Call of Duty tier list: All campaigns ranked (2023)

The Call of Duty franchise has been a household name in the first-person shooter genre since 2003. The franchise began with a single-player story narrative and eventually grew with the addition of different multiplayer and zombie modes in later variants. The games developed further as the franchise evolved, and multiple studios were given the opportunity to create their own entries.

Each title's launch varied greatly in tone and quality as a result of different development teams. As a result, some in the series are difficult to forget, and a few aren't that great. In this article, we carefully selected the 16 games for the Call of Duty tier list and ranked them.

Call of Duty campaign tier list

S+ Tier:

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 (2009)

The best CoD game ever produced by Activision is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. It is the second in the Modern Warfare series and the sixth in the Call of Duty franchise. Other CoD titles struggled to match its successful campaign, being one of the top multiplayer games of all time.

Ghost, one of the series' most beloved characters, was introduced in Modern Warfare 2, along with No Russian, one of the most controversial missions ever.

The campaign of CoD: Modern Warfare 2 was complemented by an outstanding multiplayer experience that featured some of the series' best maps and the co-operative Spec Ops mode, making MW2 a complete CoD experience. The story implemented Michael Bay elements, which made it an action-packed cinematic game.

S Tier

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (2012)

The follow-up to CoD: Black Ops from 2010 was called Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, and it came out after Modern Warfare 3. This particular CoD game's approach to non-linear gameplay is one of the unique features that places it so highly on the list.

Black Ops 2 kept the distinct multiplayer and zombie features that fans adored from the original Black Ops, while blending historical FPS combat with more futuristic gameplay. It offered gamers the chance to make decisions while playing as Alex Mason during the campaign, in contrast to other linear and conventional FPS games or even its predecessors. From these decisions, you can get up to four distinct endings.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011)

The dramatic conclusion to the Modern Warfare series, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 stars Soap, Price, and Yuri. Following Modern Warfare 2, Task Force 141 is the main focus of the story. The events of the predecessor's final mission serve as the game's starting point. The title was developed together by Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games.

Modern Warfare 3's aesthetic is quite similar to that of Modern Warfare 2, and the fundamental design was mostly the same in all three MW games. The multiplayer in Modern Warfare 3 is generally more balanced than MW2, and the Survival mode is a blast. The well-liked Kill Confirmed multiplayer mode, which is still a part of the CoD series today, was also introduced in Modern Warfare 3. It did not improve over MW2, but provided a satisfactory ending.

A Tier

Call of Duty 2 (2005)

Call of Duty 2 is the second game in the series that Infinity Ward and Activision created and released. It was created over the course of two years and launched in 2005. With CoD 2, Infinity Ward not only matched. but also surpassed the high expectations set. Although it lacked movement and other mechanisms, it was quite progressive for its time.

Similar to its predecessor, the story is set during World War 2. The player sees the game through the eyes of four military personnel: one from the US Army, two from the British Army, and one from the Red Army.

The game significantly outperformed the original and added a grenade indicator and health regeneration. The game was a hit and earned praises from critics for its graphics, enhanced AI, and sound design. Meanwhile, the sprint ability was absent, which made the game feel really slow at times.

Call of Duty: World At War (2008)

The main series' fifth game has a campaign that is on par with many of the campaigns that came before it. It has a few excellent set pieces that rate among the best in the series, granting World at War a few additional ranks. It covers the horrors of the war without any filters.

In one of them, you have to invade the Japanese stronghold Makin Island in order to rescue certain American servicemen. Even though it's at night, the task first appears to be rather simple in terms of stealth, but when the opponent becomes aware of your presence and white flares are fired, everything quickly falls apart.

It also featured zombies for the first time, giving rise to one of the most well-known CoD co-op modes: Endless Survival. Since zombies were so well-liked, Treyarch began including them in all of its games.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007)

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Image via Activision)

Modern Warfare undoubtedly ranks really high in anyone's list who has played a few games in the series. The title had the impression of being a lone fighter amid a sea of FPS games with a World War II backdrop.The first CoD game to significantly alter the way health recovery functions was CoD 4: Modern Warfare.

Players were constantly on their toes as events in the main missions developed.The campaign story could make an adult cry, being a whirlwind of emotions.

It is one of the best campaigns when it comes to storytelling with really likable characters. The protagonist in this series' first shooter game really felt like a living, vulnerable human being. Additionally, the visuals improved significantly from earlier CoD video game editions.

Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010)

The first game in the series, Call of Duty: Black Ops, is set during the Cold War. Treyarch created the seventh game in the series. It is the follow-up to the 2008 title World At War. When the first Black Ops was published, Treyarch was able to compete with Infinity Ward because it provided a more dramatic, mind-bending story. The setting is Vietnam during the Cold War.

The storyline in Black Ops was the finest one found in any CoD video game, particularly the Black Ops line. Most online players, it may be argued, agree that the description of CIA clandestine black ops activities carried out behind enemy lines is excellent writing. Black Ops' inclusion of well-known places like East Berlin, Vietnam, Turkey, and the Soviet KGB headquarters demonstrates the amount of work developers put into the game.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (2020)

Treyarch and Raven Software developed Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, which was then released by Activision. Characters who had fascinating backstories and were the key selling point. The Black Ops Cold War plot maintains a fluid narrative flow and level of immersion. The difficulties and the variety of options compel you to restart some missions or sections of them in order to have different experiences.

