TheCall of Dutyseries spans multiple console generations, iterating through its history. Subsets like Black Ops have become just as, if not more, popular than the originals. Over twenty years later, dozens of entries exist, making the timeline understandably complex. Here’s everyCall of Dutygame in order.
1.Call of Duty(2003)
After making the incredibleMedal Of Honor: Allied Assault, some devs at 2015, Inc. decided that they wanted more, and sowent on to form Infinity Wardand give us the originalCall Of Duty. The result was an even more faithful and grittier redo of some ofWWII‘s most important battles. It became a critical and sales success, naturally spawning Activision’s most famous franchise.
2.Call of Duty 2(2005)
The sequel to the originalCall Of Duty,Call of Duty 2not only came to PC, but also launched as one of the first Xbox 360 titles. It featured improved graphics, gameplay, and even better WWII set pieces. It would later be ported to mobile and Mac, but never PlayStation for some reason.
3.Call of Duty 3(2006)
The sequel toCall Of Duty 2,Call of Duty 3surprisingly only came out for consoles, specifically PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox, Xbox 360, and even the Nintendo Wii. To date, this one’s never seen a PC port. A shame since it saw decent review scores, though it’s not as highly regarded as its predecessors. This was also the first entry to be developed by Treyarch rather than Infinity Ward.
4.Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare(2007)
The series breaks away from the constraints of the WWII scenario to create its own original war epic set in the near future withCall of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. We play as, among other characters, John “Soap” Mactavish, a soldier of Task Force 141 of the SAS as we uncover a conspiracy meant to start a new world war.Modern Warfareis the game that finally beatHaloand cemented theCODseries as the most successful FPS in the world, and naturally spawned various ports.
5.Call of Duty: World at War(2008)
Treyarch bringsCODback to WWII but keeps things fresh by focusing on the Pacific front. While it may not bear the subtitle,Call of Duty: World at Warwas the start of Treyarch’sBlack Opssubseries. It’s not as beloved asModern Warfare, but this game was still a sales success and introducedZombies,one of the staples of the series.
6.Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2(2009)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2is the sequel to the originalModern Warfareand continues the story of Soap and Captain Price as they face off against Makarov, an emerging threat, as well as an internal conspiracy.Modern Warfare 2became the fastest-selling game in the series and remains one of the most beloved in the franchise. So much so, that it saw a remaster in 2020. It also quickly gained infamy for its No Russian mission, which allowed players to participate in an airport mass shooting.
7.Call of Duty: Black Ops(2010)
Call of Duty: Black Opsis the follow-up to Treyarch’sWorld At War. It tells an original story set in the days of the Cold War and brings theZombiesgame mode to new heightswith its own separate story mode. It saw a mobile port as well, but it was a 2D side-scroller instead of an FPS.
8.Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3(2011)
The conclusion of theModern Warfaretrilogy,Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3was the first entry in the mainlineCODseries to be finished after thefiring of the original Infinity Ward team. The team swap dramatically hurt the game and resulted in an inferior campaign and online mode. Despite that, it was still a critical and commercial hit, making $1 billion in its first 16 days, slightly faster than James Cameron’s firstAvatarfilm did (perCNET).
9.Call of Duty: Black Ops II(2012)
The continuationof the originalBlack Opsfeatures a more ambitious campaign set in both the ’80s and the 2020s. Though not as popular as the originalMWand its sequel, many fans sayCall of Duty: Black Ops IIis their favorite in the entire series. In fact, it outperformedModern Warfare 3, grossing $1 billion in 15 days (perActivision). It was also one of only twoCODgames to be released for Nintendo’s short-lived Wii U console.
10.Call of Duty: Ghosts(2013)
The first attempt at a new subseries sinceBlack OpswasCall of Duty: Ghosts. Despite being technically competent and scoring decent reviews, Ghosts failed to break new ground and awe fans and newcomers, having not sold as much as Black Ops II. Although Infinity Ward handled development for the PlayStation, Xbox, and PC versions, Treyarch worked onGhosts‘ Wii U version.
11.Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare(2014)
TheCODseries tries to go beyondModern Warfarewith the tale of a soldier who gets to replace his lost limb with an awesome prosthetic as he enlists in a private army. This was also the first entry to have Sledgehammer Games as the lead developer (the studio had previously assisted withModern Warfare 3). ThoughCall of Duty: Advanced Warfareintroduces a bunch of cool new mechanics in a decent campaign, it failed to capture the hearts of fans asMWonce had. At least it gave us the iconic ‘Press F to pay respects’ scene, which remains a popular meme.
