Every Call of Duty game, ranked
All 23 Call of Duty games we hold, spanning 2004 to 2023: 15 ranked by the GamingPickz Score and plotted below, the rest listed in release order so nothing in the series is missing. Together they carry 1,479,717 Steam reviews.
Where to start
- For the best-reviewed: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007) (GamingPickz Score 8.3), the highest-rated entry we can score.
- For canon order: begin with Call of Duty: Finest Hour (2004) and follow the release-order timeline below.
The Call of Duty games on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueThe same 15 games, plotted rather than listed. The two axes below are the ones the ranking is built from, so a game sitting high and right is a game the formula placed near the top. Change either axis to see the field a different way. Where we hold a publisher wordmark, the game is drawn as its mark rather than a dot.
15 games have both
Axes are fitted to these 15 games rather than the full 0 to 100 scale, because a filtered list shares a narrow band and would otherwise sit in one corner. End values are marked. A point on the left edge is the lowest of thesegames, not a low score.
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- Multi-platform
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Every game by critic score
The grid above is built from Steam data, so it can only place the Call of Duty games that were on Steam. This one uses the Metacritic critic aggregate, which the older console-only entries have too, so the whole series lands on a single chart: critic score against release year.
On Steam (also has a GamingPickz Score) Console-only (Metacritic only)
15 best Call of Duty games, ranked
Ordered by GamingPickz Score. Every figure links back to the source that produced it.
- 1
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007)
Best for: Playing with other people
8.3GamingPickz Scorehigh confidenceCall of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007) at a glance Released 2007 Studio Infinity Ward Player sentiment 94% positive of 27,089 Critics 92/100 Price $19.99 Steam Deck unsupported Install size Not stated Accessibility 0 declared features Raw 94% shrinks to 93.9 on 27,089 reviews, then blends with the 92 critic aggregate, giving 8.3.
Worth checking first- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
- Valve rates it Unsupported on the Steam Deck.
- 2
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009)
Best for: Playing with other people
8.2GamingPickz Scorehigh confidenceCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) at a glance Released 2009 Studio Infinity Ward Player sentiment 93% positive of 60,880 Critics 86/100 Price $19.99 Steam Deck playable Install size Not stated Accessibility 0 declared features Raw 93% shrinks to 92.9 on 60,880 reviews, then blends with the 86 critic aggregate, giving 8.2.
Call of Duty: World at War at a glance Released 2008 Studio Treyarch Player sentiment 92% positive of 53,215 Critics 83/100 Price $19.99 Steam Deck unsupported Install size Not stated Accessibility 0 declared features Raw 92% shrinks to 91.9 on 53,215 reviews, then blends with the 83 critic aggregate, giving 8.1.
Worth checking first- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
- Valve rates it Unsupported on the Steam Deck.
Call of Duty: Black Ops at a glance Released 2010 Studio Treyarch Player sentiment 91% positive of 43,106 Critics 81/100 Price $39.99 Steam Deck playable Install size Not stated Accessibility 1 declared feature Raw 91% shrinks to 90.9 on 43,106 reviews, then blends with the 81 critic aggregate, giving 8.0.
Worth checking first- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
- 5
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011)
Best for: Playing with other people
7.8GamingPickz Scoremedium confidenceCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011) at a glance Released 2011 Studio Infinity Ward Player sentiment 89% positive of 39,710 Critics No aggregate Price $39.99 Steam Deck unsupported Install size 16 GB Accessibility 0 declared features Raw 89% shrinks to 88.9 on 39,710 reviews, giving 7.8. No critics data, so that weight was redistributed across the rest rather than counted as zero.
Worth checking first- Valve rates it Unsupported on the Steam Deck.
Call of Duty: Black Ops II at a glance Released 2012 Studio Treyarch Player sentiment 86% positive of 49,344 Critics 74/100 Price $39.99 Steam Deck unsupported Install size Not stated Accessibility 1 declared feature Raw 86% shrinks to 86.0 on 49,344 reviews, then blends with the 74 critic aggregate, giving 7.6.
