From the distant future of 2065 to the height of the Cold War in 1963, the Call of Duty series’ Black Ops universe has given players the chance to experience history and dark futures alike. With the games covering the past and future equally, the series focuses on showing players what battles used to look like and could be like going forward. While recent entries moved forward in time, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War took a step back, throwing players back into a different era of the Cold War.
As such, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is an interesting game with an even more interesting place on the timeline. Serving as both a prequel and a sequel to various entries in the Call of Duty: Black Ops series, the game’s 1980s setting functions as a way to tell a new tale in the Black Ops universe — without getting in the way of the games that came before. With a future Black Ops game possibly doing the same, taking place before Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War or shortly after, understanding the timeline could prove to be wildly important.
The Timeline Prior To Black Ops Cold War
Call of Duty: Black Ops (1961-1968): Widely regarded as one of the best Call of Duty games made thus far, the first Black Ops game took place at the Cold War’s peak, covering some of the most important moments from the era while also telling a story centered on Call of Duty: World at War character Viktor Reznov and his brainwashing of protagonist Alex Mason. Throughout the original Call of Duty: Black Ops. players witness the Bay of Pigs invasion through the lens of a failed assassination attempt of Fidel Castro, the Vietnam War, and a look at some of the most devious experiments going on at the time, the original game covers plenty of ground. Its original sequel covers a bit more, however.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (1986-1989, 2025): Taking place in two timelines, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 showcases a story centered on villain Raul Menendez and his attempt to kickstart a second Cold War between China and the United States. The 1986 portion showcases Alex Mason coming out of retirement to rescue Frank Woods, with the game touching on the Angolan Civil War and Desert Storm. In 2025, Alex Mason’s son David eventually takes down Raul Menendez, with the villain’s motivations coming from a botched CIA mission in the 1980s timeline where Woods accidentally killed his sister. Though multiple endings exist for the game, the ending where David Mason kills Menendez is canon.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (2045): Set 20 years after Black Ops 2’s second timeline, this sequel features an odd storyline centered on David Mason’s children. With his two daughters at war over the ethics of cloning, and several classic Black Ops characters being brought back to life, the game’s absurd direction leads to a cliffhanger that will likely never be addressed by Treyarch. The cliffhanger in question sees an evil version of Woods brainwashing Alex Mason into killing his "good" granddaughter Jessica, with Woods doing so because he was in love with Mason's villainous grandchild Savannah. More of an odd plot used purely to justify the place of Blackout mode in series' canon, as Black Ops 4 had no campaign, this part of the story may be best left forgotten.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 (2065): The final game in the timeline even after Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s release, this futuristic title is mostly disconnected from the rest of the universe. Only boasting connections via similar technology and a brief mention of Black Ops 2 villain Raul Menendez, the unique campaign tells its story out of order and keeps its main twist hidden in the scrolling text before each mission. While it featured solid co-op and interesting upgrade mechanics, its disconnect from the rest of the Black Ops universe has led to the “train go boom” meme being the most remembered moment from Black Ops 3’s narrative. Still, there are many positive aspects of the story if players put the time into looking through the lore, but for most fans the campaign remains one of the weaker entries in the Call of Duty series.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s Timeline Position
The events of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War take place from 1981 to 1984, positioning it before Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 but after the original Call of Duty: Black Ops. While the campaign features some Vietnam missions, they are purely fabrications to make Adler’s mind control of the protagonist Bell more effective, meaning that the entirety of the game’s story takes place in the early 1980s.
With Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s narrative reaching its conclusion only a few years prior to Mason leaving retirement in 1986 to rescue Frank Woods, it can be concluded that stopping Perseus was his final mission before Black Ops 2’s story began. As such, while there is technically room for another Black Ops campaign to take place entirely in 1985, it seems far more likely that another Black Ops game would cover the 70s.
While this makes the Call of Duty: Black Ops story and timeline even more complex, as another Black Ops game would need to be a prequel to Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Raven Software and Treyarch could do some interesting things with the sequel. Focusing entirely on the Vietnam war for the next Black Ops game could prove interesting, as the conflict has only been featured briefly in Black Ops Cold War and the first Black Ops game. With so many major events taking place in the war, a unique setting, and the chance to focus fully on Frank Woods, a proper Vietnam game could fit well in the Black Ops universe.
Beyond that, returning to the 1960s to answer Black Ops 1’s lingering question regarding Mason’s role in the JFK assassination would make for another great game. Pitting Mason and Woods against each other, players could see the RPG mechanics and different endings of the latest Black Ops game make a return. Regardless of where the Black Ops series goes next, though, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War has filled a major gap in the timeline — leaving only a few decades in the Black Ops universe unexplored.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.