Summary
Call of Dutyhas a long and prestigious history when it comes to online multiplayer. Consistently the biggest release of the year, it continues to entice returning veterans back into the fold and picks up new fans along the way. Although it has changed quite a bit since the early days, the core appeal ofCall of Dutymultiplayer has remained the same for many years.
With a release every year since 2005, there are many multiplayer modes to choose from. The majority of games in the franchise only had a year in the metaphorical sun before beingreplaced by a shinier, newer model. It is important, therefore, to consider the popularity of each multiplayer mode during its peak, as opposed to judging its position and relevance now.
Updated on Jul 30, 2025, by Jason Wojnar:Even as the gaming landscape morphs and shifts, Call of Duty remains the same juggernaut it became back in 2007 with the release of Modern Warfare. Though the campaign may not live up to certain expectations, the multiplayer always manages to move units and keep players invested in the series. Call of Duty’s multiplayer goodness has not let up, eitherm=, even in recent years. Live service games and new multiplayer genres just cannot seem to stop the simple, chaotic action that Call of Duty gives players each year. The brand name is strong, but the games themselves are simply fun and continue to impress year after year.
Although the main multiplayer mode suffered under the weight of a specialist-style operator system that players were bored of, the main focus in retrospect has to be on the very goodBlackout battle royale mode. Seeking to take advantage of the sudden growth of independentbattle royale games likePUBGandFortnite,Call of Dutytook its first swing at the mode.
The result was an extremely enjoyable battle royale game that fans greatly enjoyed. Its popularity suffered due to the prerequisite of buyingBlack Ops 4, but the lessons learned were carried forward when another attempt was made.
Black Ops 4is also the only title in the series to not feature a single-player campaign.
WhenCall of Duty 4was released in late 2007, it drastically changed the look, feel, and type of game thatCall of Dutywas. Contemporaries made instantcomparisons withHalo 3, which speaks to the popularity and acclaim at the time.
All the base systems thatCall of Dutywould define its success on originate in the game.Prestige,Streaks, and various other things all start here. It’s fairly dated now, but at the time, it was one of the best multiplayer shooters ever.
Building on the great reception to the rebootedModern Warfarereleased some months earlier and releasing in the midst of a global pandemic that kept people at home for months just after the game’s release,Warzonebecame an overnight success and quickly became themost popular battle royale gameon the market.
This is for good reason, too, as its core gunplay, memorable map, and gulag system (which allowed players who won a 1v1 battle to have a second chance) were too good to ignore for a lot of players.
The secondCall of Dutyto have the jetpack movement system,Black Ops 3made great advancements from the previous entries and created a system that felt far smoother to play. This was relatively popular with players at the time, due to the movement system having not become overblown yet.
Thebest multiplayer modein the jetpack era ofCall of Duty,Black Ops 3also had a specialist system that gave a new feel to multiplayer, with plenty of new options becoming available because of it.
Coming off the success of the originalBlack Ops, it would have been easy to make a sequel that directly followedthe setting of the firstBlack Opsgame. Instead, Treyarch jumped 50 years into the future to createBlack Ops 2.
Black Ops 2was immensely popular with fans and critics asthe setting, tone, and style were unlike anything seen beforein the franchise. The multiplayer was the perfect blend of new and old, providing a fresh and colorful look but with an unchanged core gameplay loop.
Following up the belovedModern Warfarefrom 2019 was tough, butBlack OpsCold Warlives up to the series' standard. Still, those used to the engine used on the 2019 title had to get used to no longer being able to mount or peak around corners.
Despite these minor steps backward,the maps were still excellent additions to the series. The Face-Off mode was also a notable highlight. The smaller maps make the action so hectic and make certain guns more reliable than on the larger maps.
Even though it runs on a different engine thanWarzone,it still had some synergy with the battle royale game, with weapons fromCold Warmaking it intoWarzone.
In a lot of ways,Black Ops 6feels like a return to basics. A lot of the superfluous systems are streamlined here. The battlepass is also still there, of course, but it does not feel like an extra menu that players have to jump through just to get into the action.
Once in a game, the omnimovement system provides a subtle innovation to the gameplay formula. A brief tutorial explains how it works, but it is intuitive enough for players to use without thinking. The gameplay is also extremely fast compared to prior titles, which can either be a plus or a minus.The only drawback is the lack of large-scale game modes, but those uninterested in Ground War will not miss out.
A slightly slower and more subtle experience than the games on either side of it.Black Ops 1had the best core features of a good multiplayer mode inCall of Dutyhistory.
It featured numerous iconic maps, includingNuketownandSummit, a new customization system that involved the acquisition and use of credits, and plenty of new modes that would be staples of the franchise going forward, such asGun Game.
Modern Warfare 2is the most popular and influentialCall of Dutygame of all time. The game was so bombastic and exciting that it spawned a whole online sub-culture filled with tactical nuke video clips and 360p trickshot montages. This is for good reason, asModern Warfare 2built on the foundation laid two years earlier in almost every conceivable way. The multiplayer here was incredibly fun to play and deserves the recognition it receives. It’s so good, in fact, that 2023’sModern Warfare 3multiplayer reused all 16 maps from this game.
As if the competitive multiplayer was not good enough, this game also introduced the Spec-Ops mode.These cooperative missions were put together with careand were more complicated than just killing every enemy in the level. Many of them offered asymmetrical gameplay, with each player doing vastly different things together.
The series' ambitions for rebootingModern Warfaredid not stop at a more serious, grounded campaign that tried to bring up moral questions about modern conflicts. Its multiplayer also rejuvenated the series and reminded everybody what is so good aboutCall of Duty. The expected modes all return along with a large-scaleGround War mode that is reminiscent ofBattlefield.
For something more intimate, Gunfight pits two teams of two against each other on round-based matches that sometimes only last fifteen seconds. All of these modes are enhanced by a new visual high for the series, along with superb sound design. With good headphones, players can know where enemies are coming from just by listening for their footsteps.
