Recommended Free Tools
There are two useful ways to put Call of Duty games “in order”: by their release dates, or by when their campaign stories take place. The release list below follows Activision’s major-release sequence and includes named side releases; the campaign guide separates the franchise’s continuities instead of pretending every game belongs to one timeline.
Call of Duty games in release order
This list follows the major-release sequence in Activision’s October 26, 2023 franchise retrospective, extended with the official release dates for Black Ops 6 and Black Ops 7. It includes several named side releases and Call of Duty: Mobile, but it is not a catalog of every port, regional version, remaster, bundle, or live-service update. United Offensive is an expansion.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 | Standard Edition | PlayStation 5 | $69.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
Call of Duty: WWII (PS4) | $23.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare - PS4 Legacy Edition | $24.49 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered - PlayStation 4 | $28.25 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II - PlayStation 4 | $28.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| Release date | Game |
|---|---|
| October 29, 2003 | Call of Duty |
| September 14, 2004 | Call of Duty: United Offensive (expansion) |
| November 16, 2004 | Call of Duty: Finest Hour |
| October 25, 2005 | Call of Duty 2 |
| November 1, 2005 | Call of Duty 2: Big Red One |
| November 7, 2006 | Call of Duty 3 |
| November 5, 2007 | Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare |
| November 11, 2008 | Call of Duty: World at War |
| November 10, 2009 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) |
| November 9, 2010 | Call of Duty: Black Ops |
| November 8, 2011 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011) |
| November 12, 2012 | Call of Duty: Black Ops II |
| November 5, 2013 | Call of Duty: Ghosts |
| November 4, 2014 | Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare |
| November 6, 2015 | Call of Duty: Black Ops III |
| November 4, 2016 | Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare |
| November 3, 2017 | Call of Duty: WWII |
| October 12, 2018 | Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 |
| October 1, 2019 | Call of Duty: Mobile |
| October 25, 2019 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019 reboot) |
| November 13, 2020 | Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War |
| November 5, 2021 | Call of Duty: Vanguard |
| October 28, 2022 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022) |
| November 10, 2023 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (2023) |
| October 25, 2024 | Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 |
| November 14, 2025 | Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 |
Call of Duty: Warzone is a separate free-to-play online experience, not a conventional numbered campaign entry. Activision’s retrospective covered it alongside Modern Warfare (2019); its live-service content should not be treated as a fixed campaign chapter.
How to play the campaigns chronologically
There is no single definitive chronological order for every Call of Duty product. Some games have separate settings, some jump between years, and some do not have a conventional story campaign. The groupings below are a practical guide to campaign continuities, not an official universal canon sequence. A strict timeline would require sorting missions within titles that span multiple periods.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches#1 Best Overall
- BONUS 2X OFFER — Purchase Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 at Amazon and receive 5 hours of Double XP.**
- PRE-ORDER BONUS — Pre-order and unlock the Hunter Killer Operator Skin and the Gilded Pearl Camo Pack.*
- GLOBE‑SPANNING CAMPAIGN — Fight across the Korean Peninsula, New York, Paris, and Mumbai in a high‑stakes narrative where global conflict escalates and survival depends on tactical precision.
- MULTIPLAYER BUILT ON CONTROL — Engage in grounded, precise combat where fluid movement, player choice, and refined mechanics give you greater control in every firefight.
- TACTICAL DMZ OPERATIONS — Deploy behind enemy lines as an off‑the‑books asset, making high‑risk decisions on objectives and extraction in a dynamic mode where every run counts.
World War II campaigns
These games draw on World War II settings: Call of Duty, Call of Duty 2, United Offensive, Finest Hour, Big Red One, Call of Duty 3, World at War, WWII, and Vanguard. This is a set of related historical settings, not an exact campaign-by-campaign sequence. Release order does not establish the order of their missions.
Original Modern Warfare trilogy
- Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011)
This is the original Task Force 141 trilogy. Activision described the 2011 game as completing that trilogy.
