Best Call of Duty game Tier List

Call of Duty is one of the biggest franchises in gaming history, with the FPS series covering everything from World War 2 to the distant future. Despite a game releasing every year for over a decade, the Call of Duty series always manages to sell incredibly well, with the franchises name bringing a certain level of prestige along with it. Regardless of the developer behind each new entry, every game is guaranteed to boast a certain level of quality with its mechanics, visuals, and presentation.

That said, not all Call of Duty games are created equal. While no major CoD release is truly a bad game, with the worst entries simply being average or forgettable, the series has reached some truly incredible highs over its lengthy history. While more recent games have been hit or miss with fans, there is no denying that Call of Duty has come a long way from the boot camp tutorial in the 2003 original from this point of origin to the Golden Age of Call of Duty and everything after.

RELATED: Call of Duty: Warzone Needs Major Fixes If It Is To Survive 2021

C Tier: Growing Pains And Futuristic Fumbles

• Call of Duty: Ghosts
• Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
• Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
• Call of Duty: WW2

Call of Duty: Ghosts - A bridge between the PS3/360 generation and the PS4/Xbox One consoles, Infinity Wards Call of Duty: Ghosts had quite a bit of weight to carry. While the game tried some new things, such as a solid co-op mode called Extinction that had squads facing off against aliens, Infinity Ward could not escape from the large shadow cast by its work onModern Warfare. The campaign was sadly predictable, and as for the multiplayer, maps were widely viewed as far too large, guns were bland apart from the Honey Badger, and Field Orders were a failed attempt at changing up the formula.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare - Sledgehammers first foray into a Call of Duty game of its own was also the first Call of Duty game to go futuristic, a move that proved to be wildly divisive among fans. While the game included a solid campaign offering that starred Troy Baker as the main character and Kevin Spacey as antagonist Jonathan Irons, its multiplayer mode was a mixed bag. While modes like Uplink made fun use of the new exo suits, the introduction of supply drops kickstarted a rough era of Call of Dutymicrotransactions.

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare - Following the release of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare andCall of Duty: Black Ops 3, Infinity Ward attempted to continue a futuristic theme that was quickly growing stale with fans. Lacking style despite using many of the same features, the game was largely overshadowed by its counterparts. Infinite Warfare Zombies also feels like a cartoony and clunky version of Treyarchs popular mode, with a few good ideas such as a super Easter egg and unlockable characters sprinkled in. However, the games saving grace is its campaign, which includes great outer space combat and some gorgeous locales to fight in.

Call of Duty: WW2 - Rounding out the bottom tier of Call of Duty titles is Call of Duty: WW2, Sledgehammers second attempt at a Call of Duty game ofits own. While offering a more fan pleasing setting that took fans back to the second World War was a wise idea, the game proved to be utterly average. Everything is simply "fine from the multiplayer maps and the Headquarters social space to the games Zombies offering.With Sledgehammer rumored to be making Call of Duty 2021, hopefully the saying third time's the charm proves accurate for the studio.

RELATED: What We Want to See from Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War for 115 Day

B Tier - Development Troubles And The Series' Origin

• Call of Duty 1-3
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
• Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War

Call of Duty 1-3: While the first three Call of Duty games were great for their time and a necessary step toward giving players their all-time favorite entries in the series, they have aged heavily over the years. The original games looked great at the time, though they obviously pale in comparison to todays Call of Dutyreleases. Further, weapon variety was limited, and the first three campaigns lacked standout characters like Frank Woods and Captain Price to propel the story forward. Still, surprisingly open level design and interesting healing mechanics made for a vastly different experience to modern titles, with Call of Duty 1 and 2 multiplayer both remembered fondly for their inclusion of the Carentan multiplayer map.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - Jumping forward to 2011, the year saw the release of the final game in the original Modern Warfare trilogy. Offering a solid campaign with an ambitious setting, a multiplayer mode with plenty of maps and prestiges to grind through, and a well-rounded Spec Ops offering, Modern Warfare 3 is a good Call of Duty game. However, it fails to live up to the greatness of its predecessors, as every aspect of the game falls just short of the bar set by Modern Warfare 2. Ultimately,Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's campaign offers some memorable moments, but many of its story developments feel rushed and the game's ending lacks a sense of closure that one would expect from a trilogys finale.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 -Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 had several issues at launch. Several bugs and crashes were encountered in the first few weeks, ruining the experience for many fans. Zombies was heavily impacted, resulting in the Aether storys finale being comprised entirely of remade maps. Despite these issues and others, though, the game managed to succeed due to a solid multiplayer and the Blackout battle royale mode. Call of Dutys first foray into the genre, Blackout, proved to be a strong success. Further, despite lackluster maps, the Aether story had a strong conclusion in terms of writing, giving the standout characters of Call of Duty Zombies a solid sendoff.Ultimately,Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 was a flawed but highly replayable entry in the series.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War - The most recent game in the series, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, is full of unrealized potential. With strong weapon customization first introduced in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, a plethora of fun game modes, and more, there is a lot to like about the latest Black Ops entry. However, despite all the good there is to see in the game, only Black Ops Cold Wars strong campaign feels complete. Boasting a series low in terms of multiplayer maps available at launch, only one Zombies offering, and the most bugs ever seen in a Call of Duty title at launch, the game feels incomplete.Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War should be a great game in time, but for now, though, the game is merely a good title with several nagging problems.