Worth checking first- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
- Valve rates it Unsupported on the Steam Deck.
Nintendo Wii UPCPlayStation 3PlayStation 4PlayStation 5Xbox 360
- 7
Call of Duty: Black Ops III
Best for: The safest bet on this list, by weight of evidence
7.5GamingPickz Scorehigh confidenceCall of Duty: Black Ops III at a glance Released 2015 Studio Treyarch Player sentiment 85% positive of 232,717 Critics 73/100 Price $59.99 Steam Deck playable Install size 100 GB Accessibility 1 declared feature Raw 85% shrinks to 85.0 on 232,717 reviews, then blends with the 73 critic aggregate, giving 7.5.
Worth checking first- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
- 8
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
Best for: Playing through with a friend online
7.0GamingPickz Scoremedium confidenceCall of Duty: Modern Warfare at a glance Released 2019 Studio Sledgehammer Games Player sentiment 79% positive of 44,794 Critics No aggregate Price $59.99 Steam Deck unsupported Install size 175 GB Accessibility 1 declared feature Raw 79% shrinks to 79.0 on 44,794 reviews, giving 7.0. No critics data, so that weight was redistributed across the rest rather than counted as zero.
Worth checking first- Carries in-game purchases. Check what they cost before committing.
- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
- Valve rates it Unsupported on the Steam Deck.
- 9
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
Best for: Playing through with a friend online
7.0GamingPickz Scoremedium confidenceCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War at a glance Released 2023 Studio Treyarch Player sentiment 80% positive of 23,046 Critics No aggregate Price $59.99 Steam Deck unsupported Install size 175 GB Accessibility 1 declared feature Raw 80% shrinks to 80.1 on 23,046 reviews, giving 7.0. No critics data, so that weight was redistributed across the rest rather than counted as zero.
Worth checking first- Carries in-game purchases. Check what they cost before committing.
- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
- Valve rates it Unsupported on the Steam Deck.
- 10
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
Best for: Playing with other people
6.5GamingPickz Scorehigh confidenceCall of Duty: Advanced Warfare at a glance Released 2014 Studio High Moon Studios Player sentiment 65% positive of 25,526 Critics 78/100 Price $39.99 Steam Deck verified Install size 55 GB Accessibility 1 declared feature Raw 65% shrinks to 65.3 on 25,526 reviews, then blends with the 78 critic aggregate, giving 6.5.
What the data supports- Valve has tested it and rates it Verified on the Steam Deck.
Worth checking first- Critics rate it well above players, 78 against 65. Worth reading why before buying.
- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
- 11
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
Best for: The safest bet on this list, by weight of evidence
6.4GamingPickz Scoremedium confidenceCall of Duty: Modern Warfare II at a glance Released 2022 Studio Treyarch Player sentiment 59% positive of 780,594 Critics No aggregate Price Not listed Steam Deck unsupported Install size Not stated Accessibility 8 declared features Raw 59% shrinks to 59.0 on 780,594 reviews, giving 6.4. No critics data, so that weight was redistributed across the rest rather than counted as zero.
What the data supports- Declares 8 accessibility features, well above the catalogue norm.
Worth checking first- Carries in-game purchases. Check what they cost before committing.
- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
- Valve rates it Unsupported on the Steam Deck.
Call of Duty: Ghosts at a glance Released 2014 Studio Infinity Ward Player sentiment 66% positive of 32,019 Critics 68/100 Price $39.99 Steam Deck playable Install size Not stated Accessibility 1 declared feature Raw 66% shrinks to 66.2 on 32,019 reviews, then blends with the 68 critic aggregate, giving 6.3.
