the Russian campaign (obviously inspired by the movie Enemy at the Gates) still sets as one of the best scripted scenes in shooter history.

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Eventually, CoD got its own expansion pack called Finest Hour – larger battles and more challenging gunplay bundled in a span of 4 hours.

Gameplay and Sound Design

Call of Duty set a new standard in first-person shooting mechanics. Unlike Counter-Strike, Unreal Tournament, Half-Life or even Halo, you will need to use iron sights in order to kill your enemies properly; FPS games at the time only had hip-fire with the occasional sniper zoom. But with CoD, aiming is a must. Hip-fire causes large weapon spreads and your stance also accounts for precision shooting. The sprint button was not implemented at the time until CoD4.

Every gun felt beefy with lots of firepower – even the pistols in the game.

The sounds in the game still hold up to modern standards because of how immersive the background sound scoring and gunplay come together. Complement that with some heavy orchestral music and you have a top quality action game.

Multiplayer 

During this time, CoD never focused a lot on multiplayer. It did have but it was generic as you think: Team Deathmatch, CTF, Domination – all that while you use a premade class. The maps were okay; they did have the classic weapons though – something that you never see in CoD anymore after the 3rd installment.

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Call of Duty 2 

Call of Duty 2 was the flagship next-gen gaming in 2005 for the Xbox 360 and PC. Take the first game and put it on steroids and you have CoD 2 – a sequel that increased the intensity on a massive scale. It was also the first CoD to implement regenerating health – a feature commonly seen in modern FPS games.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMaOIhzCi-4

Storyline, Visuals and Atmosphere 

Much like the first, missions are based on real-life operations from the US, British and Russian theatres of war. This time around, you can alternate between the 3 campaigns as long as you unlocked them. 

This was also the game that introduced everyone’s favorite CoD character: Captain Price. 

As far as the theme and atmosphere goes, CoD 2 feels more violent and heavier than ever – seeing hundreds of soldiers charging towards the enemy lines while buildings are up in smoke and flames. In fact, CoD 2 aged well thanks to its cinematic presentation and fear it gives off that tells a lot about the second world war.

Hill 400 and capturing Pointe Du Hoc still remains as one of the best game and level design ever made for the series – and even for shooter games.

Gameplay and Sound Design 

As previously mentioned, CoD 2 introduced regenerating health that is still used by a lot of current shooter games. Some say that ruined shooter games but most players didn’t find that annoying – especially for CoD 2 where there are literally hundreds of things happening all around you at once. Gameplay has not changed much – hip fire shooting causes large weapon spreads and iron sights increase accuracy. However, you can now hold your breath while aiming with a sniper rifle in order to steady your aim.

The sound design is spectacular even to this day as soldiers scream at known enemy positions, gun fire from distances, the revving of airplanes from the sky and constant explosions. The guns sound substantial too.

Multiplayer 

You’d be surprised to know that a lot of people still play CoD 2 multiplayer to this day (on Steam, specifically). It definitely plays like CoD 4 minus the sprint and custom classes.

Call of Duty 3 

In 2006, Call of Duty 3 was released but this time developed by Treyarch – famously known for Spider-man and Spider-man 2: Enter Electro. 

CoD 3 started 2 major issues: 1. it was the only CoD game that didn’t have a PC release, and 2. It felt like a huge step backward from its mega predecessor.

Due to these, CoD 3 was one of the weakest games in the series in terms of sales. But, the campaign and multiplayer speak on a different level. 

This was also the CoD game that sparked the annual release of the series.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDfQ18eioM4

Storyline, Visuals and Atmosphere  

Treyarch wanted to do a different style of storyline: 4 campaigns set in one theatre of war: the battle of Normandy. You may think it’s small but what CoD 3 excelled here was non-linearity. 

For example, every mission now has multiple paths to choose from and you can decide what objective you want to do first. This made the game more replayable than its predecessors. This time around, each campaign has characters that you can interact with and remain with you in the cutscenes.

The presentation may not be as crazy as CoD 2 but the 3rd game does have its great share of awesome set pieces. Graphics may show its age but it is still presentable to this day.  

