All Call of Duty Games in Chronological Order

Although it’s one gigantic franchise, Call of Duty has three core storylines it often follows and frequently falls back on. These are the World War II, Modern Warfare, and Black Ops era, but OG Modern Warfare and Black Ops exist on separate timelines. However, the rebooted Modern Warfare that reimagines Captain Price, Soap, and Ghost’s story joins the Black Ops universe. With a new title every year, the Call of Duty franchise can expand upon a previously developed idea, bringing back iconic characters or reimagining the series’ events to offer something new to longstanding fans and newcomers alike.

To get a better idea of how the entire Call of Duty series fits together, though, here’s every game in the franchise and where it falls on its massive timeline.

The Past

Call of Duty: WWII (1940-1945)

Release date: 2017

A retelling of the events as experienced by Private Ronald “Red” Daniels in the U.S. First Infantry Division shows the devastating D-Day. The journey begins with a story about comradery, brothers, and never giving up.

Call of Duty 2 (1941-1945)

Release date: 2005

Experience World War II through the perspectives of four different soldiers, part of the Soviet Red, US, and British armies. Call of Duty 2 places you at the bottom of the rank structure with its campaign all about overcoming impossible odds.

Call of Duty: Vanguard (1941-1945)

Release date: 2021

Learn the origin story of the Vanguard with their primary mission to uncover and intercept Project Phoenix, led by Hermann Wenzel Freisinger. Mostly told through flashbacks, missions jump across the globe as the special operation soldiers chase down all leads pointing to Project Phoenix.

Call of Duty (1942-1945)

Release date: 2003

Commandeer three soldiers: American, British, and Russian, tells the united story all facing the same threat—the Germans. Engaging in historical World War II battles tells a story about unity, teamwork, and fighting for a common goal. Captain Price appears in the first-ever CoD title, returning in the Modern Warfare series as a key character.

Call of Duty 3 (1944)

Release date: 2006

Call of Duty 3 follows D-Day, specifically set in France in 1944. Keeping the same formula as the first two installments, CoD 3 hands the reins to four soldiers in the American, Canadian, British, and Polish armies. This title portrays the liberation of Paris and the final pushback against the Germans in CoD history.

The Present (Black Ops)

Call of Duty: World at War (1942-1945)

Release date: 2008

The darkest depictions of war are shown through the relentless struggles of Marine Private Miller and Private Dimitri Petrenko. The joined forces an American and Soviet soldier tells a particularly lonely and brutal experience that continues the clear shift from playing as a low-ranking soldier to overcoming obstacles as a hero.

Call of Duty: Black Ops (1961-1968)

Release date: 2010

A look back at CIA’s Alex Mason’s career shows a very different Call of Duty when compared to the World War II titles. A story told through flashbacks handles twists and turns, with a far darker tone than Modern Warfare. Replaying another man’s memories in hopes of finding Soviet sleeper agents before they’re activated tells a narrative full of despair with a more psychological take on war.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (1981)

Release date: 2020

A new, albeit questionable soldier joins the fray as your playable character, following the orders of CIA’s Russell Adler to find Perseus before he weakens the United States using nuclear warfare and false flag operations. Unlike other entries in the franchise, Cold War offers multiple endings based on the choices you make throughout where your loyalties truly lie.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2

• Alex Mason’s story: 1986-1989
• David Mason’s story: 2025

Release date: 2012

Special Forces David Mason is in hot pursuit of narco-terrorist Raul Menendez. The narrative shifts between father and son as too many similarities appear across both timelines, where the perspective jumps back and forth to tell the story of Menendez’s continuous attempts to start another Cold War.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (1991)

Release date: 2024

Framed and on the run, BO6 follows rogue CIA operatives Russell Adler and Frank Woods as they’re being hunted down. Framed by the Pantheon to disrupt CIA’s operations, Adler works at figuring out who wants them dead before it’s too late.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 (2035)

Release date: 2025

Continuing David Mason’s story tells another tale of psychological warfare, which will offer a four-player co-op experience of operatives working alongside Mason to unmask and confront an enemy that weaponizes fear.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (2043)

Release date: 2018

Unlike every other Call of Duty title, BO4 doesn’t feature a campaign which is a crying shame. Instead, it only tells the backstories of the multiplayer and Zombies operators, acting as tutorials on how to use them.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 (2065-2070)

Release date: 2015

Figuring out what’s real and what’s fiction is prevalent throughout BO3 as the lines are blurred for the Black Ops soldiers whose story is separated into two, both in the present and within memories. With events taking place within the Third Cold War, BO3 tells the most complex narrative Call of Duty has ever delivered and brings psychological warfare to your gaming chair.

The Present (Modern Warfare)

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (1996-2011)

Release date: 2007

Playing as Sergeant Paul Jackson and the legendary Sergeant Soap MacTavish working hard to prevent a nuclear attack from a coup in the Middle East, you’re carried across the story of CoD 4 as the move away from World War II events and to becoming heroes of a story takes precedent in this golden era.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (1999-2019)

Release date: 2019

A reimagining of CoD 4‘s story shows the global conflict and rise of Al-Qatala. Uniting forces to take down a common enemy that puts the entire world at risk, you jump from London to the Middle East to confront and foil Al-Qatala’s plans.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2016)

Release date: 2009

Remember, no Russian. A false flag operation that took the lives of tens of innocent civilians on home soil saw war between Russia and America unfold. Task Force 141 led by Captain Soap MacTavish searches for Vladimir Makarov, leader of the Russian Ultranationalist party and orchestrator of the airport massacre.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2016-2017)

Release date: 2011

A direct continuation from MW2‘s story shows the persistent chase to stop Vladimir Makorov once and for all. Russia and the West continue to fight, where Task Force 141 follows Makorov’s footsteps in an attempt to intercept his next move.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022)

Release date: 2022

A reimagining of Task Force 141 pairs Captain Price with the Mexican Special Forces unit Los Vaqueros. Hunting down terrorist Hassan Zyani before the stolen US ballistic missiles launch at America, MW2 handles betrayals much like the original, but with a very different overarching plot.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (2019-2023)

Release date: 2023

We continue from 2022’s MW2 as Task Force 141 focuses its attention on Vladimir Makarov, who is trying to start World War III. The campaign focuses more on cinematic moments and open missions that are far from the original game back in 2011.

The Future

Call of Duty: Ghosts (2015-2017)

Release date: 2013

The South American Federation has destroyed America with 17 million dead, leaving only the Ghosts left to reclaim their country from the Federation. New characters Logan and Hesh Walker take the spotlight in a story about survival, to return the United States of America back into a position of power.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (2054-2061)

Release date: 2014

In a future where private military corporations have power, former Marine Jack Mitchell joins Atlas, a morally ambiguous corporation that seeks global control due to worrying leadership. Themes of loyalty and ethics and brought into light, demonstrating the positive and negative usages of technology.

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (Unknown)

Release date: 2016

Infinite Warfare sees two groups, the United Nations Space Alliance and Settlement Defense Front, engage in a war for dominion over the solar system. Lieutenant Nick Reyes of the Special Combat Air Recon sets a course across the stars to defeat enemy Admiral Salen Kotch.