12.Call of Duty: Black Ops III(2015)
Call of Duty: Black Ops IIIwas not only the culmination of theBlack Opstrilogy, it’s also the game with the bestZombiesmode to date. Despite its age, it’s maintained a dedicated fan base, at least on Steam, and has thousands of people playing it every month. Not only was this the final game for the PS3 and Xbox 360, it was the first to come out after Activision ended its partnership with Microsoft, heralding a years-long relationship with Sony that saw PlayStation owners enjoy exclusive benefits.
13.Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare(2016)
Another future warfare-based entry in theCODfranchise, this time one where space warfare was the main draw.Call of Duty: Infinite Warfarehad some impressive blockbuster-worthy moments, but it just was noModern Warfare.I believe it proved that the sweet spot for fans of the series was not in the past, nor in the future, but in the modern combat theater.
14.Call of Duty: WWII(2017)
As the name gives away,Call of Duty WWIIthe series back to the Second World War, this time with an original narrative instead of the usual re-living of the famous battles that WWIICODgames had gotten us used to. Sledgehammer Games (the studio behindAdvanced Warfare) spearheaded development on this one, adding a new Divisions system to replace the create-a-class system for multiplayer and bringing back health packs for the campaign rather than regenerating health. TheNazi Zombiesmode made a welcome return too.
15.Call of Duty: Black Ops 4(2018)
Though it featuresBlack Opsin its title,Call of Duty: Black Ops 4doesn’t feature a campaign, opting instead to focus on the then-emerging Battle Royale genre with theBlackoutgame mode. Not everyone was thrilled with the lack of campaign and the inclusion of microtransactions and loot boxes and, despite strong launch sales, it failed to meet Activision’s expectations (viaCritical Hit).Zombiesfans were treated to not one but two separate story modes, though.
16.Call of Duty: Modern Warfare(2019)
For 2019, it was decided Infinity Ward should go back to what helped cement COD’s historic status and reboot theModern Warfarestoryline with…Call of Duty: ModernWarfare. As such, it features a re-imagined story from the firstModern Warfare, with Captain John Price making a return as one of the main characters. It was a phenomenal success at launch, making $600 million in just three days (perForbes), and would give birth to Activision’s dedicated battle-royale spin-off,Call of Duty: Warzone.
17.Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War(2020)
TheBlack Opsseries goes back to its Cold War roots and once again has a campaign that intertwines with real-world events.Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War‘s campaign is not as well received as the golden age ofBlack Opsgames,and neither is itsZombiesmode.Perhaps the most memorable thing about it is its 80s Action Heroes crossover, which saw skins based on Rambo and John McClane be added to the multiplayer.
18.Call of Duty: Vanguard(2021)
Call of Duty: Vanguardmarks the series’ latest incursion into WWII’s European theater. Development was once again handled by Sledgehammer Games, but it failed to meet the expectations of fans and the sales targets of Activision. The company blamed this on the WWII setting, but this was also the game that immediately followed the allegations of workplace harassment and sexual assault within Activision and the ensuing lawsuit. At leastVanguardgives you no other option than to kill the main Nazi villain in the end, so that’s something.
19.Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II(2022)
The continuation of the plot of the rebootedModern Warfareseries.Call of Duty: Modern Warfare IIgarnered a lotless fan favorthan the originalModern Warfaresequel because its campaign constantly fails to be as memorable and exciting as what had come prior. Yet it was a critical and commercial hit regardless, going on to be the fastest-sellingCODgame of all time, making $800 million in three days (viaVGC).
20.Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III(2023)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare IIImarked a strange period of the franchise’s history, disrupting the usual development cycle fans were accustomed to. Instead of a new Treyarch-made entry, Activision opted to immediately follow up with anotherModern Warfaresequel. This game suffered from a highly rushed development which resulted in theweakest campaign in the history of the series, as well as pretty dismal reviews. Also, while the series’ multiplayer was no stranger to crossovers by this point, MWIII really felt like it was aping Fortnite with the amount of special guest stars it added, fromThe Boyscharacters to real-life celebrities like Nicki Minaj.
21.Call of Duty: Black Ops 6(2024)
After manyModern Warfaretitles and the divisiveVanguard,Call of Dutyfans finally received a newBlack Opstitle. This time, the developers once again attempt to bring something new to the table.Call of Duty: Black Ops 6introduces an Omnimovement system, designed to revolutionize movement in the franchise. Although the title was well received by many fans, and the return ofZombiesis something to celebrate,Black Ops 6received some criticism, as longtime fans felt that the innovations overshadowed the coreCoDexperience.
AllCall of Dutygame versions and DLCs
While we’ve listed all the mainlineCall of Dutygames, the series has seen a number of spin-offs as well. Below, you’ll find a complete list of theCall of Dutyseries in order of release, alongside any associated spin-offs and ports.
