Best Call of Duty campaigns of all-time ranked

Andrew Highton
Ghost MW2 Campaign

The last 10 years have seen the meteoric rise of the Call of Duty name. A genre-defining series that revolutionized the first-person shooter experience. Its award-winning gameplay has profited millions and gained countless fans, so we present to you a list of the best Call of Duty campaigns of all-time, ranked.

Excluding the PS Vita and mobile, there have been a grand total of 16 COD campaigns since its debut in 2003. Some have been intense classics, worthy of gracing the big screen, while others have been more forgettable. But, which are truly the best? We’ve ranked the top 9.

Remember, this list is just our opinion – there’s always going to be a debate about your own personal favorite.

9. Call of Duty: WW2

Sgt. Pierson in call of duty ww2

This is where the series finally shifted away from jetpacks and aerial superiority and decided to put its feet back down. A great WW2 story that featured a slow burner involving our squad’s unhinged Sgt. Pierson. It didn’t do anything unfamiliar, but it was an enjoyable slog through the grim surroundings of World War II

8. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare

reyes and ethan in cod infinite warfare
A forgotten, but great, partnership.

Despite being negatively received by a lot of the COD community. Infinite Warfare’s campaign tends to get lost in the shuffle, despite one of the franchise’s deepest offerings. The emotional connection formed between Reyes and Ethan is amazing and makes the conclusion heartwarming. Throw in a great performance from Kit Harrington and the sub-par gameplay can be overlooked.

7. Call of Duty: Classic

captain price in cod classic
A familiar face.

Whilst the start of the COD journey isn’t rife with story and action-packed cutscenes, it is filled with great missions. Some of the all-time COD missions are here such as the Prison Camp, The Dam, Pavlov’s House, etc. The first Call of Duty is a true brute in terms of difficulty – with no regenerating health – and deserves more recognition.

6. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

an enemy in front of the Eiffel tower in call of duty modern warfare 3
The Eiffel Tower crashing down was a sight to behold.

The Modern Warfare game that is probably remembered the least. It sold well at the time making nearly $1 billion in its opening week. But this is where the campaign’s started to go a bit OTT. It still revels in its inch-perfect gunplay and has some great moments and set-pieces. The destruction of the Eiffel Tower is still an image that still feels hauntingly real and spectacular to this day.

5. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019 Reboot)

a child in call of duty modern warfare 2019
The reboot’s realism escalated to uncomfortable levels.

As a collective package, the reboot is sensational. Judging the standalone campaign, it’s still very good. This was the COD where it went for the jugular in terms of harsh reality. The true horror of war demonstrated for all to see. From meticulous building clearings to disturbing scenes, the Modern Warfare Reboot is a must-play, highly-polished shooter.

4. Call of Duty: World at War

a tank burning a tree in cod world at war
World At War was the perfect response to COD4.

Treyarch had the unenviable task of following Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, they did so admirably. Returning to the very familiar surroundings of the Second World War, World at War crescendos into a stunning third act. There’s nothing more satisfying than storming the Reichstag and living out one of the finer moments in human history – ending WW2.

3. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

soap in cod modern warfare 2
Soap is now promoted to a main NPC in Modern Warfare 2.

Based solely on campaigns, MW2 places third. Its online is exceptional – as is Spec-Ops – but its main campaign just narrowly falls short in terms of our final two’s quality. We still get classic characters like Captain Price and Soap – and some missions are instantly familiar, even if they are controversial. Modern Warfare 2 still demonstrates the series’ signature gameplay and provides lots of variety.

2. Call of Duty: Black Ops

a missile launching in cod black ops
Mason’s story is an adventure in itself.

Alex Mason’s scrambled senses make for a compelling, twisty-turny narrative and deservedly earns Black Ops second place. His inability to recall his recent past keeps you hooked until its shocking twist at the very end. We got a brand new time period to visit too which only added to the game’s intrigue and Gary Oldman is sensational as Viktor Reznov.

1. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

captain price in cod4
It’s hard to argue with COD4’s quality.

It just had to be. The importance of this game simply cannot be quantified – particularly its campaign. The online gets a lot of praise, but COD4’s story is second-to-none and is probably the best FPS campaign in history. Superb performances, one blockbuster moment after another, terrifically tight gameplay, and top missions.

COD4 is the pinnacle of the Call of Duty campaigns, will another one ever dethrone Infinity Ward‘s masterpiece?

And that’s our list folks. Did you disagree with any of our Call of Duty Campaigns ranked choices?

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About The Author

Andrew Highton is a former Games Writer for Dexerto. He has a Creative Writing degree from Liverpool John Moores University and has previously written for games websites such as Twinfinite and Keengamer. With 13,000+ PlayStation Trophies to his name, Andrew is a fan of a huge variety of video games, his favourites being God of War and Metal Gear Solid. Contact him at andrew.highton@dexerto.com, on Twitter @AndyHighton8 or at www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-highton.