Best Call Of Duty Campaigns

Call of Duty is a constant presence within the first-person shooter genre, with a new game releasing every year. While the franchise started in fierce competition with titles like Medal of Honor and Soldier of Fortune, Call of Duty has quickly become a mainstream giant in the shooter space, featuring various beloved titles. Though the major selling point of Call of Duty is its Multiplayer modes and often stellar Zombies co-op experiences, it also offers a variety of different Campaigns.

Call of Duty’s Campaigns are the core of its storytelling, each providing a unique range of experiences for players to enjoy. While no Call of Duty game is made equal, each offers its own levels of enjoyment. From the somewhat poorly received entries to the best of the best, here is every main Call of Duty Campaign, ranked from worst to best!

Updated on August 15, 2025, by Mark Sammut: Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is likely only a few months away, with an October or November release seeming likely, going by the franchise’s recent track record. So far, discourse surrounding the game has been… interesting. Well, it has not been all that positive, and there barely seems to be any excitement surrounding the futuristic Campaign. Still, it will probably be enjoyable.

We have added a “Is…Worth Playing Now?” section to the bottom half of the games, as those are the only ones that need that type of discussion.

Every Call Of Duty Game (With A Campaign) In Release Order

26

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4

More of a Tutorial Than a Campaign

• Time To Complete: 5.5 Hours
• Total Missions: 10

The first entry on this list is Black Ops 4, a somewhat controversial game thanks to the fact that it did not feature a Campaign at all. Instead, it offered players the Specialist HQ, a single-player experience that introduces each player to Multiplayer’s various Specialists, all while mixing in story beats between missions with cleverly crafted cinematics. While the story told through the cinematics is quite interesting and provides some epic visuals alongside gameplay, the Specialist HQ is less of an actual standalone mode and more of a glorified tutorial for Black Ops 4’s Multiplayer.

Most players who dived into Black Ops 4 were likely unaware of the Specialist HQ, and for good reason. The mode itself is overshadowed by the game’s other three main experiences: Multiplayer, Zombies, and Blackout. Admittedly, the Specialist HQ missions aren’t the worst in terms of gameplay and can be enjoyable for fans of the Spec Ops co-op mode from previous entries in the franchise. However, the somewhat cobbled-together nature of the Specialist HQ began a negative trend of cutting back on world-building and focusing more on other projects like Blackout, which would lay the groundwork for Call of Duty: Warzone. Though the solo content makes up a sizable chunk of Black Ops 4’s experience, it felt completely devoid of meaning, making it one of the more forgettable experiences in the franchise.

25

Call Of Duty: Black Ops Declassified

A Forgettable Title In The Overall Franchise

• Time To Complete: 2 Hours
• Total Missions: 10
• Release: November 13, 2012
• Developer: nStigate Games
• Platform: PS Vita

Next up is Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified, a Black Ops game that joined the long list of titles on the PlayStation Vita. While Black Ops Declassified began as a downgraded port of Call of Duty: Black Ops, the game eventually turned into something else entirely — a filler game that, for many CoD fans, never saw the light of day. Instead of simply adapting its predecessor, Black Ops Declassified serves as a loose prequel to Black Ops 2, allowing players to take on the roles of Alex Mason, Frank Woods, and a CIA operative during various operations conducted from 1975 to 1982.

At first glance, Black Ops Declassified does not seem half bad. The game adopts a similar structure to Spec Ops from the Modern Warfare series, offering players straightforward objectives and a somewhat coherent story that concludes with the death of Jose Luiz Menendez, setting up Raul Menendez’s rise to power in Black Ops 2. Despite the franchise’s strong reputation at the time, Black Ops Declassified was considered dead on arrival when it launched on the PS Vita due to its clunky controls, poorly stitched-together missions, and an extremely short 2-hour playtime.

Is Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified Worth Playing Now?

No. If you have a Vita and a copy of the game, you might as well rush through the short campaign. However, do NOT buy anything new to play Black Ops Declassified.

24

Call Of Duty: World At War – Final Fronts

A Call Of Duty: World At War Port That Fails To Adapt Its Greatness

• Time To Complete: 4.5 Hours
• Total Missions: 13 Missions split into 3 Campaigns
• Release: November 11, 2008
• Developer: Rebellion Developments
• Platform: PlayStation 2

While Call of Duty: World At War is often regarded as a gritty masterpiece, World At War – Final Fronts is quite the opposite. This entry to the franchise is seen as nothing more than a downgraded PlayStation 2 port of the highly acclaimed World At War, featuring a short 4-and-a-half-hour Campaign, whilst refusing to adapt any of the other modes World At War is ultimately loved for. Although the game shares the same name as its sibling, it only really carries over the theme and setting, diverging significantly from the original with a completely different story.

