Call of Duty 2 is the best requirements-based starting point among the six PC releases compared here: its published minimum is a 1.4 GHz Pentium IV or AMD Athlon XP 1700+, 256 MB of RAM, a DirectX 9.0c-compatible 64 MB graphics accelerator, and 4 GB of disk space. That makes it the lowest-requirement option in this comparison—not a guarantee that it will run well on every old or modern PC. To judge your own system, you also need its CPU, GPU, RAM, Windows version, and available storage.
Which Call of Duty has the lowest system requirements?
Among the six documented PC releases below, Call of Duty 2 has the lowest published minimums. Steam lists its requirements as Windows 2000/XP, a 1.4 GHz Pentium IV or AMD Athlon XP 1700+, 256 MB RAM, a DirectX 9.0c-compatible 64 MB graphics accelerator, and 4 GB of disk space. Those are requirements from the game’s 2005-era listing, not a modern compatibility guarantee.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Call of Duty: Black Ops III - Standard Edition - PC | $10.79 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
Call of Duty: Game of the Year Edition - PC | $75.98 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - PC | $24.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
Call of Duty: World at War - PC | $47.53 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
Call of Duty: Ghosts - PC | $44.99 | Buy on Amazon |
Steam warns that some 3D accelerator cards may not work with the game’s 3D acceleration features even if their chipset appears on the compatibility list. A minimum specification also does not establish frame rate, stability, or how the game behaves on a particular current version of Windows. Steam’s Call of Duty 2 listing provides the game’s published requirements.
How the PC requirements compare
The figures below are each game’s published minimums, not results from a shared benchmark. They show why the older releases are more plausible starting points for older hardware, but they cannot predict relative frame rates.
#1 Best Overall
- INTRODUCING A NEW ERA OF BLACK OPS: Call of Duty: Black Ops III takes place in a dark, gritty future where a new breed of Black Ops soldier emerges and the lines are blurred between our own humanity and the cutting-edge military robotics that define the future of combat.
- A CALL OF DUTY CAMPAIGN UNLIKE ANYTHING BEFORE IT: Treyarch elevates the Call of Duty social gaming experience by delivering up to four player campaign co-op, using the same battle-tested network infrastructure and social systems that support its world-class Multiplayer and Zombies game modes.
- PREPARE FOR A LEVELED-UP MULTIPLAYER: With Black Ops III, Treyarch premieres a new momentum-based chained-movement system, allowing players to fluidly move through the environment with finesse, using controlled thrust jumps, slides, and mantling abilities in a multitude of combinations, all while maintaining complete control over your weapon at all times.
- FIGHT THE UNDEAD IN AN ALL-NEW HORROR STORY: No Treyarch title would be complete without its signature Zombies offering - a full-game experience with its own distinct storyline right out of the box. Black Ops III Zombies is the most immersive and ambitious Call of Duty Zombies to date, with a full XP-based progression system for players that adds depth and re-playability to the engaging gameplay Zombies fans have come to expect.
| PC game | Published minimums relevant to low-end PCs | What that means |
|---|---|---|
| Call of Duty 2 | Windows 2000/XP; Pentium IV 1.4 GHz or Athlon XP 1700+; 256 MB RAM; DirectX 9.0c-compatible 64 MB graphics; 4 GB disk space. (Steam, system requirements: source) | Lowest listed requirements in this comparison; compatibility with old graphics hardware and modern Windows is not assured. |
| Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010) | Core 2 Duo E6600 or Phenom X3 8750; 2 GB RAM; Shader Model 3.0; 256 MB GeForce 8600GT or Radeon X1950Pro; 12 GB free space. (Activision: source) | A possible fallback if your computer exceeds these legacy minimums; the listing does not guarantee modern-system compatibility. |
| Call of Duty: WWII | Core i3-3225; 8 GB RAM; GTX 660 2 GB or GTX 1050, or Radeon HD 7850 2 GB; Windows 7 64-bit or later. Requirements are for desktop PCs. (Activision: source) | Not a good default for genuinely low-end hardware. |
| Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War | Core i3-4340 or FX-6300; 8 GB RAM; GTX 670 or GTX 1650, or Radeon HD 7950; Windows 10 64-bit. Activision says Intel integrated GPUs are unsupported. (Activision: source) | Needs substantially newer discrete graphics than the oldest games. |
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) | Core i3-4340 or FX-6300; 8 GB RAM; GTX 670 or GTX 1650, or Radeon HD 7950; Windows 10; 246 GB listed storage. (Activision: source) | The listed storage alone may rule it out on a small drive. |
| Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 | Ryzen 5 1400 or Core i5-6600; 8 GB RAM; RX 470, GTX 960, or Arc A580; SSD with 102 GB available at launch. (Activision, requirements page updated July 2, 2025: source) | A modern-era option, not the conservative choice for an old low-end PC. |
When is Black Ops (2010) a better fallback?
