The Call of Duty series has provided some excellent games over the years and has been extremely successful in the process. A franchise that has been regularly releasing games since the 2000s should've lost a lot more appeal by now, but Activision's FPS juggernaut keeps going. It's the constant change in characters and time periods that keeps the games fresh.

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By this point, Call of Duty has told stories in the 1940s, 1980s, 2010s, and even in the future. If you want to know exactly when each game is set, then here are them all in chronological order.

Updated on November 14, 2024, by Dominic Allen: The Call of Duty timeline can be pretty wild with a yearly series that's been going on for over 20 years. Call of Duty ain't no Assassin's Creed in terms of complexity, but it can still be rather confusing. That's not even including the complicated Zombies storyline in the Treyarch games. With the newest title, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, adding even more fuel to the fire, this list had to be updated.

23 Call Of Duty: WW2

1940-1945

Call of Duty: WW2

FPS Released November 3, 2017 ESRB M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language Developer(s) Sledgehammer Games Publisher(s) Activision Multiplayer Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer Franchise Call of Duty Split Screen Orientation Horizontal Platform(s) PS4, Xbox One, PC Genre(s) FPS How Long To Beat 7 Hours OpenCritic Rating Strong Powered by Expand Collapse

Despite being one of the more recent entries into the shooter franchise, WW2 is set before all of the others. It was also an attempt to go back to the series' roots in a way. Earlier games in the franchise took place during the global conflict before the developers looked to the modern day, the more recent past, and the future.

The earliest year the game goes back to is 1940, yet most of the story occurs between 1944 and 1945. The tale follows Private Ronald "Red" Daniels and his Infantry squad as they try to end the Nazis towards the conclusion of World War 2.

22 Call Of Duty 2

1941-1945

Call Of Duty 2

FPS Released October 25, 2005 ESRB m Developer(s) Infinity Ward Publisher(s) Activision Multiplayer Local Multiplayer Franchise Call of Duty Platform(s) PC, PS3, Xbox 360 Genre(s) FPS How Long To Beat 8 Hours Powered by Expand Collapse

While most of the early Call Of Duty titles begin in 1942, the second game is a little different as it starts at the end of '41. The 2005 Xbox 360 launch title by Infinity Ward proved the multiplayer potential for the series and was a great time sink for early adopters of the console.

During the campaign, you control soldiers from three of the Allied powers in America, Britain, and Russia. Each of their adventures takes place separately, and they all have difficult obstacles to overcome.

21 Call Of Duty: Vanguard

1941-1945

Call of Duty: Vanguard

Shooter Released November 5, 2021 ESRB M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs Developer(s) Sledgehammer Games Publisher(s) Activision Multiplayer Online Multiplayer Franchise Call of Duty Platform(s) PS4, PS5, Xbox One X, Xbox One S, Xbox One, PC Genre(s) Shooter How Long To Beat 6 Hours OpenCritic Rating Fair Powered by Expand Collapse

Vanguard provides another foray into World War 2. This one, taking place in 1945, is all about a special task force made up of a few skilled soldiers from different allied countries. Their mission is to stop a secret Nazi project.

Along the way, you're treated to plenty of playable flashbacks showing what each character was doing earlier in the war.

20 Call Of Duty: World At War

1942-1945

Call of Duty: World at War

FPS Released November 11, 2008 ESRB M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language Developer(s) Treyarch Publisher(s) Activision Multiplayer Local Multiplayer, Local Co-Op Franchise Call of Duty Platform(s) PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360 Genre(s) FPS How Long To Beat 8 Hours Powered by Expand Collapse

At the beginning of World at War, you participate in the Makin Island raid, which occurs in 1942 like its real-life counterpart.

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The rest of the story plays out in a similar fashion as you become involved in plenty of famous battles and incidents from WW2. In each mission, you're either following some American troops or focusing on a Russian squad.

