Call of Duty (CoD) is a first-person shooter military video game series and media franchise published by Activision, beginning in 2003. The games were first created by Infinity Ward, later by Treyarch and Sledgehammer Games. Other developers made several spin-off and handheld versions of the games. The most recent title, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, was released on November 14, 2025.

The series originally focused on World War II settings. Infinity Ward developed the first two games, Call of Duty (2003) and Call of Duty 2 (2005), while Treyarch created Call of Duty 3 (2006). Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007) introduced a modern setting and became a major success for the series, starting the Modern Warfare sub-series. A remastered version of Modern Warfare was released in 2016. Two additional games, Modern Warfare 2 (2009) and Modern Warfare 3 (2011), followed. The sub-series was later rebooted with Modern Warfare (2019), Modern Warfare II (2022), and Modern Warfare III (2023). Infinity Ward also developed two games outside the Modern Warfare sub-series: Ghosts (2013) and Infinite Warfare (2016).

Treyarch released one final World War II-based game, World at War (2008), before creating the Black Ops sub-series with Black Ops (2010). Additional entries in this sub-series include Black Ops II (2012), Black Ops III (2015), Black Ops 4 (2018), Black Ops Cold War (2020), Black Ops 6 (2024), and Black Ops 7 (2025). The last three games were developed in partnership with Raven Software. Sledgehammer Games, who also worked on Modern Warfare 3, created three titles: Advanced Warfare (2014), WWII (2017), and Vanguard (2021). They also led the development of Modern Warfare III (2023), the third game in the Modern Warfare reboot sub-series.

As of October 2023, Call of Duty has sold over 500 million copies and has 100 million monthly active players across all platforms. The franchise earned $30 billion in revenue by 2022. It holds the title of the best-selling first-person shooter game series, as verified by the Guinness World Records. Call of Duty is also the most successful video game franchise created in the United States and ranks as the third best-selling video game franchise of all time. Other products in the franchise include action figures made by Plan B Toys, a card game from Upper Deck Company, building sets by Mega Brands, a comic book series published by WildStorm Productions, and a movie currently in development.

Main series

Call of Duty is a first-person shooter video game based on id Tech 3 and was released on October 29, 2003. The game was developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision. It simulates the infantry and combined arms warfare of World War II. An expansion pack, Call of Duty: United Offensive, was developed by Gray Matter Studios with help from Pi Studios and produced by Activision. The game follows American and British paratroopers and the Red Army. The Mac OS X version was made available by Aspyr Media. In late 2004, the N-Gage version was created by Nokia and published by Activision. Other versions were released for PC, including Collector's Edition (with soundtrack and strategy guide), Game of the Year Edition (includes game updates), and the Deluxe Edition (which contains the United Offensive expansion and soundtrack; in Europe, the soundtrack was not included). On September 22, 2006, Call of Duty, United Offensive, and Call of Duty 2 were released together as Call of Duty: War Chest for PC. Since November 12, 2007, Call of Duty games have been available for purchase through Steam, a content delivery platform managed by Valve.

Call of Duty 2 is a first-person shooter video game and the sequel to Call of Duty. It was developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision. The game is set during World War II and is experienced through the perspectives of soldiers in the Red Army, British Army, and United States Army. It was released on October 25, 2005, for Windows, November 15, 2005, for the Xbox 360, and June 13, 2006, for Mac OS X. Other versions were made for mobile phones, Pocket PCs, and smartphones.

Call of Duty 3 is a first-person shooter and the third game in the Call of Duty series. Released on November 7, 2006, the game was developed by Treyarch and was the first major game in the series not developed by Infinity Ward. It was also the first not to be released on the PC platform. It was released for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox, and Xbox 360.

Call of Duty: WWII is the fourteenth game in the series and was developed by Sledgehammer Games. It was released worldwide on November 3, 2017, for Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The game is set in the European theatre and follows a squad in the 1st Infantry Division as they fight on the Western Front, focusing on historical events of Operation Overlord.

