It’s not all Warzone and Modern Warfare, the first-person military shooter has a long and storied history across multiple console generations, all iterating somehow as the Call of Duty series. Subsets like Black Ops have left their mark in more permanent ways, growing just as, if not more, popular than their originators.
Now, over twenty years since the first game came out, there are dozens of entries under the Call of Duty umbrella, and the timeline grows understandably murky. To break all of that down, chronicling an era that began long before zombies and spacefaring firefights — here’s every Call of Duty game in order of release
1. Call of Duty (2003)
After making the incredible Medal Of Honor: Allied Assault, some devs at 2015, Inc. decided that they wanted more, and so went on to form Infinity Ward and give us the original Call Of Duty. The result was an even more faithful and grittier redo of some of WWII‘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 original Call Of Duty, Call of Duty 2 not 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 to Call Of Duty 2, Call of Duty 3 surprisingly 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 with Call 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 Warfare is the game that finally beat Halo and cemented the COD series as the most successful FPS in the world, and naturally spawned various ports.
5. Call of Duty: World at War (2008)
Treyarch brings COD back to WWII but keeps things fresh by focusing on the Pacific front. While it may not bear the subtitle, Call of Duty: World at War was the start of Treyarch’s Black Ops subseries. It’s not as beloved as Modern Warfare, but this game was still a sales success and introduced Zombies, one of the staples of the series.
6. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is the sequel to the original Modern Warfare and 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 2 became 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 Ops is the follow-up to Treyarch’s World At War. It tells an original story set in the days of the Cold War and brings the Zombies game mode to new heights with 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 the Modern Warfare trilogy, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was the first entry in the mainline COD series to be finished after the firing 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 first Avatar film did (per CNET).
9. Call of Duty: Black Ops II (2012)
The continuation of the original Black Ops features a more ambitious campaign set in both the ’80s and the 2020s. Though not as popular as the original MW and its sequel, many fans say Call of Duty: Black Ops II is their favorite in the entire series. In fact, it outperformed Modern Warfare 3, grossing $1 billion in 15 days (per Activision). It was also one of only two COD games to be released for Nintendo’s short-lived Wii U console.
10. Call of Duty: Ghosts (2013)
The first attempt at a new subseries since Black Ops was Call 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 on Ghosts‘ Wii U version.
11. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (2014)
The COD series tries to go beyond Modern Warfare with 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 with Modern Warfare 3). Though Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare introduces a bunch of cool new mechanics in a decent campaign, it failed to capture the hearts of fans as MW once 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 III was not only the culmination of the Black Ops trilogy, it’s also the game with the best Zombies mode 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 the COD franchise, this time one where space warfare was the main draw. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare had some impressive blockbuster-worthy moments, but it just was no Modern 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 WWII the series back to the Second World War, this time with an original narrative instead of the usual re-living of the famous battles that WWII COD games had gotten us used to. Sledgehammer Games (the studio behind Advanced 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. The Nazi Zombies mode made a welcome return too.
15. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (2018)
Though it features Black Ops in its title, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 doesn’t feature a campaign, opting instead to focus on the then-emerging Battle Royale genre with the Blackout game 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 (via Critical Hit). Zombies fans 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 the Modern Warfare storyline with… Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. As such, it features a re-imagined story from the first Modern 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 (per Forbes), 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)
The Black Ops series 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 of Black Ops games, and neither is its Zombies mode. 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: Vanguard marks 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 least Vanguard gives 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 rebooted Modern Warfare series. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II garnered a lot less fan favor than the original Modern Warfare sequel 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-selling COD game of all time, making $800 million in three days (via VGC).
20. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (2023)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III marked 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 another Modern Warfare sequel. This game suffered from a highly rushed development which resulted in the weakest 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, from The Boys characters to real-life celebrities like Nicki Minaj.
All Call of Duty game versions and DLCs
While we’ve listed all the mainline Call of Duty games, the series has seen a number of spin-offs as well. Below, you’ll find a complete list of the Call of Duty series in order of release, alongside any associated spin-offs and ports.
- Call of Duty (2003)
- Call of Duty: United Offensive (2004)
- Call of Duty: Finest Hour (2004)
- Call of Duty: Classic (PS3, Xbox 360) (2009)
- Call of Duty 2 (2005)
- Call of Duty 2: Big Red One (2005)
- Call of Duty 2 (Mobile) (2006)
- Call of Duty 3 (2006)
- Call of Duty: Roads to Victory (PSP) (2007)
- Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007)
- Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Nintendo DS) (2007)
- Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Mobile) (2007)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered (2016)
- Call of Duty: World at War (2008)
- Call of Duty: World at War: Final Fronts (PS2) (2008)
- Call of Duty: World at War Mobile (2008)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2: Force Recon (Mobile) (2009)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized (DS) (2009)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Reflex Edition (Wii) (2009)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered (2020)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Mobile (2010)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3: Defiance (DS) (2011)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops II (2012)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops: Declassified (Vita) (2012)
- Call of Duty: Strike Team (mobile) (2013)
- Call of Duty: Ghosts (2013)
- Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (2014)
- Call of Duty: Heroes (2014)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops III (2015)
- Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (2016)
- Call of Duty: WWII (2017)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (2018)
- Call of Duty: Mobile (2019)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019)
- Call of Duty: Warzone (2020)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (2020)
- Call of Duty: Vanguard (2021)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022)
- Call of Duty: Warzone 2 (2022)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (2023)
