Ranking all the Call of Duty: Black Ops and Modern Warfare campaigns

With Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 almost here, it feels like the right time to sit down and revisit the biggest Call of Duty subseries — Black Ops. And while we're at it, why not take stock of the Modern Warfare subseries as well? These are the campaigns that have largely shaped FPS storytelling in the entire genre for better or worse over nearly two decades, after all.

Every Black Ops or Modern Warfare title from the House of Activision has given us unforgettable characters and campaigns, but some have missed the landing, while others soared high above the rest.

12 Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (2018)

No campaign means no ranking

There's absolutely nothing to say about Black Ops 4's campaign, because it doesn't exist. After three amazing campaigns with the first three Black Ops games, Activision somehow made the brilliant decision to launch Black Ops 4 as an online-only title, and sure, the multiplayer aspect was decent enough, but the lack of a single-player campaign was impossible to ignore.

COD campaigns have always been the beating heart of the franchise, and without it, BO4 just felt like a husk of what it could've been. Plus, you might find at least one reason to revisit any other COD game on this list, but with nearly-dead servers in MP and zombies, and no campaign, Black Ops 4 presents no replayability.

11 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (2023)

A haphazard campaign that ruined a trilogy

2023's Modern Warfare III has the unfortunate honor of being the most rushed and soulless campaign in COD history, since it was haphazardly slapped together during the Microsoft-Activision buyout. The campaign recycled multiplayer maps as levels, and delivered a Ghost Recon-esque campaign that you could 'take at your own pace'. The story? It felt more like a filler than it did a proper conclusion.

This one stings even more because this rebooted MW timeline was going really well, and the potential was immense. A darker, more impactful third entry in this rebooted Modern Warfare series could have given us some unforgettable twists and changes, and yet, all we got was a cobbled-together campaign that's mostly remembered for how Kratos mocked it at The Game Awards.

10 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022)

Tremendous potential, lackluster campaign

MW II from 2022 wasn't a disaster by any means at all, but it never hit the same highs that the 2019 reboot of the Modern Warfare subseries did. That being said, the campaign is still installed on my PC because, boy did it deliver its fair share of cinematic thrills and tense shootouts.

The thing is, Modern Warfare II didn't really redefine the formula or flip any scripts. It didn't need to, either, since the character work was solid, and the banter between Ghost and Soap remains unforgettable to me. Not groundbreaking, but it's a good ride. It just so happens that there are some masterpieces that outshine it on any given day.

9 Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (2024)

A much-needed respite after what came before

After Modern Warfare III's horrible launch and support and overall terrible quality, COD needed to bounce back, and they did with BO6. Black Ops 6 delivered a campaign worth talking about. Sure, it never quite reached the heights of peak Treyarch storytelling we'd seen in prior games, but it did feel like a return to form.

The pacing of the campaign was sharp, the characters carried the story well, and the set-pieces reminded me why COD devs have always leaned on Black Ops campaigns when they needed to redeem themselves. Considering it wiped up MWIII's mess, this one did feel like a breath of fresh air.

8 Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (2020)

Uninspired multiplayer, but a memorable campaign nevertheless

Cold War is a strange, strange Call of Duty entry. Its multiplayer was genuinely unimpressive, and the zombies mode was passable yet forgettable, but the campaign? One of the best in the franchise. The branching paths, the multiple endings, and the return of classic characters gave it a rather unique flair that genuinely felt different and welcome.

The Cold War vibe of the game, with its paranoia-filled story? It's still one of the most exciting settings in a COD game, and it very loudly proved that Treyarch really knows how to nail a single-player story. The rest of the package may not have kept up, but the campaign sure as heck was remarkable.

7 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019)

This was such a perfect reboot

2019's reboot of the Modern Warfare series is one of my favorite COD games of all time, and rightly so. The multiplayer was sick and took away hundreds of my hours, the campaign was immensely polished and did right by the original game, and it managed to bolster the experience with new faces like Farah and Hadir, who became fan favorites even for the most ardent veterans.

Honestly, the iconic 'Clean House' night-raid mission is enough to put this campaign above many others, but pair that with some great writing and performances, and you get a tense, realistic, and brutal COD that genuinely felt like a more mature version of this franchise we've grown up with.

6 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009)

The perfect sequel in an all-new subseries

The first two Modern Warfare games will always be the greatest MW games in Call of Duty history, and for good reason. It was a straight-up cultural earthquake, and picked up right where COD 4 left off. However, it came with a level of polish that only sequels bring with them, and what we got was higher highs and more cinematic spectacle. The "No Russian" mission is practically ingrained into the brains of every young gamer today.

Modern Warfare 2 was pretty much the shooter campaign that defined the late 2000s. The remaster still plays beautifully today, replacing the original game as the definitive way to enjoy the campaign. Plus, it gave us one of the most appalling and shocking plot twists in all of gaming. Damn you, Shepherd.

5 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011)

A lit cigar and a hanging puppetmaster

The image of Price hanging Makarov from a broken glass roof and lighting up his cigar as the credits rolled is one that is perhaps taking up more space in my brain than a modern COD launcher. Modern Warfare 3 was my first MW game, and I couldn't have picked a better place to start. It was a brilliant conclusion to the original trilogy, and for the finale, they really did go all out.

Thrilling shootouts, global stakes, and one of the most satisfying villain send-offs in the series — MW 3 had it all. Even the gunplay was pretty damn tight, and upon a revisit 14 years later in 2025, it still manages to hold up and work in tandem with the narrative to pull you right back in, because, let's face it, this is the only Modern Warfare 3 that should be gracing your computer.

4 Call of Duty: Black Ops II (2012)

The real peak of the Black Ops series

After the fantastic Black Ops in 2010, Black Ops II really raised the bar for storytelling in Call of Duty. This was a time when the franchise simply delivered hit after hit in the writing department of both their Modern Warfare and Black Ops games, and Black Ops II was the peak. This game gave us branching narratives, tough moral choices, and a glorious villain in Raul Menendez who we loved to hate, all while recognizing he was a sympathetic antagonist. There's a reason we're still going to be dealing with him in the upcoming Black Ops 7, after all.

I could narrate and describe the explosive set-pieces from Black Ops II by memory even today, and that unforgettable quality is what cemented this game, and the new sub-franchise, as a series capable of delivering depth and spectacle in perfect amounts.

3 Call of Duty: Black Ops III (2015)

I never did get the complaints about the campaign of Black Ops III. It was divisive, sure, but I've always loved it. Convoluted? Maybe, but it was certainly just as ambitious, with Treyarch leaning hard into psychological warfare and identity. Exploring themes of consciousness and reality, BO III delivered a story that was far more impactful than I expected.

Looking back, it's not difficult to see why Black Ops III wasn't for everyone, but it complete an incredible trilogy of campaigns that kept the hits coming, and kept us invested over the course of five years. From BO1 to BO3, Treyarch really didn't miss, and that's no small feat for a sub-series that spanned years of storytelling.