Ever tried to explain the timeline of this franchise to someone? It’s a mess. Honestly, tracking the list of all the Call of Duty games is less like reading a history book and more like trying to solve a puzzle where the pieces keep changing shapes. Since 2003, Activision has pumped out a new title basically every single year, oscillating between gritty trenches, neon-lit futures, and whatever "Warzone" is doing this week.
People usually think there are maybe ten or fifteen games. They're wrong. If you count the main entries, the massive spin-offs, and the mobile experiments, we're looking at over 50 distinct titles. It’s a lot.
The Early Days: When WWII Was Everything
Before "No Russian" or jetpacks, CoD was just a PC game trying to beat Medal of Honor. The original Call of Duty (2003) was a revelation because it didn't just make you a lone wolf; you had a squad. You actually felt like a cog in a massive, terrifying machine.
Then came Call of Duty 2 (2005). This was the big one for the Xbox 360 launch. It introduced the regenerating health mechanic. No more hunting for health packs. Just duck behind a crate and breathe for five seconds. It changed shooters forever. People forget Call of Duty 3 (2006) was a bit of an outlier—the only main game you can't play on PC. It was Treyarch’s first big swing at the plate, and while it was okay, it didn't have that Infinity Ward "magic" yet.
The Modern Warfare Pivot and the Cold War Weirdness
2007 changed everything. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare wasn't just a game; it was a cultural shift. The "All Ghillied Up" mission? Iconic. The introduction of Killstreaks and Perks in multiplayer? That's the reason why the franchise is worth $30 billion today.
🔗 Read more: Lust Academy Season 1: Why This Visual Novel Actually Works
But then things got split. While Infinity Ward stayed in the present, Treyarch went back to the past with World at War (2008). It was darker and gore-filled. Most importantly, it gave us "Nacht der Untoten." It was just a hidden bonus mode where you fought zombies. Nobody expected it to become its own sub-culture.
The 2010s were a blur of sequels:
- Modern Warfare 2 (2009): Bigger, louder, and way more controversial.
- Black Ops (2010): Brainwashing, the numbers, Mason... it felt like a spy thriller.
- Modern Warfare 3 (2011): The end of the Makarov saga (for a while).
- Black Ops II (2012): This one was bold. It jumped between the 80s and 2025. It had branching endings. It actually made your choices matter.
The "Jetpack" Era and Experimental Years
Eventually, the "boots on the ground" formula started to feel stale to the suits at Activision. They decided we needed to fly. Advanced Warfare (2014) introduced Exo-suits. Then Black Ops III (2015) and Infinite Warfare (2016) took it even further. Fans hated the space setting of Infinite Warfare so much that the trailer became one of the most disliked videos on YouTube.
Honestly, it wasn't even a bad game. The campaign was actually pretty good. But people just wanted to shoot guns in a field again. This led to Call of Duty: WWII (2017). It was a "back to basics" move that felt a little safe, maybe even a little boring, but it steadied the ship. Then Black Ops 4 (2018) did something wild: it had no campaign. None. Just multiplayer, Zombies, and "Blackout," which was their first real attempt at a Battle Royale.
💡 You might also like: OG John Wick Skin: Why Everyone Still Calls The Reaper by the Wrong Name
The Warzone Revolution and the Modern Era
In 2019, the series hit the "reset" button. Modern Warfare (2019) brought back Captain Price but in a new timeline. It looked incredible. It felt heavy. And then, in early 2020, Warzone dropped.
Because of the timing (everyone was stuck at home), Warzone became a behemoth. It forced every subsequent game to "integrate" with it. This led to some weird years. Black Ops Cold War (2020) and Vanguard (2021) felt a bit rushed because they had to feed the Warzone beast.
By the time Modern Warfare II (2022) and Modern Warfare III (2023) rolled around, things got confusing. MWIII was essentially a massive expansion for MWII but sold as a full $70 game. Fans were annoyed. But then Black Ops 6 (2024) landed, taking us into the Gulf War era with "omnimovement," allowing you to dive and slide in any direction like an action movie star.
As we sit here in 2026, the list of all the Call of Duty games now includes the recently released Black Ops 7 (2025), which reportedly pushed the narrative further into a futuristic "AI-driven" conspiracy set in the late 2030s.
📖 Related: Finding Every Bubbul Gem: Why the Map of Caves TOTK Actually Matters
The Games You Probably Forgot About
It’s not just the big console releases. There's a whole graveyard of side projects:
- Call of Duty: Finest Hour (2004): A console-only spin-off.
- Big Red One (2005): Another WWII side story.
- Roads to Victory (2007): For the PSP (remember those?).
- Strike Team (2013): A weird tactical mobile game.
- Call of Duty Online: A China-exclusive version that was actually ahead of its time.
Where to start if you're new
If you want the "true" experience, you don't need to play all 50+ titles. Start with the Modern Warfare (2019) reboot or the original Black Ops. Those represent the two distinct souls of the franchise: the tactical, "ripped from the headlines" military thriller and the trippy, conspiracy-laden historical fiction.
For the most up-to-date competitive experience, Black Ops 7 is currently the primary focus for the pro circuit, though Warzone remains the most-played mode globally due to its free-to-play model.
To keep your library organized, focus on the "Sub-Series" rather than release dates:
- The Modern Warfare Arc: (1, 2, 3, and the 2019-2023 reboots).
- The Black Ops Arc: (WaW, Black Ops 1-7).
- The Standalones: (Ghosts, Advanced Warfare, Infinite Warfare, WWII, Vanguard).
Check your digital storefronts—Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision means many of these are now permanent fixtures on Game Pass, making it way cheaper to catch up than it used to be.