Call of Duty: Vanguard is the eighteenth game in the series and was developed by Sledgehammer Games, with Treyarch creating the Zombies mode. It was released on November 5, 2021, for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The story shows the birth of special forces to face a growing threat at the end of World War II across multiple theaters.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is the fourth main game in the series and the first in the Modern Warfare timeline. Developed by Infinity Ward, it is the first game not set during World War II. The game was released for Windows, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 on November 7, 2007. Download and retail versions for Mac OS X were released by Aspyr in September 2008. As of May 2009, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare has sold over 13 million copies.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered is a remastered version of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. It was released alongside the Legacy Edition, Legacy Pro Edition, and Digital Deluxe Edition of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare on November 4, 2016, for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. It was later released separately on June 27, 2017, for PS4, and July 27, 2017, for Xbox One and PC. The game was developed by Raven Software and executive produced by Infinity Ward.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is the sixth main game in the series and the second in the Modern Warfare timeline. It was developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision. Activision Blizzard announced Modern Warfare 2 on February 11, 2009. The game was released worldwide on November 10, 2009, for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Windows. A Nintendo DS version, titled Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized, was released alongside the game and the Wii port of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Modern Warfare 2 is the direct sequel to Call of Duty 4 and continues the same storyline, taking place five years after the first game and featuring characters like Captain Price and "Soap" MacTavish.

A visually updated version was released for PlayStation 4 on March 31, 2020, and for Xbox One and Windows on April 30, 2020. This version includes only the campaign mode and no multiplayer or Spec Ops components. When purchased, players can unlock cosmetic items in 2019’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and 2020’s Call of Duty: Warzone.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is the eighth main game in the series and the third in the Modern Warfare arc. Due to a legal dispute between Activision and former co-executives of Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer Games helped develop the game, and Raven Software made cosmetic changes to the menus. The game was in development only two weeks after the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Sledgehammer aimed for a "bug free" first outing in the Call of Duty franchise and set a goal for Metacritic review scores above 95 percent.

Primary developer rotation

In 2006, Treyarch released Call of Duty 3, which was their first game in the main Call of Duty series. Treyarch and Infinity Ward signed a contract that said each new game in the series would be made by one of the two companies in turn. In 2010, Sledgehammer Games announced they were working on a main series game for the franchise. This game was delayed to help Infinity Ward create Modern Warfare 3. In 2014, it was confirmed that Sledgehammer Games would make the 2014 game, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, and the studios would start a three-year rotation. After Sledgehammer made Call of Duty: WWII in 2017, they began working on a new Call of Duty game with Raven Software, planned for release in 2020. However, there were conflicts of interest between the two companies, which caused Treyarch to take control of the project to make development faster.

Free-to-play games

Call of Duty Online was announced by Activision in early 2011 when the company first expressed interest in creating a massively multiplayer online game (MMO). At that time, the game had already been in development for two years. Call of Duty Online is free-to-play in mainland China and is hosted by Tencent. Activision lost the publishing rights to Call of Duty and other franchises in China due to a legal dispute involving most gaming consoles (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii).

Call of Duty: Heroes was a real-time strategy game developed by Faceroll Games and published by Activision for Android and iOS devices.

Call of Duty: Mobile is the franchise’s mobile version for iOS and Android devices, developed by Tencent Games’ TiMi Studios. It was released globally on October 1, 2019. The game was first announced on March 18, 2019, during the year’s Game Developers Conference. As of October 4, 2019, the game had more than 35 million downloads worldwide.

Call of Duty: Warzone is an online battle royale game developed by Infinity Ward and Raven Software and released by Activision. The game was released on March 10, 2020, as part of Modern Warfare (2019). It can be downloaded without owning the previous title. The game allows players to use progress and gameplay items from Modern Warfare, as well as Black Ops Cold War and Vanguard, after updates added content from these titles. Activision announced that a mobile version of Warzone was in development, planned for a future release.

