Call of Duty video game has been a prominent name in the first-person shooter genre since 2003. The franchise took off first with the single-player story narrative setting and later evolved after introducing robust multiplayer and zombie mode to the later installments in the franchise. Branching out into multiple developing teams, not all Call of Duty games received the attention.
- Call of Duty boasts 16 AAA first-person shooter games.
- Games are ranked based on competitive visuals, audio quality, and overall gameplay at the time of release and in subsequent years.
- Games span various narrative styles, including single-player, multiplayer, co-op, and Zombies.
- Modern Warfare 2 is recognized as the best among the 16 games, with Call of Duty Black Ops 2 as a close runner-up.
- Call of Duty Ghosts is identified as the game that didn’t perform well across all domains.
- Games higher in the tier list offer a more comprehensive and fulfilling Call of Duty experience compared to lower-ranked titles.
Call of Duty Tier List All COD Games Ranking Table |
|
| Tiers | Call of Duty Games |
| SS-Tier | Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 |
| S-Tier | Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 and Call of Duty Black Ops 2 |
| A-Tier | Call of Duty Black Ops, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty World At War, Call of Duty 2, and Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War |
| B-Tier | Call of Duty World War II, Call of Duty 3, Call of Duty Black Ops 3, and Call of Duty Vanguard |
| C-Tier | Call of Duty Advanced Warfare and Call of Duty Infinite Warfare |
| D-Tier | Call of Duty Ghosts |
All COD Games Comparison
With the tier rankings out of the way, let’s quickly check the overview of all COD Games:
| CALL OF DUTY GAME | TIER | MAIN CHARACTERS | LOCATION | RELEASE DATE | PLATFORM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 | SS | Sergeant Gary | Las Almas, Mexico | November 10, 2009 | PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, macOS, Microsoft Windows |
| Call of Duty Black Ops 2 | S | Alex Mason and Frank Woods | China and the United States | November 12, 2012 | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, Microsoft Windows |
| Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 | S | Yuri (Tony Curran) | Manhattan, India the catacombs of Paris, and Dubai. | November 8, 2011 | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, Microsoft Windows |
| Call of Duty 2 | A | Sergeant John Davis | Africa, and Russia | October 25, 2005 | Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, macOS, Windows Mobile |
| Call of Duty World At War | A | Corporal Roebuck | Berlin | November 11, 2008 | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, Wii. |
| Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare | A | John MacTavish | Middle East | November 5, 2007 | PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, Wii, macOS, and Nintendo DS |
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered | A | John MacTavish | Russia | November 4, 2016 | PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows |
| Call of Duty Black Ops | A | Alex Mason | Cuba, Laos, Vietnam | November 9, 2010 | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS, Microsoft Windows |
| Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War | A | Agent Bell | Iran | November 13, 2020 | PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows |
| Call of Duty Vanguard | B | Arthur Kingsley | Hamburg | November 5, 2021 | PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows |
| Call of Duty Black Ops 3 | B | The Player | Ethiopia, Singapore, Egypt, and Zurich | Nov 5, 2015 | PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 |
| Call of Duty 3 | B | Yuri | Normandy. | November 7, 2006 | PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Xbox |
| Call of Duty World War II | B | Ronald Daniels | Italy | November 3, 2017 | PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows |
| Call of Duty Infinite Warfare | C | Nick Reyes | Space | November 4, 2016 | PlayStation 4, Android, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows |
| Call of Duty Advanced Warfare | C | Jack Mitchell | Seoul | November 4, 2014 | Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows |
| Call of Duty Ghosts | D | Logan Walker | Middle East. | November 5, 2013 | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii U |
SS Tier
We have mentioned only the best Call of Duty game that we think is still unrivaled. We find the audio, video, and overall gameplay value of this COD game a classic success that was too good for its time and still holds a decent value in the long-running series.
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Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 is by far the best COD game in the long-running franchise. Arguably, many fans of the COD series to date love this installment the most. We think the story, audio, and overall gameplay feel were some of the many reasons Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 ranks as a top-tier COD game.
Overall, for an FPS video game that focused on small details in audio, video, and more, COD MW2 was an example of how shooter games should be. That is why many COD veterans to date praise COD MW2 as the greatest of all time.