While there is some overlap between the stories of the two games, mainly through characters like Miller, Roebuck, and Polonsky, there are also contradictions, such as major supporting characters surviving the final battle. The story is rather forgettable, lacking character development, a clear antagonist, meaningful stakes, or any substantial payoff for the events that occur during the game’s short runtime. The gameplay is equally unremarkable, with outdated controls and an overly linear level design that simply moves players from point A to point B without any interesting events, flank routes, or set pieces. Call of Duty: World At War – Final Fronts ultimately feels like a cash grab targeting gamers who hadn’t yet upgraded to the PS3 or Xbox 360, rather than a standalone experience worth players’ time.

Is Call of Duty: World At War – Final Fronts Worth Playing Now?

There is just no real reason to visit Final Fronts in 2025 (or any year, to be perfectly honest).

23

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized (N-Space’s Other DS Games)

A Respectable COD Handheld Campaign

• Time To Complete: 4.5 Hours
• Total Missions: 16

Declassified is, technically, the best handheld Call of Duty game, at least when it comes to replicating the look and feel of the main entries. However, its campaign is quite short and not that satisfying, especially when compared to Mobilized. Despite being on a much weaker system, this 2009 entry does an admirable job of bringing the traditional COD experience to the Nintendo DS, even going as far as to implement touch controls well.

The campaign builds on N-Space’s previous COD outings, delivering a mission-based structure that kind of plays through the franchise’s greatest hits. The story is, honestly, not bad, although it is slightly let down by an uneven presentation and levels that feel a bit disconnected from each other.

Are N-Space’s Call of Duty DS Games Worth Playing?

This subseries is hardly a must-play for die-hard COD fans, but they are respectable handheld shooters that expand nicely on the main games’ stories and settings.

22

Call Of Duty: Finest Hour

Nostalgic But Dated WW2 Call Of Duty Game

• Time To Complete: 7 Hours
• Total Missions: 19 Missions split into 3 Campaigns

Finest Hour was the first console Call of Duty release, and while it shares similarities with the original Call of Duty, it follows a separate side story. Players take the role of multiple characters from the Soviet, British, and American armies, battling across various historical WW2 locations. The narrative provides a nostalgic and gripping experience, one that is more akin to the likes of the first game.

However, in terms of gameplay, Finest Hour is one of the weaker entries in the series. The game suffers from clunky controls, even by the standards of its time, and poorly placed checkpoints. When put together, players are often subjected to frustrating mission resets, which harms the overall experience. Though these issues are often attributed to the fact that Finest Hour is simply an old game ported over to consoles, titles like Call of Duty 2: Big Red One have aged much better, suggesting the issues with Finest Hour stem more from poor game design.

Is Call of Duty: Finest Hour Worth Playing Now?

Finest Hour is only worth experiencing as a historical artifact rather than anything else. It was not fun in 2004, and age has done pretty much nothing to make it more enjoyable.

21

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023)

A Shallow, Direct Sequel That Lacks Any Real Creative Direction

• Time To Complete: 5 Hours
• Total Missions: 14

While many of the earlier spin-offs garnered criticism from fans, the Modern Warfare 3 (2023) campaign is widely considered to be one of the weakest in Call of Duty history. From what originally appeared to be a follow-up to its imperfect but enjoyable predecessor before the game’s initial launch, the campaign quickly fell short due to a lackluster, rushed storyline that lacked direction and creativity, combined with serious pacing issues. However, storyline aside, the biggest downfall of Modern Warfare 3 has to be the gameplay itself.

When it came to Modern Warfare 3’s campaign, Sledgehammer aimed to innovate by introducing semi-open world missions, known as Open Combat Missions, allowing players to complete a series of objectives however they saw fit. However, these missions felt rather generic and uninspired, lacking the depth of previous installments in the franchise and feeling more like a Warzone-inspired experience. Even the more traditional linear missions seemed rather disjointed and overly influenced by Warzone elements, which added to their blandness. A prime example is the latter half of the mission Flashpoint, which is reduced to a simple escort task with little engagement, feeling more like a Rescue Hostage Contract from DMZ than an actual story mission. Overall, the Modern Warfare 3 campaign fails to stand out, lacking the memorable narratives and compelling gameplay that fans grew to love about the series, all while failing to emulate what made the original Modern Warfare 3 so groundbreaking.

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Is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Worth Playing Now?

Honestly? No. 2023’s Modern Warfare 3 is just too much of a frustrating experience to recommend in this day and age, especially since there are so many good and great FPS games on the market (and that includes about a dozen Call of Duty games).

20

Call Of Duty: Vanguard

A Rather Short & Unrealistic World War 2 Shooter

• Time To Complete: 6 Hours
• Total Missions: 9

Call of Duty: Vanguard is a unique entry in the franchise, featuring a new cast, a fresh plot, and a large portion of the playtime spent in a prequel format. In the Campaign, players take on the role of an elite, top-secret international Special Forces team operating during World War II. Captured and interrogated, most missions involve flashbacks to the operations they conducted leading up to their capture. While this approach to character introductions is fresh, it comes at the cost of suspense, since players already know which characters survive.