Worth checking first- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
- 13
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
Best for: Playing through with a friend online
6.1GamingPickz Scorehigh confidenceCall of Duty: Infinite Warfare at a glance Released 2016 Studio Infinity Ward Player sentiment 61% positive of 29,919 Critics 73/100 Price $59.99 Steam Deck playable Install size 70 GB Accessibility 1 declared feature Raw 61% shrinks to 61.3 on 29,919 reviews, then blends with the 73 critic aggregate, giving 6.1.
Worth checking first- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
- 14
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered (2017)
Best for: Playing through with a friend online
5.3GamingPickz Scoremedium confidenceCall of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered (2017) at a glance Released 2017 Studio Raven Software Player sentiment 54% positive of 15,762 Critics No aggregate Price $39.99 Steam Deck unsupported Install size Not stated Accessibility 0 declared features Raw 54% shrinks to 54.7 on 15,762 reviews, giving 5.3. No critics data, so that weight was redistributed across the rest rather than counted as zero.
Worth checking first- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
- Valve rates it Unsupported on the Steam Deck.
- 15
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III
Best for: Playing through with a friend online
4.6GamingPickz Scoremedium confidenceCall of Duty: Modern Warfare III at a glance Released 2023 Studio Infinity Ward Player sentiment 47% positive of 21,996 Critics No aggregate Price $69.99 Steam Deck unsupported Install size Not stated Accessibility 1 declared feature Raw 47% shrinks to 47.7 on 21,996 reviews, giving 4.6. No critics data, so that weight was redistributed across the rest rather than counted as zero.
Worth checking first- Carries in-game purchases. Check what they cost before committing.
- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
- Valve rates it Unsupported on the Steam Deck.
Only the 15 Call of Duty games with Steam review data can be scored and ranked. The complete series, scored or not, is charted in order below.
Best and worst entry
The best-received Call of Duty game we can score is Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007) at 8.3. The lowest is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III at 4.6, a 3.7-point spread across the series. The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
How the series scored over time
GamingPickz Score against release year, 2007 to 2023. The later entries score lower than the earlier ones: the series has been trending down.
Cheapest way in, and best value
- Cheapest right now: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007) at $19.99. Prices are read live from Steam and move.
- Best value: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007), the most GamingPickz Score per dollar in the series at its current price.
On a Steam Deck
Valve's own Deck compatibility rating for the Call of Duty entries on Steam:
- Verified: Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
- Playable: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009), Call of Duty: Black Ops, Call of Duty: Ghosts, Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
- Unsupported: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007), Call of Duty: World at War, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011), Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered (2017), Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III
Platforms across the series
Where the 23 Call of Duty games have landed, counting every entry we hold:
| Platform family | Entries |
|---|---|
| PC | 19 of 23 |
| PlayStation | 12 of 23 |
| Xbox | 15 of 23 |
| Nintendo | 6 of 23 |
The Call of Duty series, game by game
Every Call of Duty game we hold, in release order. Each description is the game's own, from Steam where it has a listing and Wikipedia for the older entries, never ours.