A successor to Warzone, originally called Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0, was released on November 16, 2022, as part of a content update for Modern Warfare II. After its fourth seasonal update, Warzone 2.0 was renamed to Warzone. Like the previous version, Warzone (2022) can be downloaded separately without owning Modern Warfare II. It later included gameplay items and progress from Modern Warfare III. The game also shares progress with Warzone Mobile, a standalone mobile game that uses gameplay items from Modern Warfare II and Modern Warfare III but plays on separate maps and game modes.

Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile was a mobile battle royale game developed by Activision Shanghai, Beenox, Digital Legends Entertainment, and Solid State Studios, in partnership with other Activision studios. The game allows players to use progress and gameplay items from Modern Warfare II, Modern Warfare III, and Warzone 2.0 but does not support cross-platform play with these titles. It was released on November 30, 2022, in Australia and on March 24, 2023, in Chile, Norway, and Sweden as part of a "Limited Release" phase. The first map was a version of Verdansk, which first appeared in the original Warzone. The game was officially released for iOS and Android devices on March 21, 2024.

Spin-off games

Call of Duty: Finest Hour was the first game in the Call of Duty series released for consoles. It came out for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. The PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions include an online multiplayer mode that allows up to 32 players to play together. These versions also add new game modes.

Call of Duty 2: Big Red One is a game based on the American 1st Infantry Division’s experiences during World War II. It was developed by Treyarch and released for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox.

Call of Duty: World at War – Final Fronts is the PlayStation 2 version of Call of Duty: World at War. It was developed by Rebellion Developments and includes three campaigns: the U.S. fighting in the Pacific theater, the Battle of the Bulge, and the British advancing on the Rhine River in Germany.

Call of Duty is a portable version of the 2003 game, released for the N-Gage device.

Call of Duty: Roads to Victory is a portable version of Call of Duty 3, released for the PSP.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a portable version of 2007’s Modern Warfare, released for the Nintendo DS.

Call of Duty: World at War is a portable version of World at War, released for the Nintendo DS.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized is a portable version of Modern Warfare 2, released for the Nintendo DS. It was developed by n-Space and takes place in the same world as the main game but has a different story and characters. Players take control of the S.A.S. and Marines in campaign mode, both trying to find a nuclear bomb.

Call of Duty: Black Ops is a portable version of Black Ops, released for the Nintendo DS. It was developed by n-Space and takes place in the same world as the main game but has a different story and characters.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – Defiance is a portable version of Modern Warfare 3, released for the Nintendo DS.

Call of Duty: Black Ops: Declassified is a game in the Call of Duty series released for the PlayStation Vita.

Call of Duty is a mobile version of the 2003 game, released for J2ME devices.

Call of Duty 2 is a mobile version of Call of Duty 2, released for J2ME devices.

Call of Duty 3 is a mobile version of Call of Duty 3, released for J2ME devices.

Call of Duty 2 Pocket PC Edition is a mobile version of Call of Duty 2, released for Windows Mobile devices.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a mobile version of 2007’s Modern Warfare, released for J2ME devices.

Call of Duty: World at War is a mobile version of World at War, released for J2ME devices.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2: Force Recon is a mobile version of Modern Warfare 2, released for J2ME devices. It was developed by Glu Mobile and takes place in Mexico five years after Modern Warfare.

Call of Duty: World at War – Zombies is a first-person shooter game developed by Ideaworks Game Studio and published by Activision for iOS. It is a spin-off of the Call of Duty series and based on the "Nazi Zombies" mode of Call of Duty: World at War.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Mobile is a mobile version of Black Ops, released for J2ME devices.

Call of Duty: Black Ops – Zombies is a first-person shooter game developed by Ideaworks Game Studio and published by Activision for Android and iOS. It follows Call of Duty: World at War – Zombies.

Call of Duty: Strike Team is a first and third-person shooter game developed by The Blast Furnace and published by Activision for iOS and Android. It is set in 2020 and involves players leading a U.S. Joint Special Operations Team after the country is involved in a war with an unknown enemy.