The game was intended to launch a new Vanguard series, but the game received strong backlash towards its characters, mainly due to the lack of realism, despite the game being marketed as a gritty, realistic WWII shooter. While Vanguard has its highlights, such as stunning graphics, solid gunplay, and intricate missions, there are also a few problems with its execution. Each character has their own unique ability, which, though interesting, feels out of place in a game aiming for realism. Additionally, certain missions, like The Battle of Midway, suffer from clunky vehicular controls, making gameplay frustrating at times. The Campaign’s short runtime only further fuels the community’s dissatisfaction, a similar problem with Sledgehammer’s next title. Modern Warfare 3.

Is Call of Duty: Vanguard Worth Playing Now?

At best, Vanguard‘s single-player story works as a weak distraction for a couple of hours. Despite being very short, you will probably get bored before the credits roll. Skip.

19

Call Of Duty 3

A Rather Repetitive World War II Game

• Time To Complete: 8 Hours
• Total Missions: 14 Missions split into 4 Campaigns

Continuing the trend of World War II shooters, we have Call of Duty 3, Treyarch’s first attempt at making a Call of Duty game. Following the previous two entries, Call of Duty 3 takes players across various historical battles during World War II, featuring multiple playable soldiers across different Campaigns, this time adding Polish and Canadian Campaigns into the mix. The story beats are fairly similar to the previous titles and don’t necessarily add anything new, but it still brims with the charm that many first-person shooter fans were seeking at the time.

In terms of gameplay, Call of Duty 3 is rather repetitive, primarily focusing on boots-on-the-ground infantry combat. The game does feature some vehicular combat missions, though, particularly in the Polish Campaign. Some segments can also be pretty frustrating at times due to the overall difficulty, which might turn casual players away. However, the Campaign was and still is a solid experience for those looking for a more retro Call of Duty experience, even with its dated graphics and clunky controls.

Is Call of Duty 3 Worth Playing Now?

Honestly, this one is quite difficult to say, as anyone only familiar with modern COD might struggle to get into the older games. They are far harder and more infuriating to play through; at the same time, their Campaigns do not feel like afterthoughts, at least not to the same extent as some of the newer releases. Give COD 3 a try, but do not hesitate to drop it if you are not having any fun whatsoever.

18

Call Of Duty

A Classic World War II Game That Started It All

• Time To Complete: 7 Hours
• Total Missions: 24 Missions split into 4 Campaigns

Call of Duty is the title that started it all, initially introduced as another World War II game competing with the likes of Medal of Honor. However, this title offered a gripping, action-packed experience that laid the foundation for the series. Like later entries in the Call of Duty franchise, the first Call of Duty has players taking on the roles of various soldiers in historical conflicts during World War II, including reenactments of real-world iconic events. The game did a great job of showcasing the brutality of war for its time and remains a solid experience for fans seeking a quality World War II title.

In terms of gameplay, Call of Duty feels rather janky by today’s standards, making it difficult to judge from a modern perspective because it hasn’t aged particularly well. However, the game introduced many staple mechanics now used in nearly every first-person shooter, such as aiming down sights, changing stances to go prone, and large-scale battles featuring hundreds of characters. Call of Duty is the revolutionary game that started it all, and it has a charm often missing from modern AAA shooters. Despite its age, the Campaign is worth a playthrough, as the story and intensity still hold up well, even with its rugged gameplay.

Is Call of Duty Worth Playing Now?

Yes, but mostly just to see where it all began. Call of Duty was and still is impressive for a 2003 shooter, but there is no shaking the fact that it is still a 2003 shooter.

17

Call Of Duty: Black Ops 3

One Of The Most Confusing Campaigns In The Series

• Time To Complete: 9 Hours
• Total Missions: 11

Black Ops 3 is often regarded as one of the best Call of Duty games ever, with groundbreaking Multiplayer and one of the best Zombies modes in the series. It is also remembered for its rather convoluted Campaign, one which is often regarded as one of the weakest in the series. The first kicker of Black Ops 3 is that, although the game takes place in the same timeline as the previous two entries, its story has no connection to them. The narrative is further complicated by the fact that the missions don’t necessarily occur in chronological order, with most simply being simulations in the main character’s mind. This makes the storyline quite difficult to follow, requiring players to pay close attention to understand its story.

Despite the confusing narrative, Black Ops 3’s Campaign is solid, retaining the fluid gameplay of the Multiplayer mode and introducing RPG elements like Cyber Cores — customizable abilities that players can use in combat. Black Ops 3 is also one of the few Call of Duty games to feature a customizable character. While this comes at the cost of a more relatable protagonist, it does allow players to imagine themselves within the narrative, especially since the game maintains a first-person perspective like the rest of the series.

Is Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 Worth Playing Now?

To be frank, BO3‘s Campaign is not great by the franchise’s high modern standards, and it was a big let-down after the first two entries. However, if you just ignore the nonsensical storytelling and just enjoy the gameplay, you should mostly have a fine time.