The story of Call of Duty
2003–2005 · The squad's war
Call of Duty arrived on PC in 2003, made by Infinity Ward, a studio founded by developers of Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. Its Second World War was fought as part of a squad, across American, British and Soviet campaigns, with allies who fought alongside you rather than waiting for you. Call of Duty 2 (2005) was a launch game for the Xbox 360, and there has been a new Call of Duty every year since.
2007–2010 · Modern Warfare and Black Ops
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007) left the 1940s for a modern conflict and changed online shooters for good: experience levels, unlockable weapons, perks and killstreaks became the template a generation of multiplayer games followed. Treyarch answered with World at War (2008), which introduced Zombies, and Black Ops (2010), a Cold War thriller built around Alex Mason and the numbers in his head.
2014–2020 · Three studios and a battle royale
From then on three studios took turns: Infinity Ward with Modern Warfare, Treyarch with Black Ops, and Sledgehammer Games, which made Advanced Warfare (2014) and took the series back to 1944 with WWII (2017). The 2019 Modern Warfare reboot brought back Captain Price and led into Warzone (2020), a free-to-play battle royale.
2023–2025 · The Microsoft era
Microsoft completed its purchase of Activision Blizzard in October 2023, and Black Ops 6 (2024) became the first Call of Duty to launch in Game Pass on day one. Black Ops 7 (2025), set in 2035, continues the story of David Mason.