Gameplay and Sound Design 

It was also the first CoD game to introduce a new physics engine that lets you play around with environmental objects and great ragdoll physics, and a QTE (quick time event) system. 

QTE may feel annoying now but CoD 3 did it right: you do not get punished for not pressing the right buttons for a short time and repeated tapping does not need to be fast. In fact, you get some interesting action sequences if you fail to do a QTE button – making actions like fighting a German who has a knife to your throat and defusing a bomb within a short period of time feel intense; a nice change of pace from all the constant shooting.

Everything else is straight-up CoD stuff from the guns to the environment. The voice acting is pretty spot-on too.

Multiplayer 

Surprisingly, this was the first CoD multiplayer to introduce tanks and jeeps in a game because the devs wanted a more grandscale approach to the maps. In terms of map design, it is quite arguable as a lot of them are too large to accommodate a few players – the same fate that CoD Ghosts will suffer from in 2013. 

As of now, servers are empty since online can only be done through PS3, Wii and Xbox 360.  

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 

“50,000 people used to live here. Now it’s a ghost town.”

2007 saw a lot of great video games: Halo 3, Mass Effect, Assassin’s Creed and Street Fighter IV. However, there is one game that truly rocked the gaming community even to this day: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. It is undoubtedly one of the greatest games of all time and one of the biggest shifts in a series. CoD4 will always remain as the benchmark for modern shooter games.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETFFyw2Btoc

Storyline, Visuals, and Atmosphere 

This time around, you play in the modern day world set in 2 different campaigns: The British SAS and the US Marines. You take on a Russian ultra-nationalist named Imran Zakhaev who is bound to eradicate the Western countries. With the help of the Al-Fulani and his Middle Eastern militia, the world is on the brink of a 3rd world war. The SAS and Marines must answer the call and put a stop to the newfound terrorism.

CoD 4 was the first game from Infinity Ward that had to rely on an original story in unique places around the Eastern hemisphere. It was also the game that introduced unique and memorable characters like Soap, Gaz, Griggs, Zakhaev, Capt. MacMillan, and – everyone’s favorite – Capt. Price. 

MW 2007 would start as the CoD game with a “ballsy” story that dealt with sensitive real-life controversies such as civilian executions, ultra-nationalism, dead children and using an atomic bomb on civilized soil. It was dark, scary and Infinity Ward truly made it clear to the player: War is hell. 

CoD 4 graphics were also leaps and bounds compared to its predecessors; even if you play it now, the game aged extremely well. 

All Ghillied Up and Shock & Awe still hold up as one of the greatest campaigns ever made in a shooting game. 

Gameplay and Sound Design 

Infinity Ward used the basis of Cod2’s gunplay and improved it significantly on CoD4. This time around, weapons have realistic recoil to it and weapons can have multiple attachments. 

AI has also been drastically improved, constantly forcing you to make quick decisions as enemies know how to outflank you and put you in an open spot. Allies are also more reliable now as they can even save you from impending death…most of the time.

Sound design is top-notch as the music, guns, background noises and voice acting are spotless.

Multiplayer 

This was the moment when multiplayer became the epicenter of CoD. It was the first multiplayer mode that popularized 3-lane maps, custom weapons, the perk system and killstreaks.

It was also the iconic time in gaming history that multiplayer games have become a socially accepted form of media. Even till now, it is highly regarded as the best CoD alongside its sequel, Modern Warfare 2. 

Call of Duty: World at War 

In 2008, Treyach returned with its 5th installment that sets back in WWII once again: CoD: World at War. It is perhaps the darkest and most violent world war game – and even in any Call of Duty game. While gameplay did feel recycled from MW, it was the outstanding realism of war that shook the player.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2q9grY4ubw

Storyline, Visuals and Atmosphere 

Much like what Treyarch did in CoD3, they implemented original stories based on the most reputable battles in the Pacific war and in the Soviet frontlines. Unlike before, World at War had the darkest tone in all of the series that set a new stage for an edgier CoD: extreme violence, amputations, and swearing. It was at this moment when Treyarch declared that CoD is not child’s play (which is ironic since so many kids back in the day treated the game like Fortnite). 

