Anyone who has picked up a controller in the past 20 years has probably encountered a Call of Duty game. Whether dodging Panzer tanks in its early days or snuffing out randoms on Warzone, the franchise has wrapped its armoured tendrils around players and refuses to let go. And fever pitch is rising ahead of the release of the latest instalment Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 tomorrow.
Picking out highlights from a series that has spanned more than 50 titles on PC, consoles and mobiles is no easy feat. After all, every fan has a favourite Call of Duty that’s deeply rooted to their first free-for-all win or that long-range snipe that wowed your mates. Still, we’ve gone out on a limb and selected the best games from the series.
We can only hope our brave decision makes Captain Price proud. As you count down the months till the next Call of Duty game, these are the titles worth revisiting from the franchise’s illustrious past. On your feet, soldier, it’s time for more bullets and bombs.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007)
Leaving behind the muddy trenches of War World 2, Modern Warfare dragged the series into the cold light of the present day. The game’s iconic campaign took its cues from the unrelenting war on terror, which had just entered its sixth gruelling year, and growing Russian imperialism. But it was the addictive multiplayer mode that most players remember. Being locked in a gunfight on the game’s Baghdad-style streets, only to hear the cries of “grenaaade”, had most of us ducking for cover. Behind the scenes, Modern Warfare was given extra spit and polish thanks to developer Infinity Ward’s souped-up game engine. Bullet penetration, lighting and explosions grew more realistic as a result.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009)
By the time Modern Warfare 2 arrived in 2009, Call of Duty was a must-have for gamers. Instead of resting on its laurels, however, developer Infinity Ward delivered a sequel that hit even harder and didn’t hold its punches. Nowhere was this more evident than in the campaign’s provocative “No Russian” mission, which puts you at the centre of a harrowing massacre at a Russian airport. More pleasing distractions could be found in the game’s new Spec Ops mode, an entertaining jaunt through a series of inspired co-operative missions. Elsewhere, multiplayer had almost double the amount of content than its predecessor. The three distinct modes meant there was something for every type of player.
Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010)
Things took a turn for the strange with Black Ops. Set during the Sixties, the seventh Call of Duty featured a mind-bending story involving Soviet sleeper agents, the Viet Cong, and a failed assassination attempt on Cuban leader Fidel Castro. Oh, and there was a deranged tangent with zombies and a sentient artificial intelligence. Groovy, baby. Don’t be fooled by the nutty narrative, though, as the ultimate goal remained the same: To shoot as many enemies in the head as possible. While multiplayer kept tensions running high with Wager Matches, where you gamble points in a series of free-for-all modes. Gun Game was also a stroke of genius as players progressed through weapons with each kill.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019)
The franchise came full circle with the release of the revolutionary Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Appealing to the rose-tinted nostalgia of older gamers, it boasted a return to the same setting as its 2007 namesake, and largely delivered on that promise. Captain Price was back as your likeable squadron leader, and the global battlefield was as explosive as ever. But it was in its efforts to re-establish the series for a new generation of gamers that the reboot really shined. Weapons felt more responsive, new characters brought a much needed dose of dramatic heft to the tightly wound campaign, and the best multiplayer modes prioritised strategy over killing sprees. All told, the game straddled the fine line between a serious military sim and an exaggerated arcade romp.
Call of Duty Warzone (2020)
Warzone forever changed Call of Duty. Playing the game for free seemed unthinkable back in the late Aughts, but here we are. Suddenly, 100 players were duking it out to be the last man standing in massive arenas. A new in-game currency saw players spending virtual cash, looted from tills and downed combatants, to order weapon loadouts and killstreak rewards. Over the years, purchasable skins were introduced that allowed players to cosplay as iconic characters and pop stars in exchange for real dough. Nowadays, no-one bats an eyelid when they see Nicki Minaj gunning down Homelander from The Boys in Urzikstan. This wasn’t the CoD older players were used to. Nevertheless, it was a gargantuan success, becoming a major money-spinner for Activision and spawning a sequel in 2022’s Warzone 2.0.