- 2004
Call of Duty: Finest Hour
Metacritic 74Call of Duty: Finest Hour is a 2004 first-person shooter video game developed by Spark Unlimited and published by Activision for GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. It is the first console installment of the Call of Duty series. (Wikipedia)
Plot
Rather than following a singular campaign, Finest Hour features three smaller campaigns that cover different fronts of the Second World War . The first, taking place in the Eastern front, covers much of the battle of Stalingrad and the following Russian counterattack. The North African campaign follows British soldiers sabotaging and sapping German forces in Tunisia, whilst the Western Front campaign follows American soldiers fighting through Western… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Call of Duty: Finest Hour received generally mixed-to-positive reviews. According to the review aggregation website Metacritic , the PlayStation 2 version received "generally favorable reviews", with an average score of 76 out of 100, while the GameCube and Xbox versions received "mixed or average" reviews, earning an average score of 74 out of 100, and 73 out of 100, respectively. according to Metacritic. (Wikipedia)
- 2005
Call of Duty 2
Metacritic 86Call of Duty 2 is a 2005 first-person shooter game developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision in most regions of the world. It is the second installment of the Call of Duty series. Announced by Activision on April 7, 2005, the game was released for Microsoft Windows on October 25, 2005, and as a launch… (Wikipedia)
Plot
Soviet campaign The player controls Private Vasili Koslov of the 13th Guards Rifle Division in December 1941, initially involved in the defense of Moscow from the advancing German troops. The next level involves the destruction of a German stronghold in Stalingrad during early December 1942. The next objective involves battling for strongholds throughout Stalingrad throughout the middle of December 1942, including re-connecting cut telephone wires and… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Call of Duty 2 received "generally positive" reviews, according to review aggregator website Metacritic . The graphics and sound were widely praised and the reactions to the regenerating health system were mostly positive, with reviewers from GameSpot and GamePro calling it an improvement over the previous health bar system. For the Xbox 360 version, IGN s Douglass C. (Wikipedia)
- 2005
Call of Duty 2: Big Red One
Metacritic 78Call of Duty 2: Big Red One is a first-person shooter video game developed by Treyarch and published by Activision for GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox. It is a side-story of the original game Call of Duty 2, which was released on PC and Xbox 360. Both were released in 2005. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception According to review aggregator Metacritic , the game received "generally favorable" reviews from critics. During the 9th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards , the Academy of Interactive Arts Sciences awarded Big Red One with the " Outstanding Achievement in Story and Character Development " award. The PlayStation 2 version of Big Red One received a "Platinum" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association… (Wikipedia)
- 2006
Call of Duty 3
not scoredCall of Duty 3 is a 2006 first-person shooter game developed by Treyarch and published by Activision. It is the third major installment in the Call of Duty series. It was released for PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii. It was a launch title for the PlayStation 3 and Wii in North America, Europe and… (Wikipedia)
Plot
American campaign In the American campaign, the player controls Private Nichols, a replacement for the 29th Infantry Division . The squad participates in the final offensive in the capture of Saint-Lô , where they meet Pfc. Salvadore Guzzo, a radio operator who becomes a part of the squad.. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Call of Duty 3 received "generally positive" reviews on all platforms except for the Wii, where it received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator website Metacritic . IGN gave a score of 8. 8, while GameSpot gave an 8. (Wikipedia)
- 2007
The new action-thriller from the award-winning team at Infinity Ward, the creators of the Call of Duty® series, delivers the most intense and cinematic action experience ever. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare arms gamers with an arsenal of advanced and powerful modern day firepower and transports them to the most treacherous hotspots... (Steam)
- 2007