The game had amazing visuals and cutscenes that often feel disturbing yet alluring. World at War jolted on sensitive issues in WWII such as killing civilians, facing suicide soldiers, executing prisoners and euthanizing your fellow comrades. 

World at War still remains as the bloodiest and most violent Call of Duty game. And while people may argue that Black Ops III is more grotesque, that is because WaW’s gore and shock value felt natural to its dark realistic tone of one of history’s bloodiest wars.

Gameplay and Sound Design 

We don’t need to say much about gameplay since most of it is just straight out of MW’s system. However, the music and sound scoring do feel edgier than ever before. It was also the only CoD story that had an airplane mission.

This was also the first in the series that would garner its own popularity: Nazi Zombies.

Multiplayer 

WaW’s multiplayer mode was as good as MW – arguably even better. The map designs felt balanced, score streaks were just right, weapons felt great along with customization, and the perks were amazing. Oh, and the large maps have tanks too – a feature that will never show up again until Modern Warfare 2022.

For the players that wanted a new online experience, Zombies mode was a fresh take – a slower-paced version of Left 4 Dead with a wave-based system. It would soon get its own separate story featuring Dempsey, Richtofen, Nikolai and Takeo. 

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 

The long-awaited sequel finally arrived in 2009. MW2 was simply a more expansive experience that connects everything from the first MW. Featuring an all-new antagonist and mind-blowing multiplayer experience that nobody will ever forget, Modern Warfare 2 is arguably the best in the series ever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzwBeDV5IAY

Storyline, Visuals and Atmosphere 

You still in just two campaigns: the British SAS and the US Marines. However, Soap McTavish is now an NPC that serves as your commanding officer. The plot follows a few years after the events of CoD4. This time around, a master manipulator and ultra-nationalist Makarov wants to truly fulfill Zakhaev’s dream: to eradicate the capitalist West once and for all.

And, of course, that brings to MW2’s most controversial mission: No Russian. (SPOILER: Skip this paragraph if you don’t want to see the plot) To make the story short: you are an undercover American that pretends to be Russian in order to join Makarov’s ranks. Makarov wants to cause a war between Russia and the US by pretending to be Americans and kill civilians in the Russian airport. But in the end, Makarov knew all along that you were an American spy since he recruited you. And so, your character gets shot by Makarov and left to die in the airport while he and his crew escape. Once the Russian forensics confirmed that your character was American, Russians declare war in US soil.

It has a lot more twists and turns than MW but the whole campaign does feel over the top and exaggerated a lot of times to the point where you barely have time to rest.

Although the Washington and final missions had great tones though. Still, it was the game that made America feel vulnerable. 

Gameplay and Sound Design 

Nothing much to be said here, to be honest. MW2 is a classic example of “If it works, don’t fix it.” Gun play and sound scoring are pretty much similar with the exception of some new mechanics such as snow mobiles and breaching doors.

Multiplayer 

The online aspect became the bread and butter of MW2. Take everything good in MW and triple everything. MW2 was the pinnacle of CoD’s multiplayer career and it hit all the right spots so good. Alongside the massive multiplayer is the new coop Spec-Ops mode where you and another buddy can play through various missions from MW1 to MW2.

The new weapons, the more expansive killstreaks, the superbly crafted maps, the game-changing deathstreaks, the progression system, and the option to have the shotgun as the secondary weapon. Arguably, MW2’s multiplayer is a 10/10 and considered by many as the apex of the series.

Call of Duty: Black Ops  

2010 was the last decade of great quality games including Treyarch’s Call of Duty: Black Ops. Now set in the 50s to the late 70s, Black Ops was considered by many as the last great CoD game ever. 

Storyline, Visuals and Atmosphere 

Treyarch was always ahead of Infinity Ward when it comes to creating a great story for Call of Duty. They did a genius move of indirectly connecting World at War to Black Ops; it was an unexpected surprise to see the return of Viktor Reznov in a plot twist that naturally felt connected between the two games.

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Treyarch also retained the visceral nature of World at War and used it to their advantage during the Vietnam War and the Cuban missile crisis. It was also the most visually appealing CoD game ever in terms of level design – especially in Vorkuta. 