19 Call Of Duty

1942-1945

Call of Duty: Classic

First-Person Shooter Released December 1, 2009 ESRB Teen // Blood, Violence Developer(s) Infinity Ward, Aspyr Media Publisher(s) Activision Multiplayer Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op Franchise Call of Duty Platform(s) PS3, Xbox 360 Genre(s) First-Person Shooter Powered by Expand Collapse

The debut entry in the series,developed by Infinity Ward and released in 2003 on the PC, started in World War 2, more specifically, 1942. However, most of the first game is set in 1944 and 1945 as the Allied powers push back against the Nazi forces.

In classic COD fashion, the campaign lets you see three different perspectives on the war as there are multiple protagonists. The main characters belong to separate nations, but they all have the same goal of tipping the war in favor of the Allied powers.

18 Call Of Duty 3

1944

Call of Duty 3

FPS Released November 7, 2006 ESRB t Developer(s) Treyarch Publisher(s) Activision Multiplayer Local Multiplayer Franchise Call of Duty Platform(s) PC, PS2, PS3, Xbox (Original), Xbox 360, Wii Genre(s) FPS How Long To Beat 8 Hours Powered by Expand Collapse

Call of Duty's World War 2 games usually try to cover several years of the conflict. However, Call of Duty 3,released in 2006, focuses solely on 1944 with most of the attention being on the Battle of Normandy.

Another interesting aspect of the story is that Polish, French, and Canadian forces have big roles in it, alongside the customary American and British soldiers. This was the first mainline entry developed by Treyarch and not by Infinity Ward, who were busy working on the seminal Modern Warfare.

17 Call Of Duty: Black Ops

1961-1968

Call of Duty: Black Ops

FPS Released November 9, 2010 ESRB M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language Developer(s) Treyarch Publisher(s) Activision Multiplayer Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer, Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op Franchise Call of Duty Platform(s) PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS, PC Genre(s) FPS How Long To Beat 7 Hours Powered by Expand Collapse

More than most Call Of Duty games, Black Ops puts a heavy focus on its narrative. Much of the story is told from the perspective of a man named Alex Mason, who's being interrogated in 1968.

During those scenes, he recounts important moments from the past several years, which are shown through playable flashbacks. The first memory occurs in 1961 at the time of the Bay of Pigs invasion.

16 Call Of Duty: Black Op: Declassified

1975-1979

This often-forgotten PS Vita game received a cold critical reception, especially when compared to the glowing reviews most entries in the franchise receive. The Vita had two analog sticks for normal controls in an FPS, but the game lacked the polish for which the series is known.

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All the same, it is Canon, taking place between the first two Black Ops entries. The campaign is extremely short but covers four years in the timeline, with a prologue also taking place in 1992. It was developed by nStigate Games and was released in 2012.

15 Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War

1981

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War

First-Person Shooter Released November 13, 2020 ESRB M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes Developer(s) Raven Software, Treyarch Publisher(s) Activision Multiplayer Online Multiplayer Cross-Platform Play Crossplay will apply to all players on PlayStation, iOS, Android, and PC Cross Save yes Franchise Call of Duty Steam Deck Compatibility NOT SUPPORTED Platform(s) PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC Genre(s) First-Person Shooter How Long To Beat 6 Hours X|S Optimized YES OpenCritic Rating Strong Powered by Expand Collapse

As the name suggests, the events of COD: Black Ops Cold War take place during the Cold War. More specifically, the entire campaign occurs in 1981 and sees the return of some characters from the first Black Ops.

They all are part of a team led by a CIA operative named Russell Adler, who's hunting down a Soviet agent called Perseus. It's up to you to influence how the vital operation plays out over a set of missions that vary in quality.

14 Call Of Duty: Black Ops 2 - Alex Mason Missions

1986-1989

Call of Duty: Black Ops II

FPS Released November 13, 2012 ESRB M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs Developer(s) Treyarch Publisher(s) Activision Multiplayer Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer, Local Co-Op Franchise Call of Duty Platform(s) PS3, Xbox 360, PC Genre(s) FPS How Long To Beat 9 Hours Powered by Expand Collapse

In Black Ops 2, you control both Alex Mason and his son David at different points of the campaign. When you swap characters, you switch time periods too. Alex's missions occur in the 1980s, while David's sections are in the future.

During the past missions, the older Mason teams up with the likes of Hudson and Woods once again to track down a dangerous man named Raul Menendez.