Compilations

Call of Duty: The War Collection is a collection of three games: Call of Duty 2, Call of Duty 3, and Call of Duty: World at War. It was released for the Xbox 360 on June 1, 2010.

Canceled titles

Call of Duty: Combined Forces was an idea that was not completed. It was meant to be a sequel to Call of Duty: Finest Hour. However, legal problems between Spark Unlimited, Electronic Arts, and Activision, along with other difficulties in making the game, caused the project to be canceled. The game was expected to cost $10.5 million to create after Finest Hour was finished. Activision later decided the idea was more like an expansion than a new game, leading the company to reject the proposal and end its contract with Spark Unlimited.

Call of Duty: Devil's Brigade was a canceled first-person shooter game for the Xbox 360, made by Underground Entertainment. It was set during World War II and focused on events in Italy.

In 2010, after the splitting of Infinity Ward and the departure of Jason West and Vince Zampella, Neversoft was asked by Activision to create a science fiction game in the Call of Duty series. This game would include gameplay involving low gravity and other features of the game engine. At some point, the project was canceled, and its materials were later used in Ghosts and Infinite Warfare. In January 2024, leaked footage of the project (called Future Warfare) showed a complete opening mission and an in-development multiplayer mode that still used assets from 2009's Modern Warfare 2. A former Neversoft developer named Brian Bright confirmed the leaks in April 2024. He said the game had two or three completed missions and a lot of multiplayer work done. He also called the project "NX1" and mentioned it was planned to be released in 2013 instead of Ghosts.

Call of Duty: Vietnam was a third-person shooter set during the Vietnam War. It was being developed by Sledgehammer Games for about six to eight months. The project was stopped because Infinity Ward needed help finishing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 after employee firings and departures in 2010.

Call of Duty: Roman Wars was a canceled game that allowed players to control Julius Caesar and other characters from ancient Rome. It was made by Vicarious Visions and was meant to be a mix of third-person and first-person gameplay. Activision canceled the project because they were unsure how to market it as a Call of Duty title.

Between 2012 and 2013, Raven Software was working on a separate Call of Duty Zombies game. This was after Treyarch decided to focus on single-player and multiplayer aspects for Call of Duty: Black Ops III (2015) instead of the traditional Zombies mode. The game was designed to be free to play and was inspired by the Mad Max movies. In April 2024, a former Raven Software lead designer named Michael Gulmmelt confirmed leaked details about the project. He said Raven canceled the game after Treyarch changed its plans and decided the project might cause internal competition.

Other media

Modern Warfare 2: Ghost is a six-part comic book mini-series inspired by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The story focuses on the past of the character Simon "Ghost" Riley. The series is published by WildStorm, and the first issue was released on November 10, 2009, at the same time as the game.

Call of Duty: Zombies is a six-part comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics. It connects to the Zombies game mode in the Black Ops subseries made by Treyarch. The series is written by Justin Jordan, Treyarch's Jason Blundell, and Craig Houston. It is illustrated by artist Jonathan Wayshak and colored by Dan Jackson. The cover art is created by Simon Bisley. Treyarch announced the series in July 2016, with the first issue planned for October. After a small delay, the first issue was released on October 26, 2016. The other five issues were released in 2017: issue #2 on January 11, 2017; issue #3 on March 1, 2017; issue #4 on April 19, 2017; issue #5 on June 21, 2017; and issue #6 on August 23, 2017. A paperback version with all six issues was released on November 15, 2017.

In 2004, Activision worked with Plan-B Toys and Radioactive Clown to create the "Call of Duty: Series 1" action figures. This set included three American soldiers and three German soldiers from World War II. The American G.I. action figure was released in 2004, but Plan-B Toys later stopped making a controversial Nazi SS Guard figure based on a character from Call of Duty. In 2008, McFarlane Toys partnered with Activision to make action figures for the Call of Duty series. Their first set was released in October 2008 and included four figures: a Marine with a flamethrower, a Marine Infantry, a British Special Ops soldier, and a Marine with a machine gun.

