Highlights

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 disappointed fans with its lack of a cohesive story, opting for solo missions and cutting back on world-building.
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 received criticism for its confusing campaign structure and lack of creative objectives.
• Call of Duty: Ghosts had repetitive gameplay, meaningless missions, and failed to build upon previous games, resulting in a widely regarded as one of the worst entries in the franchise.

There have been multiple main-series Call of Duty games with a new game coming out almost annually. The franchise started life in fierce competition with the likes of Medal Of Honor and Soldier Of Fortune as a realistic and enjoyable WWII FPS. Things progressed rapidly, and soon after the success of Modern Warfare, COD became the definitive first-person shooter, whether set amid a real war of the past or a crazy robot-filled future.

Taking most of the Call of Duty games into account (Warzone doesn't have a campaign), from the first one until the latest installment, gamers have been treated to some fascinating global firefights packed with intrigue as well as boring conspiracies full of predictable and clichéd plotlines.

Updated on December 25, 2023: The best COD campaigns span decades, while the worst ones tend to be fairly recent. Where does Modern Warfare 3 (2023) rank among the franchise's many single-player stories? Is it worth buying the game for the campaign? Or, is it better to stick to the multiplayer?

21 Call of Duty: Black Ops 4

Metacritic: 83

The only thing worse than being bad is not trying. Instead of outright ditching the solo mode, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 opted to have solo missions but no cohesive story or plot at all. That's a disappointment given the love for the Black Ops timeline up to that point.

Admittedly, the single-player missions aren't the worst when it comes to gameplay. But this began a negative trend for cutting back on world-building. The solo content was the longest in the franchise, but completely devoid of meaning.

20 Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023)

Metacritic: 61

Aside from some spin-offs, Modern Warfare 3 garnered by far the worst reception of any Call of Duty game, and a lot of that criticism targeted the single-player story (although the multiplayer hardly launched in a perfect state). A confusingly stitched-together campaign that features almost no high points and a plethora of dull lows, this entry is not just a poor follow-up to its imperfect but enjoyable predecessors but just an all-around underwhelming experience in the overall FPS genre. Sledgehammer shook up the series' standard mission structure by including open stages that allow players to complete an array of objectives at their leisure. In theory, this sounds like a fine idea, but the concept's execution left a lot to be desired. For one, these missions lack individuality or personality, and their objectives are very by-the-numbers. While they grant players some freedom in how they approach scenarios, they are also nowhere near creative enough to encourage experimentation.

Also, Activision's franchise shines its brightest when focusing on set pieces. The best Call of Duty campaigns play out like blockbusters, and there is nothing wrong with that. Modern Warfare 3 messes with that formula in a way that limits one of the license's greatest strengths. The campaign has a couple of levels that are closer to the traditional COD mission, but they are fairly forgettable and largely seem happy to repeat ideas that were executed better in previous games.

19 Call Of Duty: Ghosts

Metacritic: 78

At the time of its release, Ghosts was widely regarded as the worst Call Of Duty game, a position that it no longer holds unchallenged. Despite sharing a name with one of the most popular CoD characters ever, he (Ghost) isn’t involved in the campaign. That's probably for the best.

Players do get a dog called Riley, though. Aside from the dog, nothing is built on from any previous games, and players are simply dealt a lot of boring and repetitive gameplay with meaningless missions and skirmishes. A few may call it one of the franchise's more underappreciated campaigns, but that's an extreme minority.

18 Call Of Duty: Vanguard

Metacritic: 74

Call of Duty: Vanguard is a unique entry, choosing to go with a new cast, new plot, and spending the majority of playtime in a prequel format. It's a fresh take on character introductions and how things got to where they are. Unfortunately, this comes at the expense of anticipation. Players know which characters live already.

The cast was meant to inspire a fresh new Vanguard series. After the feedback filled with an intense dislike for the characters, the developers opted to return to the Modern Warfare series and forget this game ever happened. New maps tried to salvage the multiplayer, but the campaign was a complete bust.

17 Call Of Duty 3

Metacritic: 83

Zooming back to a pre-MW world, there is COD 3. After an impressive first two games, the third entry into the WW2 storyline (which was the only war the franchise had covered at this point) was a little lackluster.

It gave players the option to play as a variety of allied countries, but this seemed mostly like a coverup for the lack of variety in the campaign itself.

16 Call Of Duty: Black Ops 3

Metacritic: 81

The world was fairly excited for another entry in the critically acclaimed Black Ops sub-series, but the campaign of Black Ops 3 was a big disappointment. This comes down to the fact that COD players don’t want robots, but COD keeps giving them robots.

What's especially disappointing is how grounded the first Black Ops was. After this game, many fans felt that Black Ops 2 was one of many games that got a sequel that should have never been made.

15 Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare

Metacritic: 78

Speaking of robots, Infinite Warfare was the most dramatic leap away from Call Of Duty 1 the game could have made, bringing the combat into space.

As a game, it’s actually quite brilliant and keeps players gripped until the end, but it’s hard to truly class it as a COD game; it doesn’t feel like one and the campaign is simply too alien. Activision gave an effort with the campaign and some gamers still defend the content, it simply didn't resonate with the series' most loyal followers.

14 Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare

Metacritic: 83

The criminally underrated Advanced Warfare multiplayer has been looked back on poorly despite changing the COD landscape and filling it with futuristic fun. It was, admittedly, incredibly divisive and, like Infinite Warfare, it's hard to view as a Call Of Duty game.