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Metacritic 92Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a 2007 first-person shooter game developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision. It is the fourth main installment in the Call of Duty series. The game breaks away from the World War II setting of previous entries and is instead set in modern times. Developed over two years,… (Wikipedia)
Plot
The mission " All Ghillied Up " is set in the abandoned city of Pripyat , Ukraine. In 2011, civil war breaks out in Russia between the government and Ultranationalists who seek to restore the country's Soviet-era influence. At the same time, Khaled Al-Asad leads a coup in an unnamed Middle Eastern country and executes its president, Yasir Al-Fulani. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Critical response Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare received "universal acclaim" for its Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC versions, and "generally favorable reviews" for its Wii version, according to review aggregator Metacritic . Critics praised the game's move from World War II to a contemporary military setting, its set-piece-driven campaign, production values, and multiplayer mode. GameSpot s Jeff Gerstmann described the campaign as brief, but… (Wikipedia)
- 2008
Call of Duty is back, redefining war like you've never experienced before. Building on the Call of Duty 4®: Modern Warfare engine, Call of Duty: World at War immerses players into the most gritty and chaotic WWII combat ever experienced. (Steam)
Plot
American campaign In August 1942, captured U. S. Marine Private C. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Critical response Call of Duty: World at War received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator website Metacritic . Describing the game as a whole, GameSpot stated that by returning to the World War II setting, " World at War achieves greatness but falls short of excellence. " IGN concluded that World at War was a "solid, confident shooter with plenty to offer the casual and hardcore alike. (Wikipedia)
- 2009
The most-anticipated game of the year and the sequel to the best-selling first-person action game of all time, Modern Warfare 2 continues the gripping and heart-racing action as players face off against a new threat dedicated to bringing the world to the brink of collapse. (Steam)
- 2010
The biggest first-person action series of all time and the follow-up to critically acclaimed Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare 2 returns with Call of Duty®: Black Ops. (Steam)
Plot
Campaign The game's narrative mostly details Mason's recollection of events in an interrogation room prior to February 1968. This summary is in chronological order. From left to right: Alex Mason, Jason Hudson, and Robert McNamara ( Robert Picardo ) In April 1961, CIA operatives Alex Mason ( Sam Worthington ), Frank Woods (James C. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Call of Duty: Black Ops received "generally positive" reviews, according to review aggregator website Metacritic , except for the DS, where it received "mixed or average" reviews. GameSpot awarded it 9. 0 out of ten and wrote " Call of Duty: Black Ops bears the series' standard superbly, delivering an engrossing campaign and exciting competitive multiplayer. (Wikipedia)
- 2011
The best-selling first-person action series of all-time returns with an epic sequel to the multiple GOTY award winner Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 2 (Steam)
- 2012
Pushing the boundaries of what fans have come to expect from the record-setting entertainment franchise, Call of Duty®: Black Ops II propels players into a near future Cold War (Steam)
Plot
Campaign In July 1986, retired CIA operative Alex Mason ( Sam Worthington ) lives an obscure life in Alaska with his son David. One day, his former handler Jason Hudson ( Michael Keaton ) shows up with an assignment: Mason's friend and fellow operative Frank Woods (James C. Burns) disappeared in Angola investigating an arms smuggling ring. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Critical reception Call of Duty: Black Ops II received "generally positive" reviews for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii U versions, but "mixed or average" reviews for the PC version, according to review aggregator Metacritic . IGN editor Anthony Gallegos describes the game as "a good example of how to evolve an annualized franchise". Gallegos praised the game for telling a story was genuinely interesting and creating a villain that he… (Wikipedia)
- 2014
Outnumbered and outgunned, but not outmatched.Call of Duty®: Ghosts is an extraordinary step forward for one of the largest entertainment franchises of all-time. This new chapter in the Call of Duty® franchise features a new dynamic where players are on the side of a crippled nation fighting not for freedom, or liberty, but simply to... (Steam)
Plot