Gameplay and Sound Design 

For the most part, Black Ops was pretty much like its predecessors except this time you can hold the prone button while sprinting to dive. Also, you can even command helicopters.

Voice acting is top-notch as ever with an all-star cast including Sam Worthington, Gary Oldman and Ed Harris.

Multiplayer 

This time around, Black Ops’ multiplayer had more personalization than ever before. And now you can unlock killstreaks using points instead of relying on the progression system. Black Ops also contains some of the best maps in CoD history too.

And then you have the Zombies mode – back with more maps and stories than ever before.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 

In 2011, Modern Warfare 3 was the start of the CoD fatigue in which many of the fans still feel to this day. It was also the year when Sledgehammer Games assisted with the now-dying Infinity Ward. Everything else felt recycled from the graphics, to the UI to the However, it was a great conclusion to its long-running standalone trilogy.

 Storyline, Visuals and Atmosphere 

Storywise, MW3 had a great closure: while gameplay was exactly the same, the story build-up and narration were good and made sense as Infinity Ward connected all the dots since CoD4. It even has some huge sad moments and plot twists too. Also kudos to Capt. Price for being the best guy in the game. 

It has a “controversial” mission too but it was just more of a cutscene only for the sake of shock value. The WW3 theme fit in quite nicely though, and the Paris and final missions were icings on the cake.

Gameplay and Sound Scoring  

It is the same as MW2 – the guns (with some updated exceptions), the sounds, the UI. Enough said. This was also the moment when EA capitalized on the CoD fans’ boredom and made them shift to Battlefield 3.

Multiplayer 

This was honestly the most unexciting multiplayer they ever made mainly because it was purely recycled but with some added perks and moving the shotguns back to primary. If MW2 was “If it works don’t fix it”, then MW3 was “If it works again, improve on it.” 

At least Spec-Ops was a load of fun though.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 

In 2012, Treyarch released Black Ops 2 – the game most gamers call as the last true CoD game before Activision turned the IP into a major cash grab. It is the first time in the series to feature a futuristic setting.

Storyline, Visuals and Atmosphere 

Set back and forth between the 1980s and 2025, Black Ops 2 saw the return of Alex Mason and the debut of his son David Mason. It was the closure of Alex’s story and a new journey for David. It was great to see how Treyarch still manages to connect the stories in two different timelines. This time you will need to confront Raul Menendez and his rebel group Cordis Dei.

The 1980s missions were as violent as ever while the 2025 missions felt a breath of fresh air to the modern settings. It was great to see a more humanizing story for Alex, Sgt Woods and even antagonist Raul Menendez.

The best part of Black Ops 2 is how Treyarch implemented the freedom of CoD3’s campaign and added choices to the story a la Mass Effect that will affect the characters and the ending. 

Gameplay and Sound Design 

Surprisingly, Black Ops 2 had a great variety of gameplay especially with the single player campaign; there is even a mission where the game feels like turn-based RTS and – get this – a horse-riding mission in the desert. 

As for sound design, it was great to see and hear the contrasting themes between the two timelines: one felt like classic rock while the other is dubstep all around.

Multiplayer 

This time around, Black Ops introduces the Perk 10 system – a standard customization mechanic that would continue till Black Ops 4. 

Maps are more memorable than MW3, weapons feel very beefy, the perks are balanced and the killstreak system felt more unique.

However, Black Ops 2 had one of the worst Zombie releases ever until its DLCs showed up.

Call of Duty Ghosts 

In 2013, Ghosts was the black sheep in the series – it had a great vision that suffered in poor execution. Unlike how CoD2 became a flagship for next-gen gaming, Ghosts felt underwhelming as a next-gen CoD for the PC, PS4 and Xbox One.

Storyline, Visuals and Atmosphere 

This may be the weakest storyline in all of CoD but is still the strongest suit of the game. You partake in a special group called Ghosts who must stop a nation of fanatics from destroying America. Yes, the story is as cliche as you think it is. But hey, at least there’s a dog.

