Every Call Of Duty Campaign, Ranked

Highlights

• Call of Duty
  games evolved from realistic WWII settings to futuristic robot-filled worlds, with varying degrees of success in storytelling.
• Some entries like
  Black Ops 4
  disappointed fans with lackluster campaign plots, while others like
  World at War: Final Fronts
  felt like money grabs.
• Modern Warfare 3
  received mixed reviews for a confusing campaign and lack of creative missions despite some innovative gameplay elements.

There have been multiple main-series Call of Duty games, with a new game coming out almost annually. The franchise started life in fierce competition with the likes of Medal Of Honor and Soldier Of Fortune as a realistic and enjoyable WWII FPS. Things progressed rapidly, and soon after the success of Modern Warfare, COD became the definitive first-person shooter, whether set amid a real war of the past or a crazy robot-filled future.

Taking most of the Call of Duty games into account (Warzone doesn’t have a campaign), from the first one until the latest installment, gamers have been treated to some fascinating global firefights packed with intrigue as well as boring conspiracies full of predictable and clichéd plotlines.

Updated on April 21, 2024, by Jason Wojnar: It feels like nothing short of a literal apocalypse can stop Call of Duty from remaining the most popular gaming franchise of all time. Every year, it continues to dominate sales charts. As the list below shows, though, not all games in the series are created equal. While even the subpar campaigns outsell their competition year after year, it still remains a stain on the series. This update of the best COD campaigns adds a few spin-offs from the past that people might have forgotten about. Some of these come from a time when consoles received a different game than the PC or the last generation got a spin-off instead of a downgraded version of the real thing.

24 Call of Duty: Black Ops 4

Metacritic: 83

The only thing worse than being bad is not trying. Instead of outright ditching the solo mode, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 opted to have solo missions but no cohesive story or plot at all. That’s a disappointment, given the love for the Black Ops timeline up to that point.

Admittedly, the single-player missions aren’t the worst when it comes to gameplay. But this began a negative trend for cutting back on world-building. The solo content was the longest in the franchise but completely devoid of meaning.

23 Call Of Duty: Black Ops Declassified

Metacritic: 33

• Release: November 13, 2012
• Developer: nStigate Games
• Platforms: PS Vita

The PlayStation Vita finally made first-person shooters comfortable with the inclusion of dual analog sticks. However, that did not prevent duds from finding their way onto the system. Despite the pedigree of the series at the time, Black Ops Declassified was dead on arrival when it hit the PS Vita.

The campaign feels like nothing, taking about 40 minutes to complete and having an uninspired mission structure. Call of Duty campaigns are known to be short, but less than an hour is insulting to players’ wallets, especially when there are no big setpieces or an intriguing story.

For some quality first-person shooters on the system, look no further than
Killzone Mercenary
or
Resistance: Burning Skies

22 Call Of Duty: World At War – Final Fronts

Metacritic User Score: 6.4

• Release: November 11, 2008
• Developer: Rebellion Developments
• Platforms: PlayStation 2

When the PS3, Xbox 360 and Windows got the next step in the series with World at War, players of the prior generation were left with a spin-off also taking place during World War II.

There is some crossover in the stories of the two games, but also some contradicitons like major supporting characters surviving the final battle. The campaign is ultimately unimpressive, feeling more like a way to get money from gamers who have yet to move on to the PS3 and Xbox 360 instead of a separate experience really worth players’ time.

21 Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023)

Metacritic: 61

Aside from some spin-offs, Modern Warfare 3 garnered by far the worst reception of any Call of Duty game, and a lot of that criticism targeted the single-player story (although the multiplayer hardly launched in a perfect state). A confusingly stitched-together campaign that features almost no high points and a plethora of dull lows, this entry is not just a poor follow-up to its imperfect but enjoyable predecessors but just an all-around underwhelming experience in the overall FPS genre.

Sledgehammer shook up the series’ standard mission structure by including open stages that allow players to complete an array of objectives at their leisure. In theory, this sounds like a fine idea, but the concept’s execution left a lot to be desired. For one, these missions lack individuality or personality, and their objectives are very by-the-numbers. While they grant players some freedom in how they approach scenarios, they are also nowhere near creative enough to encourage experimentation.

