All 22 Call of Duty Campaigns, Ranked From Worst to Best

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Call of Duty

Image: Infinity Ward/Activision

The game that started it all. In 2003, Call of Duty was going head-to-head with Medal of Honor and Brothers in Arms. While debate was healthy and justified at the time, because all three were great World War 2 FPS games, it’s obvious which one has come out on top since. (This isn’t a ranking of all 22 Medal of Honor campaigns, after all.) The campaign was split in three: American, British, and Soviet, and it was a quintessential experience for any FPS fan at the time. Compared to the modern-day series, it had a much heavier focus on that classic squad-based trench warfare. The only problem? It really hasn’t aged as well as you’d hope, so it’s a tough recommendation in 2026.

18

Call of Duty: Ghosts

Image: Infinity Ward/Activision

Ghosts was the first game to divert from the alternating Modern Warfare-Black Ops annual releases, but it did very little to differentiate itself. It’s widely considered to be the start of Call of Duty’s downhill trajectory, as it was followed by six years of very mediocre entries. It follows the story of the ‘Ghosts,’ a team of US spec ops soldiers. While Riley the dog is a standout character, and Logan and Hesh Walker’s story acts as an emotional hook, the whole package is underwhelming.

17

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare

Image: Infinity Ward/Activision

Placing Infinite Warfare so low will no doubt be controversial because it has legions of fans, but it’s another example of how giving the player more choice and trying to make a less linear experience backfired. Infinite Warfare introduces a hub world in the form of the Retribution space carrier, where players can decide the order they tackle missions. Setting-wise, the sci-fi take is probably Call of Duty’s best approach to a futuristic game, but its structure, not to mention a half-assed cast performance, let it down.

16

Call of Duty 2

Image: Infinity Ward/Activision

Much like the first game, Call of Duty 2’s campaign was also split between Soviet, British, and American approaches, and at the time, it was incredibly well received. In today’s era of Call of Duty, it doesn’t do anything particularly impressive. But where the 2003 release is a little ropey these days, its sequel holds up better. This is especially true in setpiece moments like taking down two German tanks during the final mission, and during the British campaign, which spans Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia.

15

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare

Image: Infinity Ward/Activision

Looking back, Advanced Warfare could be seen as something of a trial run for Infinite Warfare. Both games are set in the distant future, and both offer the player various upgrades via skill points. Advanced Warfare was the start of Call of Duty’s “jetpack era,” which divided fans considerably, as opposed to the “boots on the ground” approach the series had taken up to this point. It was the game that birthed the “press F to pay respects” meme, and even though it prominently features controversial actor Kevin Spacey as the antagonist, it was the series’ best attempt at tackling this new, futuristic era of COD.

14

Call of Duty 3

Image: Treyarch/Activision

Call of Duty 3 was the first Treyarch-developed game in the series, and it was the third consecutive game set during World War 2. It was also the first to introduce different ways of completing the same objective, such as flanking through buildings or facing the enemy head on. It tells the story of four different perspectives during the Battle of Normandy: American, British/French, Canadian, and Polish. It also features the best tank gameplay the series had seen to date, and the ability to throw grenades back at enemies, which is now a series staple.

13

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2

Image: Treyarch/Activision

Black Ops 2 is, as you’d expect, the continuation of the Black Ops storyline. Mechanically, it’s one of the tightest Call of Duty games there is; gun feel and movement are both magnificent. Structurally, it does something interesting with its “Strike Force” missions, as depending on which ones the player picks, it alters events throughout the game, including the ending. However, the jumping timeline between the past and the future becomes convoluted, and the Strike Force missions themselves are poorly designed.