Call of Duty Game Release Order

How Many Call of Duty Games Are There?

Figuring out the total number of Call of Duty games can be tricky due to its many subseries, reboots, and development studios. If we consider just the main entries with single-player campaigns, including World War II titles, the Modern Warfare subseries (and its reboot), and the Black Ops subseries, there are 19 games in the franchise.

However, the number increases when you add expansions, online experiences, mobile games, and spin-offs. For example, Call of Duty: United Offensive is an expansion for the first game, while Call of Duty: Finest Hour and Call of Duty 2: Big Red One are side stories of the first two entries.

Spin-offs include the strategy game Call of Duty: Siege, the mobile game Call of Duty: Heroes, and the mobile version of Call of Duty: Black Ops. Many main entries have different editions for mobile devices compared to console releases. Examples are Call of Duty: Black Ops: Declassified for PS Vita and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3: Defiance for Nintendo DS.

Then there’s the Chinese free-to-play Call of Duty Online, released in 2015 and shut down in 2021. It was replaced by Call of Duty Mobile, released in 2019, which is still running today.

The Zombies modes have become a staple of the series since their introduction in 2008’s World at War and have appeared in many entries since.

The franchise entered the battle royale and live service genres with Warzone, launched in 2020, which became a huge success. In 2022, it was replaced by Warzone 2.0, a complete overhaul of the game. Warzone Mobile brought the battle royale experience to iOS and Android devices in early 2024.

It’s worth noting that the reboot of the Modern Warfare series is numbered with Roman numerals. Also, *Black Ops 4* is not included in the list below because it lacks a campaign (it’s a multiplayer-only experience).

Call of Duty Games in Chronological Order

Beware of minor spoilers for the stories, characters, and events of each game in the list below.

1. Call of Duty (2003)

The first Call of Duty game was developed by Infinity Ward and published in 2003. This is the first of many entries in the series focused on World War II. You play three different campaigns as soldiers from the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union.

Private Martin, the North American soldier, starts his training in 1942 and participates in the invasion of Normandy in 1944. Sergeant Evans, the British soldier, fights in Operation Tonga in 1944 and is later helped by Captain Price, a recurring figure in the franchise. The Soviet Alexei Ivanovich Voronin’s campaign takes place in the Battle of Stalingrad.

2. Call of Duty 2 (2005)

The sequel to the original title repeats the settings and nations but with different perspectives. Instead of three campaigns, you experience four: one from the perspective of a North American soldier, one from the Soviet Union, and two from Britain.

Private Vasili Koslov defends Moscow from Nazi German soldiers. North American Bill Taylor joins the army that assaults La Pointe du Hoc during D-Day. The British soldiers, Sergeant John Davis and David Welsh, participated in the conflict in North Africa. Davis is led by Captain Price.

3. Call of Duty: World at War (2008)

Treyarch developed this entry based on World War II. This time, the campaign is divided into North American and Soviet forces.

You follow American Marine Private C. Miller during the Makin Island raid in 1942 and later in the Battle of Peleliu. The Soviet section takes place in the Battle of Stalingrad as Private Dimitri Petrenko.

4. Call of Duty 3 (2005)

Treyarch developed this entry. It takes place in 1944, where armies from Britain, Poland, the United States, Canada, and France fight against Nazi German forces during the Battle of Normandy.

This is the only main entry not available on PC.

5. Call of Duty: WWII (2017)

Sledgehammer Games brought the franchise back to World War II. This is the first time in the main series there was only one protagonist in the campaign: Ronald “Red” Daniels. You fight Nazi German forces across Europe, from Normandy to Germany.

While WWII has brief flashback sequences in 1940, the core of the title takes place in 1944.

6. Call of Duty: Vanguard (2021)

Sledgehammer Games attempted to explore World War II from a different perspective. You are presented with multiple characters on different fronts. The main objective is to learn more about Phoenix, a secret Nazi project.

Vanguard also has flashback sequences starting in 1941, but the majority of the campaign is set in 1945.

7. Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010)

Treyarch changed eras with Black Ops. From 1961 to 1968, you experience the events of the Cold War and part of the Vietnam War for the first time in the series.

The main protagonist, Alex Mason, works with the CIA and is tasked to remember events to find Soviet sleeper agents. These agents plan to release a dangerous chemical weapon called Nova 6.

8. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (2020)

Treyarch and Raven Software developed Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, which connects the original Black Ops and Black Ops 2. You can choose your name, gender, and other details like dialogue lines.

Set in 1981, you team up with characters from previous games, including Alex Mason, Frank Woods, and Jason Hudson. Under CIA’s Russell Adler, your elite team aims to catch a Soviet figure called “Perseus” who is planning to attack the United States.

9. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (2012)

The sequel to the original Black Ops presents two timelines. In 1986, you follow Alex Mason’s footsteps after he and his team stopped Nova 6. Jason Hudson asks Mason to aid in the search for Frank Woods, who disappeared in Cuando Cubango, Angola.

The second timeline is centered around David Mason, Alex’s son, who’s looking for Raul Menendez in 2025. Menendez is the leader of Cordis Die, a terrorist organization that provoked the Second Cold War.

10. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007)

Modern Warfare is the first time the series abandoned its classic Allies vs Axis conflict for something more recent.

