Every Black Ops Campaign, Ranked

With now a total of six Black Ops games in the Call of Duty franchise, Treyarch has always done an impressive job of providing gamers with a thrilling experience in their campaigns. However, there are some campaigns in the Black Ops series that don’t even exist or are so hard to top that prove that Call of Duty is always in continuing good hands with Treyarch.

With the release of Black Ops 6, it’s time to see how its campaign compares among the rest, and if it can live up to the expectations of previous entries, and definitively rank all of these Call of Duty titles to crown the best campaign of them all.

6 Black Ops 4

No Campaign, with a Unfulfilled Story Told Through Battle Royale

Black Ops 4 broke the tradition of Call of Duty by not featuring a campaign. It was something that a lot of people were not happy with, but it was also a bold move from Treyarch who wanted to experiment and spend more time on their Battle Royale mode, Blackout.

While Black Ops 4 doesn’t have a campaign, it does have a story, and it involves the convoluted and deciphering nature of Archetypes, and how in the future, Alex Mason, Frank Woods, Viktor Reznov, and Raul Menendez were brought back to life for whatever Blackout actually is. It’s a story that doesn’t go anywhere and isn’t explained, so it’s hard to rank it as anything less than last.

5 Black Ops 3

Futuristic and Non-Linear Structure to Confuse Players

Black Ops 3 is a strange one and is definitely more experimental than previous Call of Duty titles when it comes to the campaign. Continuing on the path of futuristic warfare, Black Ops 3 embraces a cybernetic world where augmentations can provide great power to the soldiers that wield them. The story also has multiple protagonists and branching stories that are non-linear and off-rail.

Black Ops 3 might allow for more freedom of what mission to pick and how to actually play them, but this sandbox-style makes for a confusing narrative that isn’t remembered all that much due to how much is going on in the story itself.

4 Black Ops Cold War

Fight Against Programming and a Russian Terrorist Organisation

Black Ops Cold War was a return to form for Treyarch, who once again embraced the classic nature of the Cold War era. Bringing back legends like Alex Mason and Frank Woods, while also allowing some new blood to steal the spotlight, Black Ops Cold War was fun for its familiarity, and for how it featured branching pathways and narrative choices that would have irreversible consequences.

Black Ops Cold War has players fill the shoes of a CIA operative, Bell, as they attempt to dismantle the Russian terrorist group Perseus and unveil their mysterious leader to save the free world. Decisions matter, and Bell’s past might unravel before they put an end to Perseus.

3 Black Ops 6

Root Out the Corruption that Plagues the CIA

More of a sequel to Black Ops Cold War than to Black Ops 2, Black Ops 6 continues the story of Russel Adler and Frank Woods after the deaths of Jason Hudson and Alex Mason at the hands of Raul Menendez. Black Ops 6 is extremely fleshed out in terms of gameplay choice and mission variety, even if it is a return to a more linear experience.

Players can upgrade their protagonist with perks and purchases, while also exploring more open-world designed areas to plan and play their way. The story itself is interesting, as this group of CIA agents go rogue in an attempt to uncover the moles within the agency and discover the truth behind the Cradle and Pantheon to remove their claws from America’s throat.

2 Black Ops 2

The Future of War Changes and America Nears an End

Black Ops 2 embraces the future of war and takes place in 2025 after the death of Alex Mason. Playing as his son, David Mason, players must aid their country in uncovering the dangerous plot to dismantle America at the hands of a notorious drug lord, Raul Menendez, all while familiarising themselves with scars since healed regarding the tragic loss of Alex Mason.

Black Ops 2 deals heavily with the themes of brotherhood and trauma, while also presenting one of the best ways to experience a game where player choice really matters. There are so many experimental avenues players can take, and the decisions that they make can greatly impact the missions they do and the endings they obtain.

1 Black Ops

A High-Stakes Campaign Fueled by MK-ULTRA and a Brewing Cold War

Black Ops may be linear and simple in terms of its design as a Call of Duty where players progress through a mission with a gun in hand and not much variety outside of the fact, but it deserves credit as the best campaign for how it broke new ground on the storytelling potential of Call of Duty titles, as this is the one that embraced political thrillers and conspiracy, taking it to a whole new level.

Black Ops follows CIA operative Alex Mason as he desperately tries to recollect his past and figure out what the numbers that he keeps hearing and seeing mean. Plagued by reminders of his past and Russian meddling with his subconscious, Alex Mason must relive each war in an effort to save America.