The campaign fell immensely short, however. It was repetitive and filled with robotics that understandably led to the game's poor reputation. A select few players are hoping for a sequel to the title, but given the reputation of the first game, it's not likely.

13 Call Of Duty: WW2

Metacritic: 80

Call of Duty: WW2 called back to the franchise's early days when World War II was COD's predominant setting. While the story's emotional stakes are high and the combat makes for a great experience, the core campaign was light on content and forgettable.

Gamers that like the World War 2 setting had a lot to love from this entry since it did hit the war aspects hard. But with a defined outcome and the previous games already fleshing out this era, the throwback didn't introduce anything new.

12 Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022)

Metacritic: 79

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It must be noted that although this game is lower on the list, it is ahead of the previous installment thanks to a renewed polish on the campaign and the use of characters already made popular by the series. However, the campaign makes some brutal mistakes with the core party.

The review for the game reveals the campaign is the worst element of the title. The team kills masses indiscriminately with no consequences and yet they are forced to let a villain go. The main antagonist in the series is scarcely named, a massive dropped ball for the franchise. And previously loved heroes come off as annoying and overplayed.

10 Call Of Duty: Black Ops 2

Metacritic: 83

Following the success of Black Ops, the sequel was the first to introduce futuristic weaponry, developing on the previous game and setting a precedent that many series veterans could have done without. Black Ops 2 relied on these new weapons instead of truly giving an updated playing experience, resulting in a campaign that was as gimmicky as it was off-putting.

Some feel this could use a remaster as the story holds up but the polish is lacking. Fans might think about skipping this one, but they shouldn't. There are details in the latest game that only make sense after playing through all of the Black Ops games.

9 Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Metacritic: 61

The conclusion of the Modern Warfare trilogy was a lackluster finale in comparison to the fantastic first two games, but as a game itself, it was still excellent. It kicks off immediately after MW2 and continues the hunt for Makarov, delivering emotional blows along the way.

The level design and gunplay are as tight as ever, but the story itself doesn't quite play out how it should. There is one of gaming's most intense interrogation scenes to at least remember the somewhat lackluster conclusion of the characters.

8 Call Of Duty

Metacritic: 91

It’s hard to make a modern-day judgment on the first Call Of Duty game simply because it’s now so incredibly dated. It's still a game that players will recognize as having all of the signs that the franchise has since expounded upon.

Difficult, graphically poor, and clunky are just a few phrases that come to mind when compared to the sleek, fast-paced COD of today. However, this is the revolutionary game that started it all and it has a charm that often missing from modern-day AAA shooters. Age is a barrier, but the campaign is worth one playthrough as the story and intensity still hold up rather well.

7 Call Of Duty: World At War

Metacritic: 85

Released the year after Modern Warfare had blown the minds of fans, unexpectedly another WWII title, World At War, took them straight back to old-school action. The campaign is an addictive tour through a variety of iconic wartime locations where players genuinely can’t help but gasp at points. In many respects, World At War feels like the last hurrah for a long-gone era of COD.

The game is responsible for pushing forward the tremendous fire mechanics in gaming. Not many games in the series contain innovative technical advancements such as this, so it is worthy of recognition.

6 Call Of Duty 2

Metacritic: 89

Call Of Duty 2 continued the winning formula introduced back in the first game, developing & building on the core design by expanding levels and allowing players to approach certain objectives or shootouts in whatever order they wanted. It’s still far harder than the COD of today, but it was a mind-blowing game at the time and the level of freedom is almost unseen in COD campaigns.

If this series decided to focus on incredible FPS world-building a bit more, it could have been one of the best in gaming history. As it stands, this entry made clear the series was more about combat than new worlds to explore.

5 Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019)

Metacritic: 81

Players will have to overlook the fact that this game chose a name that already exists. It’s the sixteenth game and they're reusing the same name as one of their most popular games. To give this game some distinction, gamers should focus on the fact that this is a fantastic, graphically-advanced masterpiece.

The story pushes morality to its limits, allowing the current trajectory of darkness in video games to continue. Gamers still want to have the prestige shop make a comeback, so the reboot is thought of fondly.

4 Call Of Duty: Black Ops

Metacritic: 88

The first Black Ops game is technically a sequel to World At War and the first to push gamers into the expansive world of Alex Mason, a CIA operative whose memories we have to navigate in order to progress. It’s a clever way to approach a story and a fantastically fun gameplay experience. The Cold War makes a particularly compelling setting.

As a campaign, players will remember the start-to-finish intense gaming provided. Balancing plot and action perfectly, this was clearly the beginning of a big idea.

3 Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War

Metacritic: 76

Players had every reason to go into the latest installment of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War with a lot of doubts. The campaign is the shortest in the entire series and it abandons playing as fan-favorite Alex Mason for the mysterious "Bell."

Those doubts were quickly put to rest, as the environments were dynamic and stunning. There's a huge plot twist that is very well done and multiple opportunities to make huge, impactful choices that change the outcome of the game. This game took several risks with the timeline that paid off.

2 Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Metacritic: 94

After newfound success with Modern Warfare, Infinity Ward knew exactly what they needed to do: keep going. They continued the story set out in the first game, maintaining a very similar gameplay style (but it worked) and adding twists & turns to a surprisingly emotional storyline that only raised the stakes.

The sequel to the well-received first games was one that remains one of the greatest campaigns of the series.