10. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War distinguishes itself from other entries in the famed franchise by its excellence when the gun is holstered. While Call of Duty is renowned for its top-notch shootouts with explosions aplenty and edge-of-your-seat moments, Black Ops Cold War added a new layer to this formula. The campaign takes place during the most pivotal moments of the Cold War, and we get to learn more about our covert ops crew at our safehouses and infiltrate KGB headquarters as a Russian double agent. These moments are quiet in the best way, making the louder ones even more impactful.
Black Ops Cold War’s multiplayer fell a bit short, but its Zombies mode was a highlight. While we would have loved more content, it delivered highly polished and intense gameplay sessions that are still memorable today.
9. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011)
Despite some major issues with the 2023 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, the 2011 iteration excelled at refining and improving upon its predecessor. Its multiplayer added new elements like weapon progression, proficiencies, and more, but its greatest achievement was crafting one of the most captivating and addictive Call of Duty multiplayer experiences ever made up to that point. The campaign was enjoyable enough, and while not one of our favorites, it boasted the impressive set pieces and “wow” moments that made this franchise so popular. It was also the conclusion of one of the most beloved Call of Duty trilogies ever, making it worth the price of admission.
8. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 stood out for many reasons, including being the first in the series to feature a branching narrative and an arsenal of futuristic weaponry. While it continued the Cold War-era story from the original Black Ops, it also transported us to 2025 to experience a whole new Cold War centered on Alex Mason’s son, David. Oh, and don’t forget that Raul Menendez is one of the best villains in the entire franchise. Black Ops 2’s multiplayer also debuted features like the Pick 10 system and Scorestreaks, adding a welcome level of depth and customization to the experience. Throw in its Zombies mode, which was the perfect, laugh-filled alternative to the campaign and multiplayer, and Black Ops 2 remains a standout Call of Duty game over a decade later.
7. Call of Duty: World at War
Call of Duty: World at War brought us back to World War 2 after the roaring success of Modern Warfare’s contemporary setting, but it did so in a different way. Instead of simply reliving Normandy and D-Day for the umpteenth time, the story focused on the Pacific theater and the Red Army’s reversals of the tide at Stalingrad to the Fall of Berlin. The campaign was packed with close-quarters combat moments, many of which took place in tight, packed trenches, and for the first time, allowed you to play with up to three other friends. What World at War may forever be remembered for, however, was its introduction of what we now know as the Zombies mode, or Nach der Untoten as it was called. Its multiplayer was also a hit, taking much of what made Modern Warfare great and adapting it for the era the game was set in.
6. Call of Duty
Call of Duty first appeared on the scene in 2003, at a time when Medal of Honor and Battlefield 1942 were at the peak of their game and proving what could be achieved in the WWII genre. But Call of Duty did a number of things that would immediately set it apart, including choosing to tell its story from the perspective of not only the United States, but also Britain and the Soviet Union. It also had you going into battle with other soldiers by your side instead of having you face the horrors of war alone, leading to a more realistic and compelling experience. And don’t forget the “shellshock” feature, which visually and audibly showed the dangers and consequences of large explosions and brought us closer to war than ever before.
While it’s obviously a little out of date 20 years on, the campaign is still fun to play, and it’s impossible to understate the foundation it built for the future of not just the Call of Duty series, but first-person shooters as a whole.
5. Call of Duty: Black Ops
Call of Duty: Black Ops transported us to the 1960s to learn the story of CIA operative Alex Mason. From the first moments in that chair in the interrogation room to one of the best twists in the entire franchise, we couldn’t get enough of the story that also featured the star power of Sam Worthington, Ed Harris, and Gary Oldman. Black Ops’ multiplayer is just as iconic, and some of the maps, including Firing Range and Nuketown, are still favorites in 2023, having been brought forward multiple times. The multiplayer suite also introduced CoD Points, which changed how things were unlocked and made progression feel fresh again.
Nazi Zombies returned too, except this time as a full-fledged mode, and it even let you play as JFK, Fidel Castro, Richard Nixon, or Robert McNamara. There was also an unlockable mode that played like a retro arcade version. It was all wonderful.
4. Call of Duty 2
Call of Duty 2 was an incredible achievement on its own, but its timing was just as important. The follow-up to the original Call of Duty arrived as a launch title for Xbox 360 and demonstrated what “next-gen” actually meant back then. While the original Call of Duty was impressive, the power of Xbox 360 – alongside advancements in PC tech – led to a WWII experience like never before. One of the most notable examples was the smoke grenades, as they were a great showcase for what the devs could do to make a more realistic experience. Not only were they a sight to behold as the smoke billowed up and smothered the screen, but they could also be used tactically to get out of a tough situation.
With Call of Duty 2, the future was here, even if the multiplayer still only allowed for eight players in a match on Xbox Live.
3. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019)
We LOVE Modern Warfare, and that adoration extends to 2019’s Modern Warfare, the game that rebooted a classic. That in itself was a tough task, but Infinity Ward passed with flying colors and created the best campaign since the original Black Ops. Indeed, the single-player was packed with stand-out moments, from Going Dark’s nonlinear stealth infiltration to Clean House, in which a team of SAS troops clear a pitch-black terrorist hideout using night-goggles, making split-second decisions to make sure its a threat in the crosshairs and not an unarmed civilian.
Modern Warfare’s multiplayer was decent too, and tried to evolve one of the most beloved multiplayer games of all time to the modern day with some nice additions, but its implementation wasn’t perfect. That said, its new modes like Realism and the 2v2 Gunfight were great.
2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009)
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and its sequel Modern Warfare 2 are not only some of the best Call of Duty games ever, but also some of the best and most important games of all time. While Modern Warfare set the gold standard for what these first-person shooters could be, Modern Warfare pushed it to an even higher peak. We could talk about No Russian and the shocking, revenge-filled campaign ending all day, but multiplayer is where this game truly shines. From its customizable Killstreaks and progression challenges, to the focus on bigger maps with a ton of players, to the introduction of the cooperative Spec Ops maps, there was SO much to love about its multiplayer mode. And the best part? It just improved on everything else we loved from Modern Warfare, which we can’t wait to tell you about next…
1. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 may have perfected the formula that Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare built, but new and shiny things can’t always stack up to what it’s like to experience something for the first time. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is the perfect example of that, and was a revolution that changed video games forever. This was the year that Call of Duty became the Call of Duty we know today, and it was thanks to a tag-team assault of a fantastic campaign and a legendary multiplayer experience. We will never forget being introduced to Soap and Captain Price for the first time, or when we got to jump into an AC-130 gunship, escape a cargo ship in the middle of a stormy sea, play through All Ghillied Up – possibly the greatest Call of Duty mission ever – and so much more.
We’ll also never forget the countless hours we happily sunk into multiplayer, earning killstreak after killstreak, unlocking every gun and challenge we could, finding the perfect perks, and winning or losing alongside our best friends. Those were the days we’ll never forget. That is Call of Duty.
Call of Duty: The Complete Playlist
From the original PC hit to the ever-expanding lineup of console, handheld, and mobile Call of Duty games, this is the complete series in trackable and sortable form.
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