Call of Duty has been around for two decades now, and there’s no more popular subseries in the franchise than Modern Warfare. Spanning 16 years since the groundbreaking Call of Duty 4 in 2007, the games have felt familiar while varying enough to stand out from each other. But what are the best Call of Duty: Modern Warfare games of all time?
For this list, we are only looking at main console titles. So games like Modern Warfare 2: Force Recond and Modern Warfare – Mobilized aren’t a part of this ranking.
And if you’re wondering, we’ll update this list after the new Modern Warfare 3 launches in November.
All Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Games, Ranked
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019)
A return to the Modern Warfare series, 2019’s reboot saw the return of classic characters like Captain Price while bringing the series forward. The game looked good visually, had fun multiplayer that got better as the game aged, and captain that I don’t think gets enough credit.
Spec Ops missions were fun to play with friends and remained a great way to enjoy the game if you needed a break from standard multiplayer.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011)
When Modern Warfare 3 launched in 2011, it had a lot to live up to. It was the third in a trilogy of games that included two of the best first-person shooters of all time. Standing out was always going to be tough.
That said, Modern Warfare 3 did what it had to to be a good game in its own right. It had a couple of my favorite multiplayer maps ever like Seatown and Bootleg while introducing my second-favorite multiplayer mode — behind Domination — in Kill Confirmed.
The biggest problem for it was that it didn’t do enough different to be viewed as a top-tier shooter at the time.
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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022)
Say what you want, but 2022’s Modern Warfare 2 is a damn fun game. The campaign isn’t the best, but the online offerings have been fun and entertaining enough to keep me coming back nearly a year after its release.
It also features some of the best-designed multiplayer maps I’ve ever seen in a Call of Duty game. From the layout to the overall atmosphere, maps like Farm 18 and Showdown provide some of the most in-game fun I’ve had in quite some time with a Call of Duty game. And it really doesn’t matter what the game mode is, either.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007)
It’s the game that brought the Call of Duty franchise to new heights. Call of Duty 4 took the world by storm by ditching the World War II theme of past titles. Instead, players got hit with a shakeup that shaped first-person shooters for years to come.
The campaign kept you hooked while the multiplayer showed what studios could do to keep players coming back months after a game’s release. There was really nothing like experiencing Call of Duty 4 for the first time.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009)
How do you take what was already viewed as a great game, and make it even better? It’s simple, really. Just do what Infinity Ward did for Modern Warfare 2.
From a great campaign — even with the most controversial mission ever — to the addition of Spec Ops co-op missions, the cliche of “there’s a little something for everyone” has never been more true in the series’ history.
I will argue with anyone that not only is the original Modern Warfare 2 the best in the Modern Warfare subseries, but it’s the best Call of Duty game of all time. After all, there’s a reason that every multiplayer map is being remastered for the newest installment.
What do you think is the best Call of Duty: Modern Warfare game ever released? Let us know in the comments below.
For more Insider Gaming, check out every Battlefield game from worst to best.
