Call Of Duty is one of, if not the most popular video game franchise on the planet. Few could have predicted that a 2003 FPS would spawn a juggernaut series that has multiple developers working to churn out new games once a year, but that's where we are now. The world is a fast-moving place and there's no time to stop and enjoy a Call Of Duty for more than 365 days before we move to the next one. That's basically the law now.
For a franchise that's been around for close to two decades and managed to chuck out nearly as many games, there have been highs and lows. Everyone has their favourite Call Of Duty, of course, but I wondered what it might look like if I were to rank every mainline Call Of Duty game from worst to best, according to each game's Metacritic score.
The results are... surprising in some places, and not so surprising in others. Oh, and in any instance where there was tie, I've used the average user score to decide which comes out on top. As you can see below, each game has the critic score followed by the user score. As you can also see below, users really seem to enjoy review-bombing modern Call Of Duty games. Anyway, let's get to it.
Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War - 76/3.4 (Treyarch, 2020)
Activision
Okay, wow. I'm honestly genuinely surprised that any Call Of Duty game could score lower than the much-maligned Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare, but here we are. It seems Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War was a swing and a miss with both critics and fans. Let's hope Vanguard fares better.
Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare - 78/3.7 (Infinity Ward, 2016)
Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare isn't a bad game. There, I said it. And to be fair, the Metacritic score seems to agree. 78 is very respectable. It just so happens to be the worst-reviewed Call Of Duty game to date. And yikes at that user score...
Call Of Duty: Ghosts - 78/3.9 (Infinity Ward, 2013)
I'm trying to really hard to remember any kind of distinguishing detail about Ghosts. It really just kind of came and went, didn't it? Kind of like fidget spinners. We just stopped talking about it.
Call Of Duty: WWII - 80/4.2 (Sledgehammer Games, 2017)
The first game after Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare might have been what fans wanted on paper... but it turns out the final product just didn't butter all that many parsnips.
Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare - 81/2.4 (Infinity Ward, 2019)
Activision
Now this was a surprise. I kind of thought 2019's Modern Warfare reboot was considered a staggering return to form by critics and users alike. I guess I was wrong. Obviously 81 is a great score, but it still puts it way below most other entries. And that user score? Good grief, what did Infinity Ward do wrong here?
Call Of Duty: Black Ops III - 81/4.9 (Treyarch, 2015)
Black Ops III has the edge over Modern Warfare because of its superior user score. Not that 4.9 is all that much to write home about, to be honest.
Call Of Duty 3 - 82/6.6 (Treyarch, 2006)
Ah, a real classic - and the first Call Of Duty game I ever really played. Call Of Duty 3 was Treyarch's first stab at a main entry in the series, and a solid attempt.
Call Of Duty: Black Ops II - 83/5.1 (Treyarch, 2012)
Activision
This is where it all started to go a bit wrong for the franchise in the eyes of a lot of fans, apparently? But then almost everyone I've ever met has hailed Black Ops II as a favourite. IDK man, Call Of Duty fans are weird.
Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare - 83/5.7 (Sledgehammer Games, 2014)
Here's another one I'd honestly kind of forgotten about. Maybe I'd just willfully blocked out all the arguing about jetpacks and lasers. Whatever, the critics didn't seem to mind this one at all.
Call Of Duty: Black Ops IIII - 85/4.1 (Treyarch, 2018)
Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII
A fantastic battle royale mode and robust Zombies offering almost made up for this game's complete lack of single-player campaign. Almost.
Call Of Duty: World At War - 85/7.6 (Treyarch, 2008)
Activision
There was a lot riding on the first game after Modern Warfare, and Treyarch did its best to deliver. World At War is a fantastic shooter with a great story and, more importantly, the game that gave the world Zombies for the first time.
Call Of Duty 2 - 86/8.5 (Infinity Ward, 2005)
Activision
A solid sequel that played it safe by... not really changing anything much at all. I mean, that obviously worked for the game and it went on to become the ethos for the entire franchise. Until they actually started to try and change things, after which fans complained. At which point Activision played it safe again... and everybody complained. Is anybody else tired?
Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - 88/3.4 (Infinity Ward, 2011)
A solid story with some shocking moments, and some great multiplayer maps - but it doesn't quite compare to the first two Modern Warfare games.
Call Of Duty: Black Ops - 88/6.6 (Treyarch, 2010)
I've got a lot of love for the original Black Ops. To be honest, I kind of wish the next few games in the series had stayed around the Cold War era instead of rushing to modern day. Ah well, according to pretty much everyone right now, that's exactly what Call Of Duty 2020 is going to do.
Call Of Duty - 91/8.1 (Infinity Ward, 2003)
The original and, apparently, the third best Call Of Duty game of all time? I honestly can't say because I've never played it, but this one surprised me. I assume because it was the first of its kind it naturally generated more positive reviews.
Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - 92/8.5 (Infinity Ward, 2007)
This, on the other hand, can hardly be considered a surprise. Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is still regarded as one of the finest video games of all time, and definitely deserves such a high spot on this list. We'll still be talking about this game's influence on the genre for years to come, mark my words.
Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - 94/6.5 (Infinity Ward, 2009)
Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 wasn't quite as groundbreaking as its predecessor, but it managed to tighten up and refine what the first game put in place. I guess by that logic, it should absolutely be at the top spot.
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A slick and well-paced story filled with action-packed set pieces complemented the fantastic online multiplayer and some of the best maps the series has ever seen. A definite must-play for any FPS fans out there. As if you haven't already played it to death.
Topics: Review, Modern Warfare, Infinity Ward, Treyarch, Call of Duty, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Activision