Rank #2
- The Best Shooter Experience on Console in 2017 - Daily Star
- An Explosive Return to its Roots - The Telegraph
- Call of Duty returns to its roots with Call of Duty: WWII a breath-taking experience that redefines World War II for a gaming generation
- Experience three different game modes: Campaign, multiplayer and co-operative
- Experience Call of Duty combat, the bonds of camaraderie and the unforgiving nature of war against a global power throwing the world into tyranny
Black Ops story and time jumps
World at War is a narrative precursor to Black Ops. The story then moves through different periods rather than proceeding in release order:
- Black Ops precedes Black Ops Cold War, which follows the original Black Ops campaign.
- Black Ops II includes story material set in the 1980s and a later section set in 2025. Treat those as separate time periods when placing it in a chronology.
- Black Ops 6 is set during the Gulf War period.
- Black Ops 7 is set in 2035, after the 2025 future sections of Black Ops II. Activision’s official game page identifies the 2035 setting and says the campaign can be played solo or cooperatively.
Black Ops 4 does not have a conventional campaign comparable to the story-focused entries, so it is not a required chapter in a campaign playthrough. Black Ops III belongs to the series’ later-future settings, but the available official chronology does not establish a complete ordering of every future-set entry.
Rank #3
- Legacy Edition Includes: Infinite Warfare and Modern Warfare Remastered*;Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) Content Description: Blood and gore, drug reference, intense violence, strong language, suggestive themes
- Infinity Ward reaches new heights with Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, which returns to the roots of the franchise with large-scale war, epic battles, and cinematic, immersive military storytelling and takes players on a journey from Earth to beyond our atmosphere.
- Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare delivers something for every Call of Duty fan with three unique game modes: Campaign, Multiplayer, and Zombies.
- Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is back, remastered in true high-definition featuring improved textures, physically based rendering, high-dynamic range lighting and much more to bring a new generation experience to fans.
- Team up with your friends with 10 of the iconic multiplayer maps from the online multiplayer mode that redefined Call of Duty introducing killstreaks, XP, Prestige and more in customizable, classic multiplayer modes.
Rebooted Modern Warfare games
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (2023)
These games form a rebooted sequence, separate from the original trilogy. Including the release year avoids confusing the two versions of Modern Warfare 2 and Modern Warfare 3.
Standalone settings and separate experiences
Ghosts, Advanced Warfare, and Infinite Warfare are better treated as separate campaign settings than inserted into the story arcs above. Activision’s retrospective places the Infinite Warfare campaign in 2187. Call of Duty: Mobile and Warzone are distinct experiences, not necessary steps in a single campaign timeline.
Rank #4
- One of the most critically-acclaimed games in history, Call of Duty: Modern warfare is back
- Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) Content Description: Blood, intense violence, strong language
Which order should you choose?
| If you want to… | Use this order | Why |
|---|---|---|
| See how the series and its mechanics evolved | Release order | It follows the original launch sequence, including the named side releases in the list. |
| Follow Task Force 141’s original story | Original Modern Warfare trilogy | The three games form a distinct, completed continuity. |
| Follow the newer Task Force 141 sequence | Rebooted Modern Warfare games | The 2019, 2022, and 2023 games are a separate continuity. |
| Follow Black Ops-era story events | Use the Black Ops chronology above, splitting Black Ops II across its historical and future sections | The games span multiple eras, so a single whole-title slot can be misleading. |
| Play campaigns set during World War II | Choose among the World War II titles | They share a broad historical setting, but the list above does not claim an exact mission-level order. |
Activision’s October 26, 2023 retrospective identifies its list as major releases, rather than every way to play the franchise, and does not publish one universal chronological campaign order. Its later official title pages extend the release list with Black Ops 6 and Black Ops 7.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II Cross-Gen Bundle
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II is the sequel to 2019’s blockbuster Modern Warfare.
- Featuring the return of the iconic, team leader Captain John Price, the fearless John "Soap" MacTavish, the seasoned Sergeant Kyle "Gaz” Garrick, and the lone wolf himself, fan favorite Simon “Ghost” Riley, players will witness what makes Task Force 141 the legendary squad it is today.
- Some features may require an internet connection and an online subscription
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →
