Call of Duty is one of the most popular multiplayer shooters out there, and it has been so for more than a decade. Every year, a new Call of Duty title is released, and while it may boast a single-player campaign or cooperative elements, it’s the multiplayer platform that shines the brightest. From the esports scene to the public multiplayer lobbies, we’re breaking down the best Call of Duty game modes, how they work, and why they’ve been so impactful to the history of the series.
Since Call of Duty debuted some two decades ago, dozens of game modes have surfaced. While some have come and gone without much of a lasting impact, others have left their mark on the industry to such an extent that other games have replicated said modes. With this guide in hand, you’ll learn about the best COD game modes to ever grace the franchise.
Has your favourite Call of Duty mode made the list? Let’s find out…
From the most intriguing to the most basic modes, these are some of the best Call of Duty game modes explained.
Search and Destroy is an industry staple, and it’s a mode that essentially serves as the backbone for the likes of CSGO, VALORANT, and of course, Call of Duty. At its most fundamental level, Search and Destroy sees two teams take to the battlefield – one with the goal of destroying objectives, the other with the goal of defending those objectives. For Call of Duty, Search and Destroy has remained one of the most popular modes for as long as multiplayer platforms have existed.
It’s one of the key modes in the Call of Duty League, and it often serves as the deciding mode for settling a series.
Capture the Flag is one of the oldest and best Call of Duty game modes, having existed since the earliest years of the series. It’s an entertaining, high-octane mode that sees players attempt to secure the flag of their enemies from across the map whilst also working to protect their own flag. It was an esports staple for years in the Call of Duty scene, but it was unfortunately last seen in Black Ops Cold War (2020).
Out of all Call of Duty games, Capture the Flag has more or less existed every time, but as of late, its presence has been sorely missed.
First seen in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Uplink is an exciting game mode that works in a similar way to Capture the Flag, but only in the ‘one flag’ mode that has also been seen in the past. There’s a central orb on the map, and players must fight to seize that orb (which is typically in the form of a drone) and throw or plant it through the enemy’s goal. It was wildly popular on the more fast-paced platforms like Infinite Warfare and Black Ops III, and it even served for a while as a top COD esports game mode.
For several years, Uplink has been missing from the series, but it wouldn’t really play well on a slower-paced, boots-on-the-ground platform.
Image Credit: Activision Blizzard
Introduced in 2010’s Black Ops, Gun Game is a highly entertaining mode that sees players start with the same single weapon (and a melee option). From there, every kill that the player lands will send them up a tier, unlocking the next weapon. Ultimately, the first player to reach the final tier and land the last kill is the victor, but there’s no knowing of what weapon will be made available next until that tier is reached.
It means that every match can be unpredictable and challenging, as players will be forced to use weapons they’re absolutely not familiar with.
For those looking for a little extra challenge, Gun Fight offers up a more competitive feel, placing players into small teams – sometimes just duos – and planting them on a small map to fight against enemies using the exact same loadout. There’s a one-life rule and nobody ever knows what the randomised loadout will look like, and it’s a fan favourite simply because it offers up more of an ‘esports’ feel than traditional multiplayer lobbies.
Those that are long-time fans of Search and Destroy also tend to really enjoy a round of Gun Fight.
Prop Hunt was first seen in the Modern Warfare remaster (2016), and since then it became a regular appearance throughout the series, arguably peaking in Black Ops Cold War. Taking inspiration from a Source Engine-powered PC game, GMod, Prop Hunt splits players into two teams – props and prop hunters. For the props, they’ll assume the role of random items around the map – bins, tyres, trees, and so on, and it’s up to the hunters to identify them and destroy them before the timer runs out.
It’s massively entertaining and makes for a relaxed and far less competitive Call of Duty game mode.
Image Credit: Activision Blizzard
When it first surfaced in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007), Ground War was nothing more than a typical team deathmatch or domination mode but with more players involved. Over time, the concept of Ground War has broadened considerably, and today, Ground War is a massive mode that features up to sixty-four players on maps designed to accommodate vehicles. It’s now similar to the Conquest mode found in the Battlefield series, and it’s popular among those looking for a more strategic, large-scale fight.
In 2022, Modern Warfare II introduced ‘Invasion’, one of the newest Call of Duty game modes that is quite similar to Ground War but features an extensive count of AI opponents to fight, as well as real players.
Like Search and Destroy, Hardpoint has remained an esports staple for quite some time. It pits two teams against each other, fighting for the control of an ever-rotating point on the map – the Hardpoint. During the match, players fight to occupy that point while at the same time keeping enemies away from it. It’s relatively simple but can be hugely tactical, with players needing to control rotations and spawns effectively enough to maintain an edge.
Typically, Hardpoint acts as the opening Call of Duty mode in any esports showdown.
Kill Confirmed was introduced in 2011’s Modern Warfare 3, and it puts a spin on the classic Team Deathmatch mode. In Kill Confirmed, players must eliminate enemies, but they’ll only gain a point for the kill if their opponent’s ‘dog tags’, which float over the body once eliminated, are collected. In 2013’s Call of Duty: Ghosts (definitely not one of the best Call of Duty games ever), a twist was applied to the mode with the introduction of Grind, which required players to collect dog tags and deposit them in a certain location for them to count.
It’s a timeless mode that offers more experience points than a standard Team Deathmatch, and that’s why it’s a fan favourite.
If you’re hunting for one of the most senseless Call of Duty game modes, then look to Infected. It’s an insane, off-the-hook mode that throws a group of players onto a map – typically with randomised or limited weaponry – and eventually makes one of them ‘Infected’. From there, it’s the goal of the Infected to… Well, infect the survivors, who fight endlessly to hold off the Infected attackers.
It often results in enormous, unbelievable killstreaks, nukes, and other hilarious events, as the match only ends when the final player is Infected. It’s different to the best Call of Duty Zombies modes, which are standalone and separate from traditional multiplayer modes.
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