10 best Call of Duty games, ranked

Call of Duty is one of the most popular FPS franchises ever, and it continues to excel in 2025. Esports Insider is about to take an in-depth look at the best COD games, along with what makes them all so special.

Whether you love the classic combat of COD 4 or the futuristic movement in Black Ops 3 is more your style, we’ve compiled a list of the best Call of Duty games ever.

We used each title’s campaign, game modes, weapons, and Call of Duty game ratings to determine which ones are the best in 2025. A gripping narrative and fun multiplayer mode are the keys to success in Call of Duty.

The following 10 COD titles represent the top ranked Call of Duty games. We didn’t include every title, so this list doesn’t contain all Call of Duty games ranked best to worst.

Ghosts is an interesting Call of Duty. Not only did it scrap zombies in favour of the Extinction mode, but it also offered a new storyline in its campaign. Extinction lets players battle a horde of ancient cryptids, while its multiplayer introduced a plethora of brand-new maps.

COD: Ghosts felt completely fresh, and it represented a shift towards the futuristic era of Call of Duty.

Call of Duty: WW2 is set during the Second World War. Though WW2 wasn’t particularly revolutionary, it helped transition players back to boots-on-the-ground gameplay following the futuristic COD trio.

A new multiplayer mode called War was one of the core things that made WW2 so special. In War, players would complete objectives while advancing through the map. Not only did WW2 bring players back to the past, but it also featured a ton of fun multiplayer modes, which is why WW2 has an edge over Ghosts.

Black Ops 4 introduced the first battle royale in Call of Duty history. Known as Blackout, Black Ops 4’s BR mode had a ton of locations to explore and vehicles to control, offering a very different experience from standard COD.

Unfortunately, Black Ops 4 traded a campaign for Blackout, so it doesn’t feature a story mode. However, its focus on open-world battle royale gameplay is why we believe BO4 is more innovative than WW2.

Warzone is a battle royale that was released back in 2020, and it’s still one of the most popular CODs in 2025. Being free-to-play, Warzone amassed a huge following and still receives regular updates to coincide with new Call of Duty releases, even receiving a spiritual sequel.

The open-world maps in Warzone are fun to explore, and the arsenal of available weapons is always changing, so we’ve ranked this battle royale above Black Ops 4 since it’s still going strong years after its initial launch.

MW3 is the finale to the original Modern Warfare trilogy, and it’s revered for its storytelling and expansive roster of multiplayer maps.

MW3’s Special Ops mode offers round-based matches of fun where players face off against challenging NPC enemies, which was unique compared to zombies mode. Modern Warfare 3 is a classic all around, and its campaign gives it a leg up over Warzone’s focus on multiplayer.

Black Ops 3 sold tens of millions of copies, topping off at around 40 million. Though Advanced Warfare and Infinite Warfare were both criticised for their futuristic settings, Black Ops 3 used its history from the first two games to build a well-received sequel with advanced movement.

BO3’s zombie maps, like Shadows of Evil, were in-depth and fun, featuring challenging Easter eggs. On the flip side, multiplayer was especially popular, as it combined the Black Ops formula with a sprinkle of futuristic movement to create something more unique than previous COD titles of the 2010s, like Modern Warfare 3.

Modern Warfare 2’s story featured classic characters like Soap and Price, and its multiplayer mode expanded on many mechanics that are a core part of Call of Duty today, such as class customisation.

Modern Warfare 2 was one of the most innovative CODs for boots-on-the-ground multiplayer, so it’s a tier above Black Ops 3’s PvP.

The zombies mode in World at War is iconic because it introduced an entire generation of gamers to round-based zombies, while the campaign offered hours of classic boots-on-the-ground gameplay.

Though Modern Warfare 2 improved on the graphics and gameplay of previous Call of Duty games, World at War’s zombies and multiplayer offer an intense historical setting that’s hard to top.

The first Modern Warfare, also known as Call of Duty 4, is one of the best COD titles ever because it created the foundation of multiplayer for Call of Duty by introducing a system where players can build their own loadouts.

The campaign in Modern Warfare is also highly-regarded for its storytelling and setting, which could be considered more original than World at War’s focus on World War 2.

Black Ops 2 is often considered the best Call of Duty ever. In Tranzit, players could fight hordes of zombies on a moving bus, while multiplayer was equally as exciting due to its focus on competitive gameplay.

Modern Warfare and Black Ops 2 are both incredibly popular COD games, but BO2’s fun selection of zombie maps and slightly futuristic setting will always be a sweet spot for Call of Duty.

Older Call of Duty games hold a special place in the franchise, though newer titles often offer more expansive experiences. Black Ops 2 and the first-ever Modern Warfare trilogy will always be classics, but there’s still room for new storylines to emerge.

If you want to take a look at all Call of Duty games in order, then check out our other guide here.