Find Makarov is a fan-made film that was praised by Activision. The company contacted We Can Pretend, leading to the production of a second short film called Operation Kingfish. Find Makarov: Operation Kingfish is a fan-made story that comes before Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. It was first shown at Call of Duty XP. The video was made by We Can Pretend, with visual effects by The Junction, and was supported by Activision. It explains how Captain Price ended up in a Russian Gulag before the events of Modern Warfare 2.

On November 6, 2015, when Black Ops III was released, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Activision Blizzard created a new production studio called Activision Blizzard Studios. The company planned to make a live-action Call of Duty cinematic universe in 2019. On February 16, 2018, Stefano Sollima was announced as the director of the film. Soon after, he told Metro UK that he was considering casting Tom Hardy and Chris Pine as the main actors. In an interview with FilmSlash, Sollima said the film would focus on real soldiers, not war stories. On November 27, 2018, Joe Robert Cole was announced as the writer of the sequel. Filming was expected to begin in Spring 2019 for a 2020 or 2021 release. In February 2020, Sollima said the film had been paused because it was not a priority for Activision.

In September 2025, Paramount Pictures and Microsoft, which owns Activision, announced a deal to develop, produce, and distribute a live-action film based on the Call of Duty franchise. In October 2025, Peter Berg was named the director, with Taylor Sheridan co-writing the screenplay and co-producing with Berg. On April 15, 2026, it was announced that the film will be released on June 30, 2028.

Esports

The Call of Duty games became part of esports in 2006, along with the release of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Over time, the series added more games, such as Call of Duty: World at War, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Call of Duty: Ghosts, and Call of Duty: Mobile. These games are played in competitions like Major League Gaming.

Players can compete in ladders or tournaments. Ladders are divided into categories, including singles, doubles, team (3v3 – 6v6), and hardcore team (3v3 – 6v6) ladders. The difference between regular team ladders and hardcore team ladders is the in-game settings and rules. Winning ladder matches on competitive websites gives players experience points, which help determine their overall rank.

Tournaments on these websites allow players to win cash prizes and trophies. Trophies are saved on a player’s profile if they win a tournament, and prize money is sent to their bank account. Call of Duty: Ghosts was the most played game in 2014, with about 15,000 teams competing each season.

For the past six seasons, Full Sail University has given $2,500 to the top team each season. Other ladders award credits and medals saved on players’ profiles. Tournaments in the Call of Duty: Ghosts Arena cost between 15 and 30 credits, averaging about $18.75 per tournament. If a player competes in a team, prize money is split equally among team members. Larger tournaments with big prizes are held in specific cities and countries for LAN teams.

The largest Call of Duty tournament was Call of Duty: Experience 2011, which started when Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was released. Competitive Call of Duty is most popular in Europe and North America, where players participate in tournaments and ladder matches daily.

In January 2020, Activision created a 12-team Call of Duty League, using a city-based structure similar to the Overwatch League. The league includes teams from Atlanta, Boston, the Carolinas, Las Vegas, Miami, Minnesota, New York, Seattle, Texas, and Toronto, with two teams in Los Angeles: the Los Angeles Thieves and the Los Angeles Guerrillas.

Call of Duty Endowment

The Call of Duty Endowment (CODE) is a nonprofit organization started by Activision Blizzard to help U.S. military veterans find jobs. The first donation, worth $125,000, was given to the Paralyzed Veterans of America.

Co-chairman General James L. Jones was a former U.S. National Security Advisor. Founder Robert Kotick is the CEO of Activision Blizzard. When CODE was created in 2009, it promised to create thousands of job opportunities for veterans, including those returning from the Middle East. Each year, the endowment gives awards, such as the "Seal of Distinction," which is a $30,000 grant to chosen veteran service organizations. In November 2014, CODE started the "Race to 1,000 Jobs" campaign to ask gamers to donate money and support groups that help veterans. By 2015, CODE had given about $12 million in grants to U.S. veterans' organizations, which helped 14,700 veterans find work.