These difficulties also make up for CoD Cold War's smaller campaign size. Aside from the task design, Black Ops Cold War's soundtrack and engaging characters are the cherry on top. Regardless of the forms of movement sounds, vehicles, or weaponry, you'll notice that every game mechanic has received adequate attention.

B Tier

Call of Duty: Vanguard (2021)

The world war two era serves as the new location for the tale of Call of Duty Vanguard. As stated, Call of Duty Vanguard's main selling point was the ability to interact with a variety of characters who had fascinating backstories. In principle, that did make sense, but when Vanguard was published, its campaign mode fell short of expectations.

The campaign had significant issues. First off, the majority of game parts restrict you from wandering and essentially guide you in a single direction. This actually destroys the sense of adventure and discovering a potential Easter egg or item. The narrative occasionally throws three to four cut scenes at once, which breaks the level of immersion that can be experienced.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 (2015)

The 12th installment of the series is called Call of Duty: Black Ops III. Treyarch has gone above and beyond to integrate mind-controlled drones and weapons to make the game as futuristic as possible. The players had the option to select any task they wanted to do in the game. The multiplayer managed to make the title captivating despite the campaign's lack of appeal.

It's also unexpected that the game offers little to no fan service to the two first games in the Black Ops trilogy. Overall, the campaign is thus confusing. Black Ops 3's campaign was built to enable four-player cooperative gameplay, allowing for larger, more open level design and less corridor shooting. In addition, players can change the appearance and attire of their character.

Call of Duty 3 (2006)

The third game in the series, Call of Duty 3 was created by Treyarch as their first project after becoming an independent CoD developer. The story is set in 1944 on the Western Front of World War 2. Players have the option of playing from the viewpoint of a Canadian, British, Polish, or American soldier.

First off, CoD 3 added the desperately needed sprint ability, boosting the sense of combat by letting you rush past obstacles. It's all a little underwhelming, even if the campaign is excellent and the tank sections in particular are a lot of fun to play. The only notable moment is when you must constantly improvise while defending the village of Chambois. Because of this, we believe that CoD 3's campaign occupies a middle ground.

Call of Duty: World War II (2017)

With the release of Call of Duty World War II, the CoD video game franchise returned to its world war two roots after a very long hiatus. The campaign mode of the game was passable; it wasn't the greatest or the worst either.There were just too many cutscenes for a game that is about six hours in length. The characters were great, each with unique personalities.

First off, the campaign mode was only five to seven hours long. Even if you played the game on the hardest setting, it won't take long to finish. Additionally, the next-generation graphics complemented the World War 2 setting this time around. The previous CoD games that took place during World War 2 either lacked cinematics or had far lower visual fidelity. With the release of World War II, this was altered. The level of immersion was raised by the smooth, top-notch graphics.

C Tier

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (2016)

The seventh game created by Infinity Ward and the 13th in the CoD series is called Infinite Warfare. The narrative continues in the future, this time taking place in space. You could use spaceships to travel to different planets and take on side quests. It was the last of the futuristic shooters, but most of the fans didn't like it and skipped it.

The majority of first-person shooter games for next-generation consoles had destructible surroundings, walls, and structures. Despite being a next-generation CoD game, CoD Infinite Warfare did not have this idea. The art direction, graphics, and narrative were among its positive aspects. The characters in the missions were realistic and served a purpose. They had a reason for being there, and they served a purpose in the game's narrative.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (2014)

Following their collaboration on Modern Warfare 3, Sledgehammer Games' first game created exclusively by them is Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. Even though the gameplay was new, the mechanics were not properly implemented, which made the gameplay sluggish. Plus there were too many cutscenes, which just took away from the gaming experience.

The game's speed and mobility were considerably boosted in Advanced Warfare, with varying outcomes. In it, the launch of new technologically advanced equipment was also an enjoyable one. The Advanced Warfare campaign mode's predictability was the game's main issue. Even if you continue to play the story mode, the clichés and predictable plot will drive you to give up on the campaign mode.

D Tier

Call of Duty: Ghosts (2013)

Ghosts is considered by many to be the worst series' game of all time. It ranks last for narrative strength in the Call of Duty franchise. Even the campaign was extremely brief, compared to the games that came out before Ghosts.The story mode's tasks were incredibly underwhelming despite having so many brilliant writers on the team.

Ghosts tells a functional story with some highlights that elevate it. These include a mission that serves as a precursor to Infinite Warfare, a few unexpected twists, and a cliffhanger ending that actually deserves a resolution. Ghosts is set in an alternate reality where a new world order is established after the Middle East has been decimated by nuclear war. A serious lack of character growth throughout the campaign is the biggest letdown.

It is important to note that the tier list rating system we have compiled may not represent your opinion of each game in the series. For more such Call of Duty content, follow Sportskeeda.