All Mainline Call Of Duty Games In Release Order

Call of Duty is one of the most recognizable brands in all of video game history. It has spawned countless sequels, spin-offs, comic books, and even a cinematic universe — first release pending. The game’s multiplayer elements have some of the richest lore elements throughout its development lifespan from the early 2000s to the modern live service world we know today.

Call of Duty has been featured in many esports tournaments and is such a juggernaut of the industry that it alone was used as a factor to try to influence the outcome of Microsoft’s acquisition of Activation Blizzard. While it has had many development teams, Activation has served as its publisher from the very start of its legacy.

Call of Duty (2003)

Game engine used: id Tech 3

The original Call of Duty aimed to be a rival for the highly popular Medal of Honor franchise — also being set in World War 2. However, Call of Duty would blow all expectations out of the water with its brilliant campaign story and revolutionary multiplayer elements. The game may seem very rudimentary and outdated for the modern gamer, but back in its day, it was a trailblazer for a new era of first-person shooters.

Call of Duty 2 (2005)

Game engine used: IW engine 2.0

Call of Duty 2 featured superior graphics thanks to a new gaming engine and having not just one, but 4 campaigns to play through — it was also the first in the franchise to appear on consoles. This game added new game modes for multiplayer matches but is praised for setting two of the modern-day FPS staples, in the form of notifying players of a nearby grenade and health regenerating after not receiving damage after a set period of time.

Call of Duty 3 (2006)

Game engine used: Treyarch NGL

Despite always having Activation as a publisher, this would be the first time the franchise got a new developer to take the reins. Call of Duty continued to stay true to the World War 2 esthetics, focusing on delivering brilliant single-player content as its driving factor and also improving the multiplayer aspects for an ever-increasing fan base.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007)

Game engine used: IW 3.0

While Call of Duty would continue to feature a new mainline entry every year, this entry would be the final numbered title for the mainline series of games — despite the “Modern Warfare” titling being rehashed and reused in various ways. It would also be the first game that did not have a World War 2 theme, focusing on modern-day combat.

Call of Duty: World at War (2008)

Game engine used: IW 3.0

Call of Duty: World at War was the first to feature one of the most iconic and reoccurring elements of the Call of Duty games — killing zombies. It was also a return to the World War 2 style, but using a lot of the influences that Call of Duty 4 brought to the table — such as its use of Perks.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009)

Game engine used: IW 4.0

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 took everything fans loved about the first Modern Warfare and built on it. Delivering the best and most refined multiplayer experience to date, along with an incredible campaign. The story elements of being part of Task Force 141 would influence many future titles in the franchise, including the direction of its next game — Call of Duty: Black Ops.

Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010)

Game engine used: IW 3.0

The next Call of Duty title would take a step back by using the IW 3.0 engine, and the Black Ops games would continue to use variations of this engine for the next 10 years. This game acts as both a spin-off and a mainline game entry, an extremely rare feat to pull off. However, Call of Duty pulled it off effortlessly. This game features a very impacting campaign story, without slouching on the multiplayer experience it delivered.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011)

Game engine used: IW 5.0

This is the first Call of Duty that did not really bring anything new to the table, but rather just acted as another annual release for the franchise. The game is still incredibly fun and provides players with the best graphics the franchise had to offer at the time. It kept everything players loved about the franchise gameplay-wise, and would be the earliest Call of Duty game that Sledgehammer Games would work on.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II (2012)

Game engine used: IW 3.0 (Modified)

Call of Duty: Black Ops II introduced the Pick 10 loadout system, which would continue to be used in subsequent installments of the franchise. It is regarded by many players to be the best loadout system for the entire franchise and allows players to build their own classes by assigning 10 points among various weapons, perks, and other pieces of gear. This game also delivered some of the most iconic maps in the franchise.

Call of Duty: Ghosts (2013)

Game engine used: IW 6.0

Call of Duty: Ghosts wanted to be the next Black Ops, but it just never resonated with fans as much as the developers had hoped. The game sold well and was well received, but it was just never enough to get it the recognition it deserved.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (2014)

Game engine used: Sledgehammer Games engine

In an attempt to evolve Call of Duty in the same way Modern Warfare had, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare would bring a new breed of warfare and combat to the franchise. It featured gear such as exosuits and jetpacks to create a near-futuristic feel that didn’t feel like a sci-fi game.

Call of Duty: Black Ops III (2015)

Game engine used: IW 3.0 (Modified)

Just like previous Black Ops titles, this game took what previous Call of Duty’s had brought to the table and refined it. This game featured futuristic elements like Advanced warfare and the Specialists system in its multiplayer gameplay. This system lets players select one of 9 specialists to represent them — each with their own esthetics, voice lines, and unique ability.

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (2016)

Game engine used: IW 7.0

Launching into full sci-fi territory, and being known by many as “Call of Duty in Space.” This game saw a massive drop in sales compared to previous titles — seeing around half the numbers that Ghost was able to achieve. This would be the last time Call Of Duty would tread this territory and would promptly take some steps back.

Call of Duty: WWII (2017)

Game engine used: Sledgehammer Games engine

Call of Duty: WWII brought the franchise back to its World War 2 roots. A lot of old fans really enjoyed its return to how the franchise originally started, but it did not resonate with the modern gaming crowd that had come to see Modern Warfare as their preferred standard. This would not be the nail in the coffin for the World War 2 esthetics, as the franchise had one more up its sleeve.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (2018)

Game engine used: IW 3.0 (Black Ops 4 Engine)

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 was the first Call of Duty game to completely forgo any form of single-player story mode, and instead put a heavy focus on its multiplayer aspects — which is a shame with how good previous Call of Duty campaign stories had been. It attempted to rival games such as PUBG and Fortnite by utilizing the battle royale style of gameplay.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019)

Game engine used: IW 8.0

With the last three Call of Duty games having very poor sales compared to many of the franchise’s past titles, the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare reboot would catapult sales back up to the franchise’s former expectations. This showed just how much fans preferred playing a modern-day setting in shooters compared to older esthetics. Both the campaign story and multiplayer were everything fans of the Modern Warfare games had come to love, backed by the latest Infinity Ward game engine.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (2020)

Game engine used: IW 3.0 (Black Ops Cold War engine)

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War hit the same year as Call of Duty: Warzone. Warzone attempted to really dive into what modern-day gamers expected from large-scale online multiplayer games, while Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War catered to fans of the Black Ops games. Both are brilliant in their own ways, with Cold War offering a more unique feel compared to the competition.

Call of Duty: Vanguard (2021)

Game engine used: IW 8.0

Call of Duty will not give up on trying to recapture the majesty of its World War 2 days, and Vanguard was able to bring in more success than Call of Duty: WWII. This shows that there is still an interest in the market, but sadly, it was seen as generally unfavorable to the audience and did not bring in the numbers that the studio had hoped to see.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022)

Game engine used: IW 9.0

The Modern Warfare themed Call of Duty games serve as the biggest powerhouses in the franchise, and nothing captures the modern Call of Duty spirit more than Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. This game also brought Warzone 2.0 to the fray, giving players the perfect spread of single-player content, multiplayer content, and F2P online multiplayer content. It also introduces one of the most well-received characters in the franchise.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023)

Game engine used: IW 9.0

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 continues the single-player story from where Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 left off, and features a full open world to explore and complete missions in. It also features an open-world zombie mode with the largest maps the franchise has ever provided. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 serves to build upon the previous installment without changing much of what fans have come to love.