As a franchise, Call of Duty debuted more than twenty years ago, bringing about one of the greatest first-person shooter series of all time. By today, more than fifty titles – both major and minor – have been released to flesh out the franchise, some of them boasting remarkable and unforgettable campaigns. In this guide, we’re taking a look at that concept, ranking the best Call of Duty campaigns ever.
From space-faring adventures to gritty, World War II realism, the Call of Duty franchise truly has gone from pillar to post. There are one-shot titles, sub-franchises, spin-offs, and so much more, all of which serve to expand the Call of Duty universe and ecosystem. Typically, people care more these days about the game’s multiplayer offering, but the best Call of Duty campaigns – no matter how old they are – will always be fan favourites.
Let’s get into it – these are the best Call of Duty campaigns ever.
Before we get into the list, let’s take a second to define the Call of Duty ‘story mode’. It’s unlikely that you’re here without already knowing what that is, but you never know, right? It could be that you’ve always skipped over the hardest Call of Duty campaign because you didn’t want the stress, or maybe you’re just a multiplayer-exclusive fan through and through.
Typically, every Call of Duty release features a campaign, which is a single-player story told from the perspective of one or a series of characters in a war-based environment. Throughout history, Call of Duty has remained diverse, and whether you’re playing the slower-paced Modern Warfare II or the space-racing epic that was Infinite Warfare, almost every game has applied its spin to the concept of the campaign.
But which COD did not have a campaign, you ask?
In the twenty-or-so-year history of Call of Duty, only a few games haven’t had a campaign mode:
And it’s also worth bearing in mind that the best Call of Duty Zombies games kind of have their campaign wrapped up in them.
This is it – this is what you came for. Let’s break them down, from the longest Call of Duty campaign to the most realistic Call of Duty campaign, and everything in between.
When Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was released in 2007, it essentially changed the face of the concept of the first-person multiplayer shooter. It redefined the genre, and it introduced one of the most memorable tales in the history of gaming. It was so flawless that in 2016, it warranted a remaster, and in 2019, a reboot, featuring many of the same base concepts and characters of the original title.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare undoubtedly boasts one of the best Call of Duty campaigns ever, fusing groundbreaking graphics and combat with an immersive storyline that was equal parts intense and engaging. From the moment the player boots the campaign and witnesses the opening cinematic, they know that they’re set on a path that may not be very long, but it’s certainly going to be memorable.
Ultimately, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, with its multiple perspectives and non-stop action, was responsible for the modern-day ongoing success of the franchise.
In 2010, Black Ops was released, and a sub-franchise that would dominate charts for years to come was born. In Black Ops, players assumed the role of (primarily) Alex Mason, a character who would come to be synonymous with intrigue and mystery. Set mostly in the Vietnam War, Black Ops offered up a grisly, relatively realistic portrayal of the combat of the era, as visceral as it was.
By today, half a dozen Black Ops-related titles have been released, and it all began with Black Ops. It wasn’t just the groundbreaking multiplayer and the best Call of Duty Zombies modes of all time that made this game special, but also the campaign – which was perfect enough in length to not get stale.
Even today, people are still wondering what the numbers mean, Mason.
Image Credit: Activison Blizzard
Before Modern Warfare 2 was rebooted in 2022, the original game existed – and it was phenomenal. When it was released in 2009, Modern Warfare 2 emerged as the perfect expansion to the story that was kicked off in Modern Warfare (2007), bringing about the next chapter in an ongoing campaign. It’s one of the best Call of Duty games simply because of how memorable – and controversial – it truly was.
Modern Warfare 2’s claim to fame is with the mission ‘No Russian’, which sees the player join a group of terrorists, who then go on a rampage in a Russian airport. It’s deeply violent and troubling, and it serves as a perfect nod to how ‘grown up’ Call of Duty was as a franchise. Needless to say, it was before the bright outfits and glowing weapon skins made an appearance in the ecosystem.
From the opening scenes to the intense, incredible ending, Modern Warfare 2 was a thrilling ride from start to finish. It featured one of the best twists in the franchise and one of the greatest Call of Duty characters ever – Ghost – was introduced.
This is where it all begins – 2003’s Call of Duty. Back at the turn of the millennium, an almost unknown development studio by the name of Infinity Ward started working on Call of Duty, a then-competitor to the likes of Medal of Honor. Before long, Call of Duty became a staple shooter for modern gamers, being released exclusively on PC and boasting cutting-edge graphics and physics… For 2003, anyway.