Infinity Ward to make the graphics look next gen but it honestly just felt more like the original engine but with better shading and lighting.

Gameplay and Sound Scoring 

It’s all the same, really. Except music scoring in Ghosts was great. Everything else just felt like MW3 all over again.

Multiplayer 

Welcome to one of the worst-crafted multiplayer games in the series – no, scratch that; it is the worst in the series. Extremely large jumbled maps with no purpose, a janky perk system and an underwhelming selection of weapons make this a disappointment.

Even their horde mode, Extinction, just felt out of touch compared to Treyarch’s Zombies.

The less said about Ghosts multiplayer, the better.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare 

2014 was Sledgehammer Games’ debut – this isn’t Modern Warfare, this is Advanced Warfare. Featuring a visually-appealing storyline and the introduction of wall-running, Advanced Warfare was a mixed bag that had the right amount of great things as well as bad ones.

Storyline, Visuals and Atmosphere 

Advanced Warfare was the most original story CoD ever got since the first Black Ops. This time, you do not answer a nation – you play as Jack Mitchell – a veteran soldier who now works for a private military corporation, Atlas – lead by Jonathan Irons. It’s all futuristic and stuff and it was the first CoD game to introduce exosuits in the series.

As for its campaign, it was very nice to see that they took notes from Black Ops 2 and offered some unscripted gameplay in order to give some replayability.

Gameplay and Sound Design  

Advanced Warfare displayed a new feature not seen in the series’ boots-on-the-ground action: verticality. This is all thanks to the exosuit system that lets you scale on top of tall heights and do wall-running. 

Guns sound crisp and futuristic while retaining some modern weaponry effects. The voice acting is good as ever as Troy Baker and Kevin Spacey contribute to the cast.

Multiplayer 

This time around, Advanced Warfare introduces a more expansive Pick 13 system which works… mostly. However, it was the refreshing verticality that made Advanced Warfare a blast to enjoy. Weapons may not feel and look as good as previous guns but most of them are alright. 

The game also features a zombie mode that lets you take advantage of the exosuit. However, some zombies also carry exosuits – which bring in a delightful twist to the gameplay.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 

Now with more sci-fi than ever, Black Ops 3 was Treyarch’s release in 2015 – the third chapter in the Black Ops series that many felt disappointed since it has no relation to any of the first two Black Ops. Oh, and loot boxes. They made their debut here.

Storyline, Visuals and Atmosphere 

For the most part, Black Ops 3 looks and feels refined… but as a supposed separate title. While the story may be deep and enticing, this does not play as a Black Ops game at all – no Mason, no Woods, no numbers inside your head. Sure, there are some plot twists and some surreal levels that felt scary but to call this a Black Ops game is a crime.

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While Treyarch did let fans down with its forgettable characters and weak story, the violence and the freedom of gameplay still stays there. It brought back the same ultra violent nature of World at War but only for the sake of shock value. 

Gameplay and Sound Design 

It was the first in the Call of Duty series to use an RPG style gameplay in the single player campaign. You can choose 3 different paths: an assault specialist, a stealth operator or a hacking engineer. The music, by the way, includes lots of great cyberpunk-esque themes.

Multiplayer 

Black Ops 3 returned with the Pick 10 system but this time, you get to use original characters as your base avatar. It was at this moment when players started to doubt Treyarch’s prowess since the multiplayer was underwhelming and it was basically a pay-to-win fiasco thanks to the lootboxes.

At least the Zombies are more expansive than ever though.

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare   

In what could be the lowest point of CoD fans, Infinite Warfare was a prime example of what happens when developers do not listen to their community. Thus, when Infinite Warfare’s trailer came out, it became the 3rd most disliked YouTube video of all time trailing behind Youtube Rewind 2022 and Justin Bieber’s “Baby”.

Storyline, Visuals and Atmosphere 

Imagine if Star Wars or Mass Effect had a CoD gameplay – that is basically what Infinity Ward’s 2016 game Infinite Warfare is. But to be honest, the story is one of the best that CoD has ever had since the first Black Ops. Although, if the game didn’t have a “Call of Duty” slapped onto the title, this would have been one of the best sci-fi shooters ever.

