When it comes to first-person shooters, Call of Duty ranks among one of the finest. The return of iconic characters such as Captain Price, Simon “Ghost” Riley and John “Soap” MacTavish in last year’s Modern Warfare 2 had players stoked about the game.
A new player might be skeptical to start the Call of Duty series, due to the fact that the series spans across 10+ titles. The wise option for a new player to get into the series would be to play through it either in its chronological order, the release order or the categorical order.
This guide has been put together in order to help new players who are looking to get into Call of Duty. You should be fine if you follow either the chronological order, the release order or the categorical order. Let’s take a look at them.
1. The Chronological Order to Play the Call of Duty Series
The chronological order refers to the most logical and coherent timeline which is to follow the real-life history of these games. It would make the most sense as Call of Duty features games set during the 1940s, the 1980s, the 200s up until the distant future.
Take a look at all the Call of Duty games in its chronological order:
- Call of Duty: WWII (1940s)
- Call of Duty 1 (1940s)
- Call of Duty 2 (1940s)
- Call of Duty 3 (1940s)
- Call of Duty: World at War (1940s)
- Call of Duty: Vanguard (1940s)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops (1960s)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (1980s)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops II (1980s & 2025)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2010s)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2010s)
- Call of Duty: Ghosts (2020s)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare – Reboot Timeline (2020s)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II – Reboot Timeline (2020s)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (2040s)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops III (2060s)
- Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2000s)
- Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (2050s)
- Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (2100s)
It is worth noting that some Call of Duty games have the same name, which is why a couple of them are labelled as “Reboot Timeline” which refers to the reboot released in the recent years.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) and Modern Warfare 2 (2022) are a reboot of the original Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007) and Modern Warfare 2 (2009) respectively. Hence, the former are labelled as “Reboot Timeline”.
2. The Release Order to Play the Call of Duty Series
The release order refers to the order in which the Call of Duty games came out. It’s a tad bit easier to follow as compared to the chronological order.
Take a look at all the Call of Duty games in its release order:
- Call of Duty (2003)
- Call of Duty 2 (2005)
- Call of Duty 3 (2006)
- Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007)
- Call of Duty: World at War (2008)
- Call of Duty: Zombies (2009)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2: Force Recon (2009)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies (2011)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3: Defiance (2011)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops II (2012)
- Call of Duty Online (2013)
- Call of Duty: Ghosts (2013)
- Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (2014)
- Call of Duty: Heroes (2014)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops III (2015)
- Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (2016)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered (2016)
- Call of Duty: WWII (2017)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (2018)
- Call of Duty: Mobile (2019)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019)
- Call of Duty: Warzone (2020)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (2020)
- Call of Duty: Vanguard (2021)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022)
- Call of Duty: Warzone 2 (2022)
This list does not feature any side games or online games which aren’t available to play anymore.
3. The Categorical Order to Play the Call of Duty Series:
The categorical order separates each game into different categories. Following this order would be the definitive order to play the Call of Duty games as it would make the most sense.
Take a look at all the Call of Duty games in its categorical order:
I. Standalone Story – Original Timeline
- Call of Duty (2003)
- Call of Duty 2 (2005)
- Call of Duty 3 (2006)
- Call of Duty: World at War (2008)
- Call of Duty: Ghosts (2013)
- Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (2014)
- Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (2016)
- Call of Duty: WWII (2017)
- Call of Duty: Vanguard (2021)
II. Modern Warfare – Original Timeline
- Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011)
III. Black Ops – Original Timeline
- Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops II (2012)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops III (2015)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (2018)
Once you’re done with the Original Timeline, move on to the Reboot Timeline. The Reboot Timeline features Call of Duty games of the same name from the Original Timeline, which is why it is crucial to know which is which.
IV. Modern Warfare – Reboot Timeline
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022)
V. Black Ops – Reboot Timeline
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (2020)
Note that this list does not contain any DLC or online games such as Call of Duty: Warzone (2020), Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 (2022), Call of Duty: Mobile (2019) etc.
4. Which Call of Duty should you play first?
It is entirely up to the player to decide which Call of Duty game they want to start with. If one wants to start from the beginning, they should play Call of Duty (2003). On the other hand, if someone wants to start with the Modern Warfare series, they should start with either Modern Warfare (2007) or Modern Warfare (2019).
This is a question which has got layers to it, which makes it incredibly difficult to create an objective answer. The best course that new players should take is to start with whichever Call of Duty game they like. Pick a category and follow through with it. For example, if you pick Black Ops, start the series with Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010) and follow through.
5. Do you need to play the Call of Duty series in order?
The Call of Duty games can be played in any order you like. However, it’s undoubtedly better if you play them according to the category they belong to. If you want to play the original Modern Warfare series, start with Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007).
Following the categorical order reduces the risk of confusion when you’re playing through the Call of Duty games. However, that does not mean you cannot play the games out of order. You absolutely can, but keep in mind that some Call of Duty games have connections to each other.
6. Are all Call of Duty games connected to each other?
No, the Call of Duty games are not all within the same universe. However, some of the games are connected to each other. All of the original Modern Warfare games are connected to each other. On the other hand, only Black Ops (2010) and Black Ops 2 (2012) are connected to each other.
Games like Advanced Warfare (2014), Infinite Warfare (2016), WWII (2017), and Vanguard (2021) are entirely set in a separate universe without any connection to each other. You might be confused with the timelines at first, but the more you progress through the games, the more you understand it.
7. Which is the hardest Call of Duty game?
Frankly, any Call of Duty game can be the hardest when played on Veteran difficulty. However, some are harder than the others. When it comes to having the hardest Veteran difficulty, Call of Duty (2003), World at War (2008) and WWII (2017) score a tie.
All three games feature a Veteran difficulty, which are excruciatingly painful to beat. On top of standard enemies being able to kill the player in just one or two shots, the lack of a health regeneration system makes it a nightmare for playes to master this difficulty.
8. About Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II is a first-person shooter game developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision. It is a direct sequel to the 2019 reboot and will serve as the nineteenth installment in the CoD series. It was released on October 28, 2022, for PS 4, PS 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Season 2 of Modern Warfare II released for every platform on 15th February 2023 at 9 AM PT, along with additions of newer maps and game modes, along with new content and bug fixes.
