There are well over 24Call of Dutygames, and it seems that theCODtrain isn’t going to slow down anytime soon with therelease ofBlack Ops 6and beyond. WhilstCall of Dutyis often known for its engaging and addicting multiplayer experience, and theelectrifying Zombies mode,Call of Dutyalso deserves respect for providing players with some of the best stories ever put into gaming.
With so many eras to cover, and so many games in theCall of Dutyseries, it’s no surprise that some titles have gone under the radar when it comes to their single-player campaigns. Some of the bestCall of Dutycampaigns are lurking within hidden gems that some players might have avoided or not been familiar with.
Updated on Jun 12, 2025, by Jake Fillery:Treyarch has made their triumphant return to Call of Duty after 4 years of absence, and Balck Ops 6 is easily taking over the Holiday season. Yet, with Black Ops 6 proving a memorable time with its Multiplayer, Zombies, and its campaign, it might be a good time to look back at some Call of Duty games that have underappreciated campaigns that might not be the best, but they are certainly worth looking into.
AfterModern Warfare 3concluded the stories of Soap and Price back in 2011, Infinity Ward headed to the future with their sci-fi spin onCall of Duty. Yet, in 2019, they decided it was time to go back to boots-on-the-ground with a remake ofModern Warfare, showing the origins of Captain Price and the squad that he would later call his brothers.
Modern Warfarewas a revamp ofCall of Duty, and its fight againstFortnitefor the top spot would see the birth ofWarzoneas well as an excitingly new Multiplayer. With all eyes onCOD’s Battle Royale, it’s not shocking to see theModern Warfare(2019) become underappreciated, but there’s some great modern espionage, politics, and warfare involved that are worth playing for new fans, or those who prefer the classic characters.
Vanguardhas a fairly decent campaign, and while it might be considered shorter than others, it certainly stands out due to its stunning visuals. Most players might have completely skippedVanguard’s campaign, orVanguardaltogether due to the incomingModern Warfareremake’s sequel and the fact thatWarzonewas hotly taking over.
However,Vanguardwas still worth a try, and its campaign might not be the most memorable, but its World War 2 setting is always a treat due to the immersive and realistic nature of the war, and mixed with a diverse set of characters and stunning visuals, it can offer players a good time, but a short one.
A bold new future that does away with wars of the past and those of the modern variety.Advanced WarfarewasSledgehammer Games’s debutinto theCODlife-cycle, and they did a great and innovative first job of ushering in a new era of combat with exo-suits. With a focus on the future,Advanced Warfarelost a few hardcore fans who preferred boots on the ground, and most players were too focused on the multiplayer tonotice the campaign.
The campaign itself is a chilling version of a future, ruled by powerful men and weapon manufacturers to keep the currency of war flowing. With Private Military Corporations becoming the dominant armed forces of every nation, players embark on conspiracy and security in the name of advancement.
Infinite Warfaretakes players even further into the future than the series had ever seen, and players become captains of their own space vessels as they attempt to do battle with fanatics and ensure the safety of Earth with their defeat.Infinite Warfareexcels at a campaign, especially in the relationship between the protagonist and E3N “Ethan”, who has a few emotional and comedic moments to show that brotherhood grows in war even with machines.
To anyone who has playedInfinite Warfare’s campaign, they would know how utterly memorable it is. To players who have yet to experience it, that might not be a surprise. After all,Infinite Warfarewas once the most disliked trailer reveal on YouTube, and people had become a tad sick of futuristic warfare and desired boots on the ground.
People have had enough of the futuristic wars and battlegrounds, soCall of Dutydecided to go back to its roots with World War 2, an oversaturated but pivotal war.WW2takes players across Europe as they engage in iconic WW2 battles with boots-on-the-ground gameplay. The locations are stunning, the adrenaline is pumping, and the respect for World War 2 is commendable.
World War 2 is monumental, andCall of Dutyrespects the foundation of war and takes players across integral battles like D-Day to overthrow tyranny. Yet, most didn’t even embark onWW2’s story, as they were far too excited to get back on the ground withclassic multiplayerand engage in the horrific twists of the zombie mode.
One of the earlier iterations ofCall of Duty, and its most important, isWorld at War, which took players across the World War 2 setting with two distinct storylines. The first, followed an American unit across Japan and the Pacific as they battled the Japanese Imperial Army against ambushes and unforeseen tactics that show the gritty realism of WW2.
The Eastern Front has the Soviet units of Russian soldiers battle their way to victory, with the Red Army fighting through German soldiers to capture the Reichstag through Berlin. It’s an underratedCall of Dutystory, left forgotten mainly because of the debut of Nazi Zombies and its fun multiplayer on PS3 and Xbox 360 consoles.
Taking to the future,Ghostsstays original to itself with a new story of a new timeline, leaving behindModern Warfareto fight underwater and in space. A tale of predictable betrayal might not be the most memorable, but a cliffhanger ending always lingers on withGhosts’s focus on bringing realism to the near future.
Many were disappointed upon the release ofCall of Duty: Ghostswhen it was realized that it wasn’t set to follow the iconic Ghost, everyone’s favorite character from Infinity Ward’sModern Warfare 2. That, on top of a lackluster multiplayer that included strange DLCs like the Predator and Michael Myers, were key reasons why the campaign was forgotten.
One of the more recentCall of Dutytitles brings players back to theBlack Opsfranchise, where once more they involve themselves with conspiracy and the brewing dangers of a Cold War with familiar faces like Woods and Mason. This time around, Bell takes center stage, a quiet operative with a blurred past that might unravel through the course of the campaign’s length with MKUltra ties.
Black Ops Cold Warhas a decent campaign that goes through a different set of pathways depending on player choices, but it’s a campaign that might be less memorable or forgotten by others due to being overshadowed by its next-gen potential of multiplayer andeven more Zombies content.