The voice acting is great, the graphics were superb and the fact that you can do CoD stuff in infinite space (excluding the astronaut-shooting in Ghosts) are the best parts of Infinity Ward’s game. If only they released this in an earlier year, reception would not have been overwhelmingly negative. 

Gameplay and Sound Design 

If you add lasers, killer robots and space battles onto Modern Warfare, that’s what you get in Infinite Warfare. Again, the voice acting is great and the characters are good but this just doesn’t feel like a CoD game but more of a Faster Than Light FPS spin-off – and I am saying that in a good way. 

Multiplayer 

While Infinite Warfare’s singleplayer campaign was okay, the multiplayer was wrong. Sure, Pick 10 was back but nobody really sees this as a CoD game anymore. Even in FPS, there are certain demographics too; some prefer modern, others WWI while some like sci-fi. The problem with Infinity Ward was that they tried to force the futuristic aspect to most of the community that never asked it. 

Also, maps were decent for the guns but everything else just felt out of touch. Plus the pay-to-win lootboxes made everything worse.

Call of Duty: WWII 

In hopes of making up for the angry CoD community, Sledgehammer Games brought back a long and beloved theme in 2017: World War II. However, instead of a huge step forward compared to its previous WWII games, this one felt like a leap backward.

Storyline, Visuals and Atmosphere 

Unlike before, WWII only puts you in the shoes of an American foot soldier. The basis of the story is generic but the fellow soldiers are memorable enough to be considered as one of CoD’s best characters. The visuals looked much better than what the series has ever been but unlike World at War, the violence felt more family-friendly.

In fact, there are no guts here; no amputations, no gibs, none of the horrific WWII atmosphere like what World at War has (except for some popping heads in cutscenes). Even the opening scene of D-Day felt a bit underwhelming compared to CoD2’s Pointe Du Hoc. 

In other words, the graphics are great in WWII but it didn’t have the same punch as its predecessors.

However, the biggest sin here is how unauthentic the experience is. First of all, why are there Russian weapons scattered in Normandy? No, the Germans who were on duty in Russia never transferred to France therefore there was no way for any Russian weapons to be there. 

And then, of course, you have your forced diversity in the game that ruins the whole point of the game’s theme. 

Gameplay and Sound Design 

This time around, Sledgehammer Games brought back the health bar to replace the now-annoying regenerating health. However, that does not stem out from making this a weak entry in the series. Sure, it is better than the first CoD but the series already set a standard for a grotesque WWII shooter – maybe Treyarch should have been the ones who handled this? 

Also, what’s up with the sound? For a World War-themed game, you would expect lots of screaming and background firefights but the game sounds a bit too muffled. 

Multiplayer 

Ever seen the most blatant lootbox simulator in a CoD game? Then WWII is your answer! The lobby is filled with players that keep on rolling for good lootboxes. The rewards are terrible and Sledgehammer Games even had the audacity to publicly shame you if you have a bad loot.

As for gameplay, the weapons are fine but the map designs are as questionable as Ghosts’ map diversity. 

If you want a good CoD WWII game, it should be World at War – not this one.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 

CoD used to be the frontier in FPS pioneering. However, seeing as how Activision gets greedier every year, they thought it was a good idea to remove ALL singleplayer content and focus purely on multiplayer – and what did that result? A disaster. 

Storyline, Visuals and Atmosphere 

This really should not be called Black Ops at all if nothing else from the previous installments add up to this one. Sure, it has Woods in it as well as some playable Black Ops characters but this should have been labeled something else; but instead, Activision capitalized on the name to take advantage of gullible customers.

But hey, the Treyarch violence is still there.

Multiplayer, Gameplay and Sound Design

At its best, Black Ops 4 implements a non-regenerating health and swapped it with manual healing. The best part of Black Ops 4 comes in the shooting mechanics. Unlike before, BO4 has a longer time-to-kill against another player. No more do you have to struggle with whoever shoots first wins. It still uses the Pick 10 system and every operator now has unique abilities a la Overwatch or Rainbow Six Siege. The guns feel very good too besides the fun abilities.