On March 30, 2010, CODE gave 3,000 copies of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, valued at about $180,000, to the U.S. Navy. These copies were sent to more than 300 Navy ships, submarines, and Navy Morale, Welfare, and Recreation facilities around the world.

Criticism, controversies, and legal actions

The Call of Duty series has faced criticism for showing a focus on Western culture, using unclear stereotypes, and overemphasizing military power, according to Keith Stuart from The Guardian. Phil Hornshall from GameSpot noted the series often appears supportive of guns and the military, and sometimes shows strong national pride. Sam Biddle from The New Yorker wrote that the series has wide support from people with different political views because of its traditional themes. He criticized Activision Blizzard for claiming the games are not political, arguing that the games now strongly support right-wing ideas to the point of seeming like a joke. Tyler Wilde from PC Gamer pointed out that marketing for Call of Duty: WWII suggested the game was made with anti-war feelings, but he believed the game instead celebrated a war as "brutal but noble" without exploring deeper themes.

Critics have also pointed out problems with how the series represents ethnic and religious groups. Alyssa Mercante from Kotaku, along with Muslim and Arab members of the games industry, said the series has historically shown these groups in harmful ways, using false stereotypes and making the Middle East seem like a place where truth and fiction mix. They also criticized the series for creating fictional regions that suggest there is only one type of Middle Eastern country. Gregory Lawrence from Inverse said the series avoided accusations of Islamophobia by including Muslim characters who are shown as "good," but without exploring their values. Joe Mayall from The Progressive wrote that the games' portrayal of enemies as anti-Western is a simple and dangerous way to describe real-world conflicts, similar to attitudes that led to U.S. involvement in wars.

Some critics have pointed out a strong Western bias in the series. Tessa Kaur from TheGamer said the games show U.S. soldiers as heroes without showing any moral doubts, support military action, and spread false ideas about real wars. She questioned whether the games could move beyond celebrating the U.S. military to tell honest stories about the harshness of war. Mayall wrote that the series overemphasizes the success and cleanliness of military actions while ignoring the negative effects, giving people a misleading view of reality. He argued this was most harmful by making military action seem like the best way to handle foreign policy. Gregory Lawrence noted the series surprisingly did not focus too much on showing the U.S. military in a positive light, citing the Modern Warfare reboot, where characters serve people involved in corrupt operations.

Some people have connected the series' bias to the U.S. government's relationship with the entertainment industry. Kaur wrote that Call of Duty is an example of how the government has used media since World War II to promote its views. Mayall noted the Pentagon has worked on over 1,000 movies and dozens of video games. Alan MacLeod, a writer on propaganda, suggested that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II was a psychological operation for the U.S. Relationships between Call of Duty staff and the U.S. government have been noted as a possible reason for this. Dave Anthony, a writer for Call of Duty: Black Ops II, told The Guardian he was contacted by a former Pentagon official to join a panel about warfare and later joined a think tank that advises on future conflicts. Michael Condrey of Sledgehammer Games said the studio consulted a Pentagon advisor while creating Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. Some sources said the U.S. military considered using Call of Duty to recruit people, but stopped after reports of sexual harassment at Activision Blizzard were made public.

In 2007, when Infinity Ward's founders, Jason West and Vince Zampella, began negotiating contracts with Activision, legal issues arose between Infinity Ward and Activision. Eventually, West and Zampella left Infinity Ward and formed Respawn Entertainment with Electronic Arts. They and other staff who left sued Activision for unpaid money.

Modern Warfare 2 caused controversy because of a level called "No Russian," where players take part in a massacre of civilians at a Russian airport.

AM General, the company that makes the Humvee, sued Activision in 2017 for using the vehicle in Call of Duty games. In April 2020, a federal judge ruled in favor of Activision, saying the use of the Humvee in the games to show military realism was different from AM General's purpose of selling vehicles to the military.