A Tier: The Benefits Of Free-To-Play And Taking Risks

• Call of Duty: World At War
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 3
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare [2019]
• Call of Duty: Warzone
• Call of Duty Mobile

Call of Duty: World At War - Fans have looked back on this game fondly, as it does many things right.Call of Duty: World at Wars realistic approach to its campaign worked well and showing different sides of the conflict proved to be a successful tactic for storytelling. With Viktor Reznovs introduction to players coming in the standout Vendetta mission as well as the surprising inclusion of co-op play and fun features like Death Cards, Call of Duty: World At Wars campaign is fun. Completing the games story led to a terrifying post-credits scene that thrust players into Nacht Der Untoten for the very first time, marking the very beginning of Call of Duty Zombies, and that alone is worth highlighting.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 - While Call of Duty: World at War first introduced the series beloved third game mode, Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 perfected it. Widely regarded as the best all-around Zombies experience due to an excellent launch map, iconic DLC offerings like Der Eisendrache, and the remastering of classics via Zombies Chronicles, the game is worthwhile for its Zombies mode alone. As for the multiplayer, Black Ops 3 is undoubtedly the best futuristic Call of Duty game in regard to its online play. Great maps, weapons, gameplay, and scorestreaks are all seen in the online offering, with specialists and Dark Matter also making their first appearance.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare [2019] - With the success of the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare brand, a return of the sub-series was only a matter of time. Fortunately, its return was handled well, as 2019s reboot boasts fun gameplay even if it is wildly different from the original games. A brutally fast time-to-kill makes quick reflexes necessary, while closable doors and several lines of sight make for a more tactical gameplay style. The introduction of Gunfight mode also proved extremely successful, with the 2v2 matches being a major change of pace for the series. With Modern Warfare improved heavily in 2020, the game is now in a great state in terms of its online play and all the way around.

Call of Duty: Warzone - Taking the battle royale scene by storm, Call of Duty: Warzones free-to-play release proved to be a brilliant strategy from Activision. With anyone able to play the game, Call of Duty: Warzone has seen the series reach new heights on streaming platforms like Twitch, with the seasonal evolution of Verdansk being a great reason to keep playing. Maintaining the strong mechanics seen in paid Call of Duty releases while allowing players to fight in an arena bigger than Blackout, the game has proven to be a blast to play. With unique features like the Gulag system and fun side modes like Plunder, Warzone stands tall as one of the best games in the battle royale genre.

Call of Duty Mobile - Not only did the game launch with an impressive amount of content, but it has evolved to include dozens of the best maps and weapons from the Call of Duty series. Boasting the best gameplay possible for an on-the-go shooter and made up of the best content seen in the rest of the Call of Duty series, the game is a blast to play and always offers something to do. With standout seasonal events and a battle royale of its own, the mobile games few missteps regarding its overpriced Mythic weapons and a failed Zombies mode cannot hold it back from greatness.

RELATED: What to Expect From Call of Duty: Warzone in 2021

S Tier: Call of Dutys Golden Age

• Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
• Call of Duty: Black Ops
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 2

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - The original Modern Warfare revolutionized both the series and the FPS genre as a whole. Featuring a campaign with unforgettable setpiece moments, the game also saw its narrative propelled by several memorable characters. Moreover, its multiplayer proved to be just as much of a game changer, as much of what players love about Call of Duty began with 2007s Modern Warfare game.With fan favorite locations such as Shipment debuting in the classic game as well and 2016s Modern Warfare Remastered proving how well the game holds up, there is no denying that this is one of the all-time greats.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Not to be outdone, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 kept what worked from the original game while also leaning more in the direction of arcade shooter fun. A less realistic campaign allowed for great missions like Cliffhanger and unforgettable moments like No Russian, while the first appearance of Spec Ops boasted the best collection of co-op missions that the mode has ever seen. However, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2s multiplayer is arguably the best of the series, with players even working to remake it via a Black Ops 3 mod. With every weapon and perk being unbalanced, the game was oddly fair, and it is likely to be seen at the top of every longtime Call of Duty fans ranking.

Call of Duty: Black Ops - The start of the Black Ops storyline and a game that many still consider to be Treyarchs best, the first Black Ops game is as close to flawless as the series has ever come. Offering a mind-bending narrative filled with twists, great setpieces, and phenomenal voice acting from the likes of Gary Oldman, the campaign of Call of Duty: Black Ops is unmatched in terms of storytelling. As for Zombies, the beloved Kino Der Toten was available on disc, with the challenging bonus map Five available as a special reward for campaign completion. As for multiplayer, the introduction of party games like Gun Game and One in the Chamber accompanied a unique COD Points system that let players bet on the winner.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 - The first game to take full advantage of the competitive nature of the series, Black Ops 2boasted an extensive League Play feature that many fans still consider to be one of the best. Call of Dutys Diamond camo made its first appearance, giving players something to grind for, while excellent maps like Hijacked and Raid helped make the game so replayable. Standout weapons like the KSG shotgun and AN94 assault rifle only added to the fun, helping the well-balanced multiplayer to rank alongside Modern Warfare 2 as one of the absolute best. As for Zombies, the divisive map TranZit could not keep the mode down, as the post-launch releases of Mob of the Dead and Origins are still remembered fondly by fans of the survival mode.

MORE: Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War - Thor's Hammer Explained