S-Tier
All Call of Duty games that we have mentioned in our S-tier are near perfection. Even if these video game installments managed to tick all boxes and delivered top-notch quality. Still, we think they missed the mark by a small margin and have a flaw or two attached to them.
| Game | WHY S-TIER? |
|---|---|
| Call of Duty Black Ops 2 | Despite flaws, solid installment with significant contributions to the franchise. |
| Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 | Epic conclusion to the Modern Warfare series, notable for its campaign and narrative. |
A-Tier
The list of Call of Duty games we have included in our A-tier has by far the most memorable campaign in the series. Many players to date remember the moments they played during various missions of each COD game listed below. It is because these Call of Duty video games brilliantly capture the significance of moments, which also left a great impact on how the story of these video games unfolded.
| Game | WHY A-TIER? |
|---|---|
| Call of Duty 2 | Memorable World War 2 experience with a strong focus on storytelling and gameplay. |
| Call of Duty World At War | Breaks from traditional linear gameplay, offering a sense of wartime chaos and unpredictability. |
| Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare | Revolutionary changes to health recovery and gameplay mechanics, setting new standards for the franchise. |
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered | Remastered version preserves the essence of the original, focusing on close combat and immersive storytelling. |
| Call of Duty Black Ops | Captivating Cold War narrative with intriguing missions and mysteries, setting a new benchmark for espionage-themed games. |
| Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War | Recaptures Cold War era atmosphere with meticulous attention to campaign and mission design, offering an immersive experience. |
Related: Call of Duty Modern Warfare Trophies
Similar Read: Black Ops Cold War Settings
B-Tier
The Call of Duty video games that we have listed in our B-tier stand in the middle ground. They are not the best in the lot but certainly not the worst. Even if you play these games today, some of you will have mixed feelings after playing their campaign modes. To us, the story mode of these games was not over the top ones, not underwhelming. Still, we think these COD video games are pretty decent.
| Game | WHY B-TIER? |
|---|---|
| Call of Duty Vanguard | Campaign mode falls short of expectations despite promising character variety and World War 2 setting. |
| Call of Duty Black Ops 3 | Fails to surpass predecessor in storytelling but introduces new features, remaining a standout entry in the franchise. |
| Call of Duty 3 | Development rush impacts overall quality, despite a promising World War 2 setting inherited from its predecessor. |
| Call of Duty World War II | Returns to World War 2 roots but falls short of excellence due to minor issues hindering the overall storytelling experience. |
Related: COD Vanguard Settings
C-Tier
The Call of Duty games we have included in our C-tier has an underwhelming story. Their campaign is not the worst among all COD games, but it certainly is not the most enjoyable. We think the main reason for a least impressive campaign was because their predecessor had a complex campaign, which developers wanted to correct, and they made easy-to-understand, short, but impactful campaigns.
| Game | WHY C-TIER? |
|---|---|
| Call of Duty Infinite Warfare | Average campaign with memorable characters but lacks depth expected from a next-generation title. |
| Call of Duty Advanced Warfare | Fast-paced combat and new tech-based equipment add freshness, but campaign falls short of making a significant impact due to handling issues. |
D-Tier
We have ranked only one Call of Duty video game in the D-tier because, to us, this is the only COD game that failed to tick all boxes when it comes to delivering a compelling or engaging campaign.
Call of Duty Ghosts
We think the campaign length of Call of Duty Ghosts was very short, or it looked short when we compared it to the games that were released before Ghosts. Secondly, the veteran mode of COD Ghost’s campaign also did not offer the level of challenge previous COD games threw players in. It felt more like a breeze than a challenge to complete the game’s campaign mode in veteran difficulty.
Call of Duty Tier List Criteria
The ranking of all the COD video games that we have done is entirely based on the single-player campaign only. Our tier list does not take into account the multiplayer, zombies, or other co-op modes into consideration. Not all COD games have zombies, co-op, or multiplayer modes; hence if we were to rank them in our tier list, these installments would have a downside.
Plus, Call of Duty games have been known for interesting storytelling, portraying various fictional characters, and presenting a unique perspective to different timelines with an FPS warfare twist.
Ranking Based on Experience and Research
Besides the basic criteria we mentioned above, our COD tier list also considers the experience with the games and the research from the web. We have tailored our tier list ranking based on how we see each video game of the installment falling into respective tiers. Plus, the general opinion of Call of Duty video gamers from the web since the first game.
Why Trust Us
We have been playing Call of Duty video games since the first game in the installment released in 2003. Creating tier lists is never easy because it is always a subjective matter. We understand that the COD tier list ranking hierarchy we have created here may or may not reflect what you think about each video game in the series. That being said, the overall ranking of Call of Duty video games in our tier list is open for discussion but closed for criticism.
That is pretty much everything you need to know about the Call of Duty tier list. Did you find our ranking of each game in the series helpful? Which COD game has been your favorite so far? Let us know more of your thoughts in the comments section below.
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