Call of Duty 2 (2005)
On its second outing, Call of Duty already felt like a familiar friend. Players were back in the trenches of World War Two, the objectives were again built around destroying or defending locations amid whistling bullets and explosive onslaughts, and most of your actions followed a linear trajectory. In its formative years, CoD’s gameplay loop felt satisfying.
Additions included the option to play interwoven campaigns from the perspective of three members of the Allied forces (Britain, Russia, and the USA). This was also the first CoD with health regeneration, meaning you could withstand multiple gunshot wounds as you dashed towards your objective like a bulletproof Arnold Schwarzenegger. On the multiplayer side, Search and Destroy made its debut, tasking teams with either deploying or defusing a bomb in quick, tactical skirmishes with no extra lives. Of course, the visuals don’t hold up to today’s standards, but this is still a fun trip down memory lane.
Call of Duty: World at War (2008)
Hollywood came knocking on World at War. Gary Oldman plays the lead in the game’s Soviet campaign, while Kiefer Sutherland, hot off the then must-watch TV show 24, assumed the role of his American counterpart.
Along with the a-list voice talent, World at War is notable for several reasons. It marked the start of the Black Ops sub-series, which has traditionally been helmed by developer Treyarch. The co-op Zombies mode also made its debut as players fought off hordes of the undead. As for the storyline, the action shifted from the Western front of WWII to the Pacific theatre, with players experiencing iconic battles like Iwo Jima and the defence of Stalingrad.
Away from the campaign, tanks and other drivable vehicles invaded multiplayer, and players were rewarded with fearsome killstreaks, including attack dogs and artillery strikes. With the next Black Ops game expected this year, now’s the ideal time to revisit this classic.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (2012)
Black Ops 2 plays like a Mission Impossible movie helmed by Michael Bay. Instead of Transformers, the skies buzz with the sound of lethal drones, robotic mechs stalk the ground, and stealth bombers deliver death from above. Set across two timelines, the game charts the rise of arms-dealer-turned-terrorist Raul Menendez. The propulsive storyline switches from the late Eighties to the year 2025 as players are flung from the dust-caked valleys of Afghanistan to exotic floating cities in the sky. In hindsight, CoD’s vision of the future was wildly off the mark, but that doesn’t make its dose of sci-fi escapism any less spectacular. The action was even more frenetic in multiplayer, where a new league system improved the quality of play by matching players based on their skill levels.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011)
When the Modern Warfare trilogy concluded in 2011, CoD was one of the biggest franchises in the world. According to Activision, 1.5 million people queued at midnight to grab the game on its release date. They were treated to a rollercoaster ride led by a cast of new and returning characters. Jaw-dropping moments included a breath-taking dash through the London underground and a gravity-defying plane hijacking. This time round, the storyline avoided some of the missteps of its predecessor to offer a leaner, meaner campaign. Multiplayer, on the other hand, was bigger than ever. A new class meant dying didn’t stop your killstreak in its tracks, and Kill Confirmed mode made you scoop the dog tags dropped by felled enemies for a kill to count.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (2020)
The latest entry in the Black Ops series was in danger of becoming a footnote amid the dominance of Modern Warfare and Warzone. Fortunately, Treyarch came through with another trifecta of treats that does just enough to keep fans happy. There’s a twisty campaign that puts you on the trail of a Russian spy flanked by KGB goons. Zombies features expansive maps with more places to hide from the undead hordes. Finally, a smooth and responsive multiplayer with improved animations feels like a true next-gen experience. Overall, Cold War is a polished entry that pulls players in during its quieter moments, from stealth-based missions to dialogue-heavy exchanges between your squad. Still, it’s hard to not to wonder if a little deviation from the Black Ops formula could have turned it into a true classic.