In 2011, Yasir Al-Fulani, the president of a fictional Middle Eastern country, was executed by Khaled Al-Asad, the leader of a revolutionary party. Russia is going through a civil war provoked by Imran Zakhaev, an arms dealer. A squad commanded by Captain Price and formed by protagonist John “Soap” MacTavish have to stop an international crisis.

11. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009)

Set five years after the events of the previous game, Modern Warfare 2 tells the story of Vladimir Makarov, an Ultranationalist who continues the work of Imran Zakhaev. This extremist party gained control of Russia, so Makarov gained the power to commit terrorist acts against the United States.

Captain Soap and Captain Price join forces with Sergeant Gary “Roach” Sanderson, Lieutenant Simon “Ghost” Riley, “Nikolai”, and other agents to stop Makarov’s secret plan.

12. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011)

The end of the first Modern Warfare trilogy brings the pursuit of terrorist Vladimir Makarov to its climax. Captain Price’s team re-arranges itself with Yuri, an ex-Spetsnaz known by Nikolai. Captain John “Soap” MacTavish is also present for the final mission.

Makarov captures Boris Vorshevsky, the president of Russia, who was going to establish peace with the United States. After threatening the president’s daughter, Makarov acquired nuclear launch codes, becoming an international danger.

13. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019)

Infinity Ward rebooted the Modern Warfare series by reusing some classic characters in a new timeline. Well-known faces like Captain Price are present in a new conflict with Russia.

Set in 2019, a fictional republic called Urzikstan is invaded by a Russian army. Al-Qatala, a terrorist organization from Urzikstan, begins operations against different countries in the world. Captain Price, alongside his Task Force 141 and the Urzikstan Liberation Force, try to de-escalate the conflict.

14. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022)

Taking place in 2022, Modern Warfare II follows the story of the MW reboot, featuring returning characters from Task Force 141 and the Urzikstan Liberation Force leader Farah Karim.

Al-Qatala is still a threat, but all eyes are on Quds Force, an Iranian revolutionary group commanded by Hassan Zyani. Zyani is supported by Al-Qatala and a Mexican cartel. He plans terrorist acts against the United States after the assassination of General Ghorbrani, an Iranian forces leader.

15. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (2023)

Picking up after the events of 2022’s Modern Warfare II, MWIII once again stars Task Force 141, including recurring characters John Price, Simon “Ghost” Riley, Kyle “Gaz” Garrick, and John “Soap” MacTavish. Ultranationalist terrorist Vladimir Makarov, the villain from 2011’s Modern Warfare 3, serves as the antagonist.

16. Call of Duty: Ghosts (2013)

A standalone entry with few connections to previous titles, Call of Duty Ghosts was developed by Infinity Ward in 2013. As its name indicates, it focused on the special operation group called Ghosts, a U.S. team tasked with secret missions.

In 2027, after a decade of conflicts in the Middle East and an oil crisis, a South American force called the Federation of the Americas initiated a war against the United States. Working with your new team, you have to stop Gabriel T. Rorke, the former leader of Ghosts.

17. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (2014)

Advanced Warfare was the first entry to take place several decades beyond its release date. It was also the first game developed primarily by Sledgehammer Games.

Set in 2054, you control Jack Mitchell, a member of the United States Marine Corps who later fights in the private military corporation known as Atlas after suffering an accident. The enemy forces are a Chechenian separatist group called KVA led by Joseph “Hades” Chkheidze.

It was one of the first entries to feature futuristic changes in gameplay due to its setting, like soldiers wearing exoskeletons with unique abilities.

18. Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 (2015)

The end of the initial Black Ops trilogy was also set in the future. In 2065, a Third Cold War between the Common Defense Pact and the Winslow Accord is happening. Robotic drones, cyborg supersoldiers, unpiloted air forces, and other technological advancements take center stage.

A black ops team composed of you (simply referred to as “The Player”), Jacob Hendricks, and your cybernetics division is tasked with preventing the conflict from escalating. You investigate a strange event in Singapore and look out for the 54 Immortals, a crime organization.

19. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (2016)

No Call of Duty game went further into the future than Infinite Warfare. Around the 2080s, the United Nations Space Alliance was created after humans had spent all the natural resources available on Earth. Beginning the colonization and exploitation of resources on other planets, this alliance is defended by the Solar Associated Treaty Organization, a military force that battles the totalitarian regime Settlement Defense Front from Mars.

How to Play the Call of Duty Games By Release Date

1. Call of Duty (2003)
2. Call of Duty 2 (2005)
3. Call of Duty 3 (2006)
4. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007)
5. Call of Duty: World at War (2008)
6. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009)
7. Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010)
8. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011)
9. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (2012)
10. Call of Duty: Ghosts (2013)
11. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (2014)
12. Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 (2015)
13. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (2016)
14. Call of Duty: WWII (2017)
15. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019)
16. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (2020)
17. Call of Duty: Vanguard (2021)
18. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022)
19. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (2023)

What’s Next for Call of Duty?

Following the release of Modern Warfare III and Warzone 2.0 in 2023, Activision will hand the reins back to Treyarch. The next Call of Duty game is confirmed to be Black Ops 6, which some speculate will be set in the Gulf War. According to The Verge, Call of Duty fans may be able to get their hands on this next release as soon as October, and it may be coming straight to Xbox Game Pass. For now, we expect more concrete details about Black Ops 6 to be announced during Microsoft’s Xbox showcase on June 9.

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