Consider the original Call of Duty: Black Ops if your PC is newer or more capable than the minimums for Call of Duty 2 but still modest. Activision lists a Core 2 Duo E6600 or Phenom X3 8750, 2 GB RAM, Shader Model 3.0, a 256 MB GeForce 8600GT or Radeon X1950Pro, and 12 GB free space as minimums. Those are legacy requirements, not evidence that the game works on every present-day Windows configuration. Activision’s Black Ops requirements are the reference for that specification.
What to check before choosing a game
- Graphics: Identify the exact GPU, including whether it is integrated or a laptop variant. A similarly named laptop GPU is not necessarily equivalent to the desktop model in a requirement list.
- Processor and memory: Compare your CPU model and installed RAM with the game’s minimums. A match on one component does not compensate for a shortfall elsewhere.
- Operating system: Activision says games starting with Modern Warfare (2019), and titles released afterward, are not supported on Windows 7 or Windows 8. Its compatibility guidance recommends keeping Windows 10 updated. Read Activision’s Windows compatibility guidance.
- Storage: Check both free space and drive type where specified. Modern Warfare (2019) lists 246 GB of storage, while Black Ops 6 lists an SSD and 102 GB available at launch; the latter is a launch requirement, not a claim about its current install size.
- Evidence limits: Published minimums do not establish achievable frame rates, current online-service availability, storefront availability in your region, or stability on your exact PC.
Can your low-end PC run Call of Duty 2?
The minimums make Call of Duty 2 the strongest first candidate in this comparison, but they are not enough to promise compatibility. For a useful assessment, compare your exact CPU, graphics hardware, RAM, Windows version, and free disk space with the listing. If your graphics hardware is old or your system uses a newer operating system than the one named in the requirements, treat the result as uncertain until compatibility is confirmed for that setup.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- The franchise that has defined a generation of gaming is set to raise the bar once again with the all-new Call of Duty: Ghosts.
- A brand new Call of Duty Universe
- The next generation of multiplayer
- Introduction of a new next-gen engine
Rank #4
- Set in the Pacific Theater of World War II
- Powered by Call of Duty 4: Modern Wafare technology
- Includes perks, rankings, and stats
- Participate in up-to four-player cooperative gameplay
- New infantry and vehicle-based weapons
Rank #3
- Epic single-player campaign picks up immediately following the thrilling events from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
- The definitive multiplayer experience returns, with a host of new perks and enhancements
- New cooperative SpecOps mode, the perfect combination of Modern Warfare's single player intensity and the addictive replayability of its multiplayer
- Special Ops Mode allows two players, either alone or with a friend, to engage in unique mission play and features split-screen functionality.
- ‘Modern Warfare 2’ contains new and updated weapons, new weapons attachments, and a variant of the multiplayer weapons customization system from ‘Call of Duty 4’, now available in the single player campaign.
Rank #2
- Play as part of a well-trained squad in this first-person, action game
- Delivers the gritty realism and cinematic intensity of WW II's epic battlefield
- Experienced through the eyes of citizen soldiers and unsung heroes
- Authentic squad movements and tactics
- Each soldier's distinct personality and training comes out on the battlefield
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