Also, Activision’s franchise shines its brightest when focusing on set pieces. The best Call of Duty campaigns play out like blockbusters, and there is nothing wrong with that. Modern Warfare 3 messes with that formula in a way that limits one of the license’s greatest strengths. The campaign has a couple of levels that are closer to the traditional COD mission, but they are fairly forgettable and largely seem happy to repeat ideas that were executed better in previous games.

20 Call Of Duty: Ghosts

Metacritic: 78

At the time of its release, Ghosts was widely regarded as the worst Call Of Duty game, a position that it no longer holds unchallenged. Despite sharing a name with one of the most popular CoD characters ever, he (Ghost) isn’t involved in the campaign. That’s probably for the best.

Players do get a dog called Riley, though. Aside from the dog, nothing is built on from any previous games, and players are simply dealt a lot of boring and repetitive gameplay with meaningless missions and skirmishes. A few may call it one of the franchise’s more underappreciated campaigns, but that’s an extreme minority.

19 Call Of Duty: Vanguard

Metacritic: 74

Call of Duty: Vanguard is a unique entry, choosing to go with a new cast, new plot, and spending the majority of playtime in a prequel format. It’s a fresh take on character introductions and how things got to where they are. Unfortunately, this comes at the expense of anticipation. Players know which characters live already.

The cast was meant to inspire a fresh new Vanguard series. However, after the feedback was filled with an intense dislike for the characters, the developers opted to return to the Modern Warfare series and forget this game ever happened. New maps tried to salvage the multiplayer, but the campaign was a complete bust.

18 Call Of Duty 2: Big Red One

Metacritic: 78

Big Red One differs greatly from the main Call of Duty 2. It focuses on a single group of American soldiers during the second world war instead of diving the campaign between several different stories. It also features the voice talents of actors like Mark Hamill and several actors from Band of Brothers.

The move to tell a different story than Call of Duty 2 works in its favor since it can stand alone and not be judged by comparing it to the Xbox 360 and PC titles. PS2, Xbox, and GameCube owners had a game they could be proud of and not an ersatz port.

17 Call Of Duty: Finest Hour

Metacritic: 73

The debut Call of Duty game did not come to consoles until an HD port in 2009. When the first game came out on PC, console players received a different game, Call of Duty: Finest Hour. It shares a lot of similarities to the debut game, but instead adapted to the weaker consoles instead of trying to put the PC game onto weaker hardware and limiting it.

This was long before the series became the powerhouse it is known as today, and it does not have all of the staples that mark it as a Call of Duty game. All the same, it is fascinating to play today as a historical artifact.

16 Call Of Duty 3

Metacritic: 83

Zooming back to a pre-MW world, there is COD 3. After an impressive first two games, the third entry into the WW2 storyline (which was the only war the franchise had covered at this point) was a little lackluster.

It gave players the option to play as a variety of allied countries, but this seemed mostly like a coverup for the lack of variety in the campaign itself.

15 Call Of Duty: Black Ops 3

Metacritic: 81

The world was fairly excited for another entry in the critically acclaimed Black Ops sub-series, but the campaign of Black Ops 3 was a big disappointment. This comes down to the fact that COD players don’t want robots, but COD keeps giving them robots.

What’s especially disappointing is how grounded the first Black Ops was. After this game, many fans felt that Black Ops 2 was one of many games that got a sequel that should have never been made.

14 Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare

Metacritic: 78

Speaking of robots, Infinite Warfare was the most dramatic leap away from Call Of Duty 1 the game could have made, bringing the combat into space.

As a game, it’s actually quite brilliant and keeps players gripped until the end, but it’s hard to truly class it as a COD game; it doesn’t feel like one and the campaign is simply too alien. Activision gave an effort with the campaign and some gamers still defend the content, it simply didn’t resonate with the series’ most loyal followers.

13 Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare

Metacritic: 83

The criminally underrated Advanced Warfare multiplayer has been looked back on poorly despite changing the COD landscape and filling it with futuristic fun. It was, admittedly, incredibly divisive and, like Infinite Warfare, it’s hard to view as a Call Of Duty game.

The campaign fell immensely short, however. It was repetitive and filled with robotics, which understandably led to the game’s poor reputation. A select few players are hoping for a sequel to the title, but given the reputation of the first game, it’s not likely.

12 Call Of Duty: WW2

Metacritic: 80

Call of Duty: WW2 called back to the franchise’s early days when World War II was COD‘s predominant setting. While the story’s emotional stakes are high and the combat makes for a great experience, the core campaign was light on content and forgettable.

Gamers who like the World War 2 setting had a lot to love from this entry since it did hit the war aspects hard. But with a defined outcome and the previous games already fleshing out this era, the throwback didn’t introduce anything new.

11 Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022)

Metacritic: 79

It must be noted that although this game is lower on the list, it is ahead of the previous installment thanks to a renewed polish on the campaign and the use of characters already made popular by the series. However, the campaign makes some brutal mistakes with the core party.

The review for the game reveals the campaign is the worst element of the title. The team kills masses indiscriminately with no consequences, and yet they are forced to let a villain go. The main antagonist in the series is scarcely named, a massive dropped ball for the franchise. And previously loved heroes come off as annoying and overplayed.

10 Call Of Duty: Black Ops 2

Metacritic: 83

Following the success of Black Ops, the sequel was the first to introduce futuristic weaponry, developing on the previous game and setting a precedent that many series veterans could have done without. Black Ops 2 relied on these new weapons instead of truly giving an updated playing experience, resulting in a campaign that was as gimmicky as it was off-putting.

Some feel this could use a remaster as the story holds up, but the polish is lacking. Fans might think about skipping this one, but they shouldn’t. There are details in the latest game that only make sense after playing through all of the Black Ops games.

9 Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Metacritic: 61

The conclusion of the Modern Warfare trilogy was a lackluster finale in comparison to the fantastic first two games, but as a game itself, it was still excellent. It kicks off immediately after MW2 and continues the hunt for Makarov, delivering emotional blows along the way.

The level design and gunplay are as tight as ever, but the story itself doesn’t quite play out how it should. There is one of gaming’s most intense interrogation scenes to at least remember the somewhat lackluster conclusion of the characters.

8 Call Of Duty

Metacritic: 91

It’s hard to make a modern-day judgment on the first Call Of Duty game simply because it’s now so incredibly dated. It’s still a game that players will recognize as having all of the signs that the franchise has since expounded upon.

Difficult, graphically poor, and clunky are just a few phrases that come to mind when compared to the sleek, fast-paced COD of today. However, this is the revolutionary game that started it all, and it has a charm that is often missing from modern-day AAA shooters. Age is a barrier, but the campaign is worth one playthrough as the story and intensity still hold up rather well.

7 Call Of Duty: World At War

Metacritic: 85

Released the year after Modern Warfare had blown the minds of fans, unexpectedly, another WWII title, World At War, took them straight back to old-school action. The campaign is an addictive tour through a variety of iconic wartime locations where players genuinely can’t help but gasp at points.

In many respects, World At War feels like the last hurrah for a long-gone era of COD. It would be nine years before the series went back to its roots with Call of Duty WWII.

This game also introduced the zombies mode, which has become a whole beast on its own. Some players are only interested in the zombies mode and ignore the campaign and competitive multiplayer altogether.

6 Call Of Duty 2

Metacritic: 89

Call Of Duty 2 continued the winning formula introduced back in the first game, developing & building on the core design by expanding levels and allowing players to approach certain objectives or shootouts in whatever order they wanted.

It’s still far harder than the COD of today, but it was a mind-blowing game at the time, and the level of freedom is almost unseen in COD campaigns. If this series decided to focus on incredible FPS world-building a bit more, it could have been one of the best in gaming history. As it stands, this entry made clear the series was more about combat than new worlds to explore.

5 Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019)

Metacritic: 81

Players will have to overlook the fact that this game chose a name that already exists. It’s the sixteenth game, and they’re reusing the same name as one of their most popular games. To give this game some distinction, gamers should focus on the fact that this is a fantastic, graphically-advanced masterpiece.

The story pushes morality to its limits, allowing the current trajectory of darkness in video games to continue. Gamers still want to have the prestige shop make a comeback, so the reboot is thought of fondly.