You have 3 modes here: multiplayer, blackout and zombies. Multiplayer is your bread-and-butter CoD gameplay. Blackout is what Activision marketed the most – a battle royale because they want a piece of that pie from Fortnite and PUBG. But in the end, it was broken and poorly optimized. And, just like Chernobyl in MW, now it’s a ghost town. As for Zombies, at least there are more maps than ever before with a much-needed theme change after WWII’s awful zombie mode. 

However, Black Ops 4 will remain as the most extorted game in the series – Activision ruined the game by implementing excessive microtransactions just after reviews said there weren’t. 

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2022) 

As a return to the TRUE series, the new Modern Warfare feels much like CoD 4: gritty, dark and weighty but with a sense of realism in gunplay. The overall multiplayer experience is dynamic and created a new level of intensity like never before in any CoD game. Also including: doors and massive player count.

Storyline, Visuals and Atmosphere 

Without a doubt, MW 2022 is the most visually-appealing Call of Duty game to date. Infinity Ward really stepped up their game and learned a lot from Infinite Warfare. It’s a return to boots on the ground action with a new sense of verticality.

As for story, it is the best one yet since the first Black Ops. While I did say that Infinite Warfare and Advanced Warfare had good stories, MW 2022 was a huge step from those two. It has a variety in gameplay and realistic cutscenes that you cannot help but stare. 

But, to be fair, MW 2022 didn’t have the same shock and awe as MW1 and 2 in order to expand the plot but rather just for the sake of everyone talking about it. Still, that does not stray from the fact that the story has been made with heart and a newfound sense of originality like CoD4.

Gameplay and Sound Design 

Aside from the amazing graphics, shading and lighting, Infinity Ward really stepped up on its gameplay and sound design. It’s as if the tables have turned: EA’s Battlefield became more like CoD but CoD became more like Battlefield. For the inexperienced, Battlefield is more strategic and slower-paced than Call of Duty. At the same time BF lets you commandeer multiple vehicles and explore areas of the map that gives you a new sense of verticality. At the same time, it always holds 64-player maps.

But now, Modern Warfare 2022 feels like the most authentic shooter for a long time. The player count is amped up to 64 players in a map and you can now crossplay between PS4, Xbox and PC players. 

As for the sound, God bless whoever was in charge of the music and sound scoring. They are delectable as the game’s graphics.

Multiplayer 

MW 2022 has to be the most robust multiplayer that the series has ever gotten. Gone are the fast-paced anti-gravity gameplay and introduced a more realistic approach much like how Battlefield 3 and 4 were. Maps are large but for a great reason now, weapon customization is the best it has ever been, the perks are more well-balanced but the spawning still needs some tuning as well as some weapons. 

But overall, this should have been what CoD was supposed to be since 2013. However, this does not make Activision any better – for worse, they may just as well implement microtransactions again in a few months after its release despite them saying they won’t add lootboxes anymore.

Spin-Offs 

We don’t need to elaborate on the spin-offs, but we have added them below for completeness:

• Finest Hour
• CoD2: Big Red One
• Roads to Victory
• World at War – Final Fronts
• Modern Warfare Mobilized
• Zombies for iOS
• Black Ops Zombies for iOS
• Black Ops Declassified
• Strike Team
• Heroes
• Call of Duty Mobile

FAQ

What is CoD Elite?

Call of Duty: Elite was an online service created by an Activision subsidiary called “Beachhead Studios” for the multiplayer part of the Call of Duty series. CoD Elite featured lifetime stats across multiple games and a number of social networking options.

What is Nuketown?

Probably the everyones favorite multiplayer map! See the video below for a run through of Nuketown:

And Nuketown 2025:

Everything You Need To Know About Clan Wars

Call of Duty Clan Wars is a game mode in the Call of Duty App that intergrates with Call of Duty: Ghosts multiplayer. It offers an inriched Clan experience by adding players into a larger conflict where any Clan player, of any skill level, can contribute to the Call of Duty Clan War by participating, and rewards them with in game items in Call of Duty: Ghosts multiplayer and in the CoD App.

So, what’s your favorite Call of Duty game of all time? Let us know!