Call of Duty has spent two decades reshaping how we think about first-person shooters. From its 2003 debut through the upcoming Modern Warfare 4, the franchise has sold millions of copies and created a cultural footprint that extends far beyond gaming, attracting everyone from military enthusiasts to Snoop Dogg and Lionel Messi.
The series spans multiple timelines and subseries, which can make choosing where to start feel overwhelming. Whether you want to play through the campaigns in chronological order or follow release dates, understanding the franchise's structure helps you navigate over two decades of content.
Where to Start as a New Player
If you're jumping in fresh, the 2019 Modern Warfare reboot offers the clearest entry point. It launched on current-generation Xbox, PlayStation, and PC platforms, so nothing feels outdated. From there, you can move straight through the rebooted Modern Warfare trilogy, which includes Modern Warfare II (2022) and Modern Warfare III (2023). All three games released within the last five years, creating a cohesive modern experience without the rough edges of older titles.
The franchise's deep history gets complicated fast. There are 21 main entries with single-player campaigns when you count all World War II games, the Modern Warfare subseries including its reboot, and the Black Ops subseries. But that number explodes when you add expansions, mobile variants, spin-offs, and live service titles like Warzone and its successor, Warzone 2.0.
The original Call of Duty (2003) launched players into World War II, splitting campaigns between American, British, and Soviet soldiers. The sequel added a fourth campaign in 2005. That same year, Treyarch's Call of Duty 3 brought the Battle of Normandy to life, though it never reached PC. World at War (2008) returned to WWII with American and Soviet forces before the series pivoted entirely.
Modern Warfare (2007) changed everything by abandoning historical conflicts for contemporary warfare. Set in 2011, it introduced Captain Price and protagonist John "Soap" MacTavish while centering on Middle Eastern and Russian tensions. Modern Warfare 2 (2009) followed five years later with Vladimir Makarov's ultranationalist plot against the United States.
Meanwhile, Treyarch developed the Black Ops subseries as a Cold War and Vietnam-era alternative. Black Ops (2010) starred Alex Mason investigating Soviet sleeper agents and a chemical weapon called Nova 6. Black Ops 2 (2012) split its story between 1986 and 2025, following both Mason and his son David as they dealt with second Cold War terrorism.
The franchise eventually returned to World War II twice more. Call of Duty: WWII (2017) featured a single protagonist, Ronald "Red" Daniels, fighting across the European theater. Vanguard (2021) went deeper into the final year of the war, exploring a secret Nazi project called Phoenix through multiple characters.
The Cold War timeline continued with Black Ops Cold War (2020), set in 1981, where a customizable protagonist nicknamed "Bell" hunts a Soviet operative named Perseus. Black Ops 6 (2024) jumped to the early 1990s Gulf War, featuring Frank Woods and his rogue CIA team being hunted by a shadowy internal threat.
Between these major subseries, the franchise experimented constantly. Ghosts (2013), Advanced Warfare (2014), Infinite Warfare (2016), and others explored near-future and speculative warfare scenarios. Some introduced unique features like jetpacks and exoskeletons. Black Ops 4 (2020) dropped the campaign entirely, focusing exclusively on multiplayer.
The zombie mode, which debuted in World at War, became a series staple that appeared across multiple entries. Warzone launched in 2020 as a free-to-play battle royale experience tied to Modern Warfare, becoming enormously successful before getting completely redesigned as Warzone 2.0 in 2022. Mobile versions expanded the reach further.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 arrives in 2025, with Modern Warfare 4 confirmed for 2026. The franchise shows no signs of slowing.
Author Emily Chen: "The real test isn't which game to play first, but whether you want narrative coherence or just the best gunplay experience, and those aren't always the same thing."
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