Campaign Sometime before the events of the game, a conflict in the Middle East devastated the region, destroying several oil fields that resulted in a global energy crisis. Many oil-producing countries in South America formed the Federation of the Americas, a military dictatorship , which then annexed all its remaining countries in the continent before invading Central America , the Caribbean , and Mexico . In 2018, U. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Critical response Call of Duty: Ghosts received both "mixed or average" and "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator website Metacritic . IGN praised the sequel for introducing "sweeping changes that breathe new life into the multiplayer experience" and called the campaign "lengthy, challenging, and varied". GameSpot went even further regarding the campaign, calling it "impressive" and "a terrific collection of shootouts… (Wikipedia)
- 2014
Call of Duty®: Advanced Warfare envisions a powerful future, where both technology and tactics have evolved to usher in a new era of combat for the franchise.Power Changes Everything. (Steam)
Plot
Troy Baker plays the story's main protagonist, Jack Mitchell. Kevin Spacey plays the story's later-to-be main antagonist, Jonathan Irons. Campaign In 2054, U. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Critical reception Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare received "generally favorable reviews", according to review aggregator website Metacritic . Josh Harmon from Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the game a 9/10. He praised the engaging combat mechanics, coherent story (which he described as "a welcome shift for Call of Duty "), new mobility options, as well as in-depth specialization and the multiplayer, which he described as "The deepest, most… (Wikipedia)
- 2015
Call of Duty®: Black Ops III Zombies Chronicles Edition includes the full base game plus the Zombies Chronicles content expansion. (Steam)
Plot
Campaign Forty years after the events of Call of Duty: Black Ops II , the world is in the midst of a Third Cold War between the Winslow Accord (WA) and the Common Defense Pact (CDP). On October 27, 2065, the Player ( Ben Browder / Abby Brammell ) and their partner Jacob Hendricks (Sean Douglas) of WA Black Ops are deployed to Ethiopia to rescue the Egyptian Prime Minister and other hostages from the CDP-aligned Nile River Coalition (NRC). The extraction… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Critical response Reception According to review aggregator Metacritic , Call of Duty: Black Ops III received "generally favorable" critic reviews for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and "mixed or average" critic reviews for PC. GameSpot awarded it a score of 7 out of 10, saying, " Black Ops III doesn't offer anything remarkable to the series, but does just enough to maintain the Call of Duty status quo. The franchise, however slowly, continues its inexorable… (Wikipedia)
- 2016
Infinite Warfare delivers three unique game modes: Campaign, Multiplayer, and Zombies. (Steam)
Plot
Characters and settings Infinite Warfare takes place in the distant future after Earth's natural resources are exhausted due to population growth and industry. Nations unite to form the United Nations Space Alliance (UNSA), overseeing trade, travel, and space colonization . Earth's residents depend on colonies elsewhere in the Solar System for resources, attracting radicals who aim to control these outposts, thereby risking conflict. (Wikipedia)
Characters
Infinite Warfare takes place in the distant future after Earth's natural resources are exhausted due to population growth and industry. Nations unite to form the United Nations Space Alliance (UNSA), overseeing trade, travel, and space colonization . Earth's residents depend on colonies elsewhere in the Solar System for resources, attracting radicals who aim to control these outposts, thereby risking conflict. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Pre-release Upon release of the initial trailer, the game was heavily criticized by the community for being too futuristic. The consensus held was that this had stemmed from frustration with the current direction of the franchise, as consecutive installments released in the past few years had been set in future settings and narratives. In response to the criticism, Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg stated that he knew "that there are people in our… (Wikipedia)
- 2017
One of the most critically-acclaimed games in history, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is back, remastered in true high-definition, featuring improved textures, physically based rendering, high-dynamic range lighting and much more. (Steam)
- 2017
Call of Duty: WWII
Metacritic 80Call of Duty: WWII is a 2017 first-person shooter game developed by Sledgehammer Games and published by Activision. It was released worldwide on November 3, 2017, for PlayStation 4, Windows and Xbox One. It is the fourteenth main installment in the Call of Duty series and the first title in the series to be set… (Wikipedia)
