All Call of Duty Games in Order: The Complete Release Timeline

Why People Look Up Call of Duty Games in Order

With over two decades of releases, multiple sub-series, reboots, and spin-offs, it's genuinely easy to lose track of where the Call of Duty franchise has been — and where each game fits chronologically. Whether you're catching up on the story, deciding which titles are worth replaying, or just settling a debate about which game came first, having all Call of Duty games in order in one place clears things up fast.

It's worth noting upfront: "in order" can mean two different things here — release order (the order games actually came out) and chronological/story order (the order events happen in-universe). This guide focuses primarily on release order, since that's how most players experience the franchise, with story context noted where it matters.

All Call of Duty Games in Order of Release

Here's the franchise broken down by release year, covering the mainline entries:

• Call of Duty (2003) — the original World War II shooter that started the franchise.
• Call of Duty 2 (2005) — expanded scope and improved visuals, still set in WWII.
• Call of Duty 3 (2006) — the first mainline entry developed primarily for consoles.
• Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007) — the game that shifted the series into modern-day combat and reshaped the shooter genre.
• Call of Duty: World at War (2008) — a return to WWII, introducing the Zombies mode that would become a franchise staple.
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) — one of the best-selling entries in the series, continuing the Modern Warfare storyline.
• Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010) — introduced the Black Ops sub-series and Cold War-era storytelling.
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011) — closed out the original Modern Warfare trilogy.
• Call of Duty: Black Ops II (2012) — introduced branching story choices and a near-future setting.
• Call of Duty: Ghosts (2013) — a standalone story with a new setting and cast.
• Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (2014) — introduced exosuit movement mechanics.
• Call of Duty: Black Ops III (2015) — leaned further into futuristic movement and co-op campaign design.
• Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (2016) — took the series into a space-set setting.
• Call of Duty: WWII (2017) — a return to boots-on-the-ground WWII combat.
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (2018) — dropped the traditional campaign in favor of multiplayer, Zombies, and the franchise's first battle royale mode.
• Call of Duty: Mobile (2019) — brought the franchise to mobile devices with major commercial success.
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) — a full reboot of the Modern Warfare sub-series.
• Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (2020) — a direct narrative link to the original Black Ops.
• Call of Duty: Vanguard (2021) — another WWII-set entry with a global cast of characters.
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022) — continued the rebooted Modern Warfare storyline.
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (2023) — closed out the rebooted trilogy.
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (2024) — returned to Black Ops storytelling with new movement mechanics.
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 (2025) — the most recent mainline entry, continuing directly from Black Ops 6 and Black Ops 2's storyline.
  This list covers the mainline premium releases — free-to-play companion titles like Call of Duty: Warzone exist alongside this timeline rather than as standalone numbered entries.

Call of Duty Sub-Series, Explained

Because the franchise splits into distinct storylines, it helps to think of it in sub-series rather than one continuous timeline:

• Classic/original era — the WWII-focused entries that launched the franchise.
• Modern Warfare — both the original trilogy and its later reboot trilogy, following modern military conflicts.
• Black Ops — the longest-running sub-series, spanning Cold War history through near-future settings.
• Standalone entries — titles like Ghosts, Advanced Warfare, Infinite Warfare, and Vanguard that exist outside the two major sub-series.
  If you're looking for chronological, in-universe order rather than release order, the Black Ops sub-series in particular jumps around in its internal timeline — Black Ops 7, for example, continues threads from Black Ops 2 released over a decade earlier, rather than following immediately after Black Ops 6's story.

How the Franchise Has Evolved Over Time

Call of Duty's release order also tells the story of how the shooter genre itself changed:

• From WWII to modern combat — the early games' shift with Modern Warfare in 2007 redefined what a mainstream military shooter could look like.
• The rise of Zombies and battle royale — modes that started as bonus content became major pillars of the franchise's ongoing engagement model.
• Movement mechanics experimentation — exosuits, wall-running, and later "omnimovement" show the series repeatedly re-tooling core traversal to stay fresh.
• The shift to mobile and free-to-play — Call of Duty: Mobile and Warzone expanded the franchise's audience well beyond traditional console and PC players.
• Slower release cadence — after nearly two decades of annual releases, the franchise has shown signs of moving toward a less rigid yearly schedule.

Building Your Own Shooter, From the Ground Up

Following a franchise like Call of Duty in order is a great way to see how far first-person shooter design has come — from simple linear WWII campaigns to complex live-service ecosystems with battle royale modes, seasonal content, and cross-platform play.

If you're inspired to build something in that space yourself, Riftwood Studio has direct experience building first-person and mobile shooter mechanics — including custom multi-touch mobile controls built on Unity's FPS framework and modern Input System. Whether you're prototyping core gunplay, movement systems, or a full mobile FPS experience, Riftwood Studio can help architect it properly from day one.

If you're a content creator covering the franchise and need to keep screenshots or thumbnails lightweight, OmnifyTools' free Image Compressor is a quick way to shrink file sizes without visibly losing quality.

FAQ

What was the first Call of Duty game?
The original Call of Duty, released in 2003, set entirely during World War II.

What is the most recent Call of Duty game?
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, released in 2025, is the most recent mainline entry as of this writing.

Is Call of Duty: Warzone a separate game from the numbered entries?
Yes — Warzone is a free-to-play battle royale companion experience that runs alongside the mainline releases rather than being numbered within them.

Do I need to play Call of Duty games in release order to understand the story?
Not strictly — most entries are self-contained or grouped within their sub-series (Modern Warfare, Black Ops), so you can generally follow a single sub-series in order without needing every mainline title.

How often does a new Call of Duty game come out?
For most of its history the franchise released a new entry annually, though recent years have shown signs of a slower, less rigid release cadence.

Inspired to build your own shooter or mobile game? Riftwood Studio has hands-on experience with FPS mechanics, mobile controls, and full game architecture. And for keeping your gaming content lightweight and fast-loading, the free Image Compressor on OmnifyTools has you covered.