Today, Call of Duty still holds up to the competition, retrospectively. It’s a phenomenal title that was ultimately re-released in digital form later on, many years after it was first launched, so an entirely new generation of players could experience where it all began. As one of the best Call of Duty campaigns ever, COD’s OG storyline was a typical World War II jaunt, but it was flawless in its delivery, to the point where Call of Duty (the original) remains the highest-rated COD game ever, according to Metacritic.
Also, Captain Price is first introduced in this game – not the one that we know and love from the Modern Warfare series, but a slightly older variant.
When it was rebooted in 2019, the Modern Warfare franchise had a new lease of life breathed into it. Modern Warfare (2019) quickly became the best-selling game in the history of the franchise, bringing about a resurgence like never before. It also served as an introduction of sorts to Call of Duty: Warzone, which was released mere months later and piggybacked off the story and engine of Modern Warfare.
Like its predecessors, Modern Warfare offered up one of the most realistic Call of Duty campaigns ever, fusing intense, visceral situations with state-of-the-art graphics and physics. There’s a far-reaching tale that, once again, puts players in the command of several characters from around the world. There’s a re-introduction of the traditional Modern Warfare characters – Gaz, Price, and Nikolai – but new, memorable characters are also introduced.
It’s not the longest adventure by any means, and it can be completed in a single sitting, but Modern Warfare – as a reboot – offered up a fantastic adventure. At times, some of the more controversial parts of the game managed to beat out Modern Warfare 2 in terms of the scandal of the thing.
Image Credit: Activision Blizzard
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World at War was a return to the WWII-based roots that Call of Duty was so well known for. Following a brief intermission that involved the likes of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, 2008’s World at War was a journey back down the harrowing memory lane of the Second World War. It might not have been the shortest Call of Duty campaign ever, but World at War certainly was the most violent game, featuring full dismemberment and more gore than ever before.
It was remarkably well-received, and it served as a prequel of sorts to 2010’s Black Ops, which also makes this list of the best Call of Duty campaigns in history. Like other games before it, World at War featured multiple perspectives of the same war, with players assuming control of an American and a Russian, fighting in completely different theatres on opposite sides of the world.
Call of Duty: Black Ops III was released in 2015, emerging as a fine expansion to a franchise that had already established itself as a fan favourite. From the original 2010 title to 2012’s Black Ops II – which is considered to be the best multiplayer Call of Duty game ever – the sub-franchise was turning heads and topping charts.
That notion continued with Black Ops III, which is widely thought to be the best ‘jetpack Call of Duty’ ever. It offered up a lengthy campaign – the longest campaign in the series – that led players through a near-future adventure, bursting at the seams with technology, advanced weaponry, and more verticality than ever before. It would be the last Black Ops game to see a full campaign until 2020’s Black Ops Cold War was released.
On the subject of Black Ops Cold War, we pivot now to that title, which despite only having a development cycle of a few months, managed to impress fans across the board. It was far from perfect, but it was good enough to be well-received upon launch. Not only was the multiplayer offering top-notch, but Black Ops Cold War featured an innovative Zombies mode and, of course, one of the best Call of Duty campaigns in the business.
Like some other titles before it – namely Infinite Warfare – Black Ops Cold War gave the player the option to tackle missions as and when they saw fit. It was a break away from the strictly linear model that most other Call of Duty titles have favoured in the past – and still do. That freedom was appreciated, and along with great graphics and entertaining gunplay, all of the elements combined made for one of the best Call of Duty story modes ever.
Image Credit: Activision Blizzard
Call of Duty: WWII was released in 2017, and it was the first time in almost a decade that the franchise had reverted to a story set in the Second World War. As one of the most historically accurate Call of Duty campaigns ever, WWII featured only real-world units, battles, and adventures. It was a cutting-edge title that boasted some of the most remarkable graphics the gaming world had ever seen, and it set a new standard for Call of Duty games.
It may not boast the most unique set pieces or individual missions, being as it is simple World War II-themed gameplay, but the story that’s told is nothing short of memorable. It’s a gritty, realistic portrayal of the struggles experienced by fighters during the War, and it offers up a relatively lengthy campaign for players to enjoy.
Modern Warfare II (2022) boasts one of the best COD campaigns ever. In Modern Warfare II, players are reunited with some of the most iconic characters from the franchise – Price, Ghost, and Soap, to name a few. It’s an intense story that features some of the most innovative and challenging concepts that the developers have ever introduced to the series.
From heart-pounding stealth missions to semi-open-world sniping chapters, and from high-octane car chases to epic boss battles, Modern Warfare II has it all. It was almost too much, with such a varied platter of content being crammed into a relatively short window, but it managed to please fans all the same.
Read More: Find out if Cold War is still worth it today
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