There’s no escaping that Call of Duty is currently in a bit of a rut. Although there are bright spots in Modern Warfare 3’s multiplayer and Zombies mode, it ultimately feels all too familiar. And the campaign? Our reviewer Simon Cardy said it was “perhaps the worst Call of Duty single-player campaign I’ve played.” It currently has a disappointing Metacritic rating of 56 and, unsurprisingly, Modern Warfare 3 didn’t make into IGN’s top 10 Call of Duty games (spoilers: it came bottom of the pile).
Thankfully, Call of Duty has been exceptional at times and, years on, many of its greatest moments still stand the test of time. So we’re looking back to decide which Call of Duty games are our absolute favorites, and we’re talking about the full package - campaign, multiplayer, zombies, everything. IGN staff voted on all the games, and you can read all about why we picked what we picked below. After, be sure to let us know how we did and share your favorites in the comments below!
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War sets itself apart from other entries in the legendary franchise by how much it excels when your gun is actually holstered. While Call of Duty is obviously known for its world-class shootouts with explosions around every corner and edge-of-your-seat moments, Black Ops Cold War added another wrinkle to that formula.
The campaign takes place during the most critical moments of the Cold War and we get time to learn more about our covert ops crew at our safehouses and sneak around KGB headquarters as a Russian double agent. These moments are quiet in the best ways, and they make the louder ones even more impactful.
Black Ops Cold War’s multiplayer fell a little short but its Zombies mode was a highlight. Sure, we would have loved some more content, but it provided highly polished and tense gameplay sessions we still think about today.
There were some big issues with 2023’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, but 2011’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 did a great job of iterating and improving on what came before. Its multiplayer added new elements such as weapon progression, proficiencies, and more, but what it did best was create one of the most compelling and addicting Call of Duty multiplayer experiences ever made up to that point.
The campaign was fun enough and even though it isn’t one of our favorites, it had the amazing setpieces 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 and that in itself was another reason it was worth the admission price.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 was notable for many reasons, including that it featured the series’ first branching narrative and arsenal of futuristic weaponry. While it continued the Cold War-era story from the original Black Ops, it also took us to 2025 to experience a whole new Cold War that 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 had a few firsts 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 is still a standout Call of Duty game over a decade later.
Call of Duty: World at War brought us back to World War 2 after the roaring success that was Modern Warfare’s contemporary setting, but it did so in a different way. Instead of simply going back to 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 filled with a ton of close-quarters combat moments, many of which were in tight, packed trenches, and for the first time let you 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 as it brought in much of what made Modern Warfare great and adapted it for the era the game was set in.
Call of Duty first appeared on the scene in 2003, at a time when Medal of Honor and Battlefield 1942 were at the top of their game and proving what could be done in the WWII genre. But Call of Duty did a number of things that would immediately set it apart, including chosing 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, and that led 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.
Call of Duty: Black Ops took 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 had the star power of Sam Worthington, Ed Harris, and Gary Oldman. We previously ranked Black Ops’ campaign as Call of Duty’s best, and we stand by it today.
Black Ops’ multiplayer is just as iconic and some of the maps, including Firing Range and Nuketown, are still favorites in 2023 as they have 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.
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.
Spoilers: 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.
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…
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.
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Thankfully, Call of Duty has been exceptional at times and, years on, many of its greatest moments still stand the test of time. So we’re looking back to decide which Call of Duty games are our absolute favorites, and we’re talking about the full package - campaign, multiplayer, zombies, everything. IGN staff voted on all the games, and you can read all about why we picked what we picked below. After, be sure to let us know how we did and share your favorites in the comments below!
10. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War sets itself apart from other entries in the legendary franchise by how much it excels when your gun is actually holstered. While Call of Duty is obviously known for its world-class shootouts with explosions around every corner and edge-of-your-seat moments, Black Ops Cold War added another wrinkle to that formula.
The campaign takes place during the most critical moments of the Cold War and we get time to learn more about our covert ops crew at our safehouses and sneak around KGB headquarters as a Russian double agent. These moments are quiet in the best ways, and they make the louder ones even more impactful.
Black Ops Cold War’s multiplayer fell a little short but its Zombies mode was a highlight. Sure, we would have loved some more content, but it provided highly polished and tense gameplay sessions we still think about today.
9. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011)
There were some big issues with 2023’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, but 2011’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 did a great job of iterating and improving on what came before. Its multiplayer added new elements such as weapon progression, proficiencies, and more, but what it did best was create one of the most compelling and addicting Call of Duty multiplayer experiences ever made up to that point.
The campaign was fun enough and even though it isn’t one of our favorites, it had the amazing setpieces 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 and that in itself was another reason it was worth the admission price.
8. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 was notable for many reasons, including that it featured the series’ first branching narrative and arsenal of futuristic weaponry. While it continued the Cold War-era story from the original Black Ops, it also took us to 2025 to experience a whole new Cold War that 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 had a few firsts 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 is still 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 that was Modern Warfare’s contemporary setting, but it did so in a different way. Instead of simply going back to 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 filled with a ton of close-quarters combat moments, many of which were in tight, packed trenches, and for the first time let you 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 as it brought in much of what made Modern Warfare great and adapted 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 top of their game and proving what could be done in the WWII genre. But Call of Duty did a number of things that would immediately set it apart, including chosing 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, and that led 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 took 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 had the star power of Sam Worthington, Ed Harris, and Gary Oldman. We previously ranked Black Ops’ campaign as Call of Duty’s best, and we stand by it today.
Black Ops’ multiplayer is just as iconic and some of the maps, including Firing Range and Nuketown, are still favorites in 2023 as they have 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)
Spoilers: 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.
Continue reading...
