Call of Duty Games: The Best Order to Play ‘Em (Without Losing Your Mind)
Let’s be real—Call of Duty isn’t just some shooter franchise. It’s basically gaming’s version of a Hollywood blockbuster that somehow keeps getting sequels. And like any good series, there’s a right way and a wrong way to experience it. You wouldn’t watch Star Wars starting with Episode VIII, right? Same deal here. But with way more grenades.
Wait, Why Does Order Even Matter?
Okay, story time. Back in college, my roommate jumped straight into Black Ops III because “robots looked cool.” Two hours later? Dude had no clue why anyone was shooting anyone. That’s the thing—these games actually have continuity. Characters pop up across decades (looking at you, Captain Price), and events in one game sometimes screw up the world in another. It’s kinda like the MCU, but with more tactical reloading.
The Timeline Breakdown (Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Chaos)
COD’s messy—in a fun way. You’ve got four main buckets:
- Grandpa’s War: All the WWII stuff
- Modern Mess: Terrorists, betrayals, and that one airport mission we don’t talk about
- Cold War Mind Games: Where every character is either brainwashed or doing the brainwashing
- Future Nonsense: Because apparently wars in space need killstreaks too
1. The History Class Section (1940s Edition)
- Call of Duty (2003): The granddaddy. Plays like Saving Private Ryan: The Game. No Price yet, but you’ll storm beaches like it’s 1999—wait, wrong war.
- United Offensive (2004): Expansion pack vibes. Only play if you really, really love tanks.
- WWII (2017): They finally remembered war is hell. Great campaign, but the multiplayer… eh.
- Vanguard (2021): Weirdly ties to Black Ops? Honestly, only the zombies are worth it.
2. Modern Warfare – Where America Saves the Day (Again)
- COD4: Modern Warfare (2007): Changed shooters forever. That ghillie suit mission? Chef’s kiss. Price’s cigar? Iconic.
- MW2 (2009): You know the mission. We all do. Shepherd’s betrayal still hurts.
- MW3 (2011): Fine ending, but you can tell they were running out of ideas.
- MW Reboots (2019/2022): Same characters, new drama. Price’s beard deserves its own spin-off.
3. Black Ops – Because the Cold War Wasn’t Confusing Enough
- World at War (2008): Where zombies began. Also has that one Russian guy who won’t shut up about numbers.
- Black Ops (2010): “THE NUMBERS, MASON!” Enough said.
- BO2 (2012): Future stuff done right. Menendez is still the best villain.
- BO3 (2015): What even is this plot? Play zombies, ignore the campaign.
- Cold War (2020): 80s nostalgia with extra espionage. Surprisingly not terrible.
4. Future Crap – Because Why Not?
- Advanced Warfare (2014): Kevin Spacey as a bad guy. Aged… poorly.
- Infinite Warfare (2016): Got way too much hate. Space battles are actually dope.
Pro Tips From Someone Who’s Wasted Too Many Hours
- Old games: You can’t run and gun. Seriously—cover is your best friend.
- Multiplayer: Learn spawn points or prepare to rage quit. No shame in it.
- Zombies: Just accept you’re gonna die. A lot.
FAQ (Because People Keep Asking)
Do I need to play them all? Hell no. Skip the bad ones (looking at you, BO3 campaign).
What’s the best story? Black Ops 1 or MW2. Fight me.
Are they connected? Sometimes? It’s complicated. Like my ex.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, play what looks fun. But if you want the full experience—the character arcs, the “oh crap” moments, the sheer WTF-ery of some plots—follow this order. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a date with a sniper rifle and some poor soul’s headshot hitbox.
Source: IGN – All Games