Plot
Campaign On June 6, 1944, United States Army Private First Class Ronald "Red" Daniels (Brett Zimmerman), of the 16th Infantry Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division , assaults Omaha Beach with his platoon as part of the Normandy landings , accompanied by PFC Robert Zussman ( Jonathan Tucker ), Technician Fifth Grade Frank Aiello (Jeff Schine), and Private Drew Stiles (Kevin Coubal); as well as the abrasive and alcoholic Technical Sergeant William Pierson (… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Pre-release Before the game's release, its sparse use of the Swastika symbol, as well as the diversity of playable German soldiers in the online multiplayer, drew some criticism. During E3 2017 , Sledgehammer co-founder Michael Condrey explained that swastikas were removed from the multiplayer and Zombies modes as "Including Nazi symbols wouldn't bring honor, nor be appropriate, without the rich history of a WW2 story to ground their context in… (Wikipedia)
- 2018
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
Metacritic 82Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is a 2018 first-person shooter game developed by Treyarch and published by Activision. It is the fifteenth installment of the Call of Duty series and the fifth entry in the Black Ops sub-series, following Call of Duty: Black Ops III (2015). The game was released on October 12, 2018, for… (Wikipedia)
Plot
Characters and settings The Multiplayer and Blackout modes take place in the 2040s, and are centered around the Specialists, a group of global elite soldiers hired by researcher Savannah Mason-Meyer ( Evangeline Lilly ), granddaughter of Alex Mason ( Sam Worthington ). The initial Specialist roster includes: infantryman Donnie "Ruin" Walsh (Christian Rummel), demolitions expert Erin "Battery" Baker (Morla Gorrondona), Medical Sergeant Jarrah "Crash"… (Wikipedia)
Characters
The Multiplayer and Blackout modes take place in the 2040s, and are centered around the Specialists, a group of global elite soldiers hired by researcher Savannah Mason-Meyer ( Evangeline Lilly ), granddaughter of Alex Mason ( Sam Worthington ). The initial Specialist roster includes: infantryman Donnie "Ruin" Walsh (Christian Rummel), demolitions expert Erin "Battery" Baker (Morla Gorrondona), Medical Sergeant Jarrah "Crash" Bazley ( Mark Coles Smith ),… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Pre-release Upon rumors emerging that Black Ops 4 would not have a single-player campaign mode, reactions from the Call of Duty community were negative. The official confirmation by Treyarch of the absence of a campaign led to many fans expressing their disappointment. In response to the criticism, Dan Bunting, studio co-head at Treyarch, stated in an interview with Eurogamer that "We are delivering so much more of what players spend most of their time… (Wikipedia)
- 2019
Experience a visceral Campaign or assemble your team in the ultimate online playground with multiple Special Ops challenges and a mix of Multiplayer maps and modes. (Steam)
- 2020
Call of Duty: Warzone
Metacritic 80Call of Duty: Warzone was a free-to-play battle royale first-person shooter game developed by Raven Software and Infinity Ward and published by Activision as part of the Call of Duty video game series. It was released on March 10, 2020, for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One as part of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare… (Wikipedia)
Plot
Warzone 's story is intertwined with the seasonal narratives of Modern Warfare , Black Ops Cold War and Vanguard . Verdansk is used as a common setting across various multiplayer maps in Modern Warfare , while Rebirth Island is inspired by locations and stories in previous Black Ops games. Caldera and Fortune's Keep complement Vanguard 's seasonal story. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Call of Duty: Warzone received "generally favorable" reviews from critics across all platforms, according to review aggregator Metacritic . OpenCritic determined that 78% of critics recommended the game. GameSpot gave the game a 7/10 rating, summarizing with: " Warzone is a great sophomore attempt at a battle royale from Call of Duty , which finally manages to carve out its own identity with interesting spins on the existing formula. (Wikipedia)
- 2022
The Call of Duty® experience supports Modern Warfare® 4, Black Ops 7 and Call of Duty®: Warzone™. (Steam)
Plot
Characters and settings Modern Warfare II is a continuation of the 2019 reboot entry , with the campaign taking place in late 2022. The game takes place in both real and fictional locations, such as the fictional Mexican city of Las Almas, Amsterdam , the Mexico–United States border , Gulf of Mexico , Chicago , Urzikstan, and the new United Republic of Adal (URA), the capital of which, Al Mazrah, serves as a major locale within the campaign and… (Wikipedia)
Characters
Modern Warfare II is a continuation of the 2019 reboot entry , with the campaign taking place in late 2022. The game takes place in both real and fictional locations, such as the fictional Mexican city of Las Almas, Amsterdam , the Mexico–United States border , Gulf of Mexico , Chicago , Urzikstan, and the new United Republic of Adal (URA), the capital of which, Al Mazrah, serves as a major locale within the campaign and multiplayer modes, as well as the… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator website Metacritic . Reid McCarter of Game Informer awarded the game a 6. 5/10, concluding that while the game's depiction of warfare remained unsettling, its strong multiplayer and occasional highlights in the campaign were enough to make it enjoyable overall. (Wikipedia)
- 2023
Black Ops Cold War, the direct sequel to Call of Duty®: Black Ops, will drop fans into the depths of the Cold War’s volatile geopolitical battle of the early 1980s. (Steam)
Plot
Campaign In January 1981, CIA operatives Russell Adler ( Bruce Thomas ), Alex Mason ( Chris Payne Gilbert ), and Frank Woods (Damon Victor Allen) are sent to Amsterdam to target Qasim Javadi (Farshad Farahat) and Arash Kadivar ( Navid Negahban ) for their roles in the Iran hostage crisis . With intelligence gained from interrogating Qasim, the trio tracks Arash to an airfield in Turkey, where they witness him executing everyone in the vehicle he arrived… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Critical reception Reception Black Ops Cold War received "generally favorable reviews", according to the review aggregator website Metacritic , which calculated a weighted average rating of 76/100 across all platforms, based on 42 reviews for the PlayStation 5 version, 31 reviews for the Windows version, and 21 reviews for the Xbox Series X/S version. OpenCritic determined that 61% of critics recommended the game. The single-player campaign received a… (Wikipedia)
- 2023
In the direct sequel to the record-breaking Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® II, Captain Price and Task Force 141 face off against the ultimate threat. (Steam)
Plot
Campaign In November 2023, operatives working for the Russian private military company Konni Group raid the Zordaya Prison Complex in Verdansk, Kastovia. There, they locate and free their commander, Vladimir Makarov ( Julian Kostov ), an ultranationalist terrorist who was sentenced to life imprisonment at the complex following his capture by SAS operatives John "Soap" MacTavish ( Neil Ellice ) and John Price ( Barry Sloane ) during a terrorist attack at… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception The pre-release reviews of Modern Warfare III s campaign were negative, with critics highlighting that it felt shallow, short, and rushed. IGN gave the campaign a 4/10, describing it as "bizarrely cobbling together pieces of the Warzone mode into actively bad sandbox missions". Upon the game's official release, it received "mixed or average reviews" from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic , with 13% of critics… (Wikipedia)
Call of Duty, head to head
Two entries side by side on score, price, specs and reception:
Call of Duty vs other series
How Call of Duty stacks up against other series in the same genre, as a whole:
Also: Call of Duty vs Dead Space, Call of Duty vs Doom, Call of Duty vs Wolfenstein, Call of Duty vs Crysis, Call of Duty vs Dead Island, Call of Duty vs F.E.A.R., Call of Duty vs Max Payne, Call of Duty vs Quake, Call of Duty vs BioShock, Call of Duty vs Deep Rock Galactic, Call of Duty vs Friday the 13th, Call of Duty vs Homefront, Call of Duty vs Infestation, Call of Duty vs Killing Floor, Call of Duty vs Left 4 Dead, Call of Duty vs Outlast, Call of Duty vs POSTAL, Call of Duty vs S.T.A.L.K.E.R., Call of Duty vs Sanctum, Call of Duty vs The Evil Within, Call of Duty vs Thief, Call of Duty vs World War, Call of Duty vs Zombie Army
Common questions
How many Call of Duty games are there?
We hold 23 Call of Duty games in the catalogue, released between 2004 and 2023. 15 of them carry enough Steam data to rank; the rest are listed in release order below, including console-only entries with no Steam listing.
Which Call of Duty game is best?
By the GamingPickz Score, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007) rates highest at 8.3. That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, computed the same way for every game, not our opinion. The full ranking is above.
What order should I play the Call of Duty games in?
Release order is listed below, from 2004 to 2023. For most series that is also story order, but we list dates rather than telling you a canon; the timeline is read from Wikidata.
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Browse every game franchise ranked the same way, or head to the full grid.