The Best Multiplayer Experience In Call Of Duty, Ranked

When you think of multiplayer games, one of the first to come to mind has to be Call of Duty. Back in the Xbox 360 and PS3 days, the various COD titles were some of the most popular games out there, and the series’ popularity continues to the present.

Sure, you have campaign lovers, and Zombies has a massive community, but multiplayer is the bread and butter of COD and the ultimate factor in whether or not people continue to play the series. There have been several Call of Duty titles that many abandoned due to poor multiplayer, but others were so good or significantly improved over time.

The multiplayer is based on the quality of the game’s year-long life and not how it is now. Zombies will not be factored in, but co-op modes like Spec Ops will count. It’s also important to note that any old COD games should be played on a console today due to notorious security risks on PCs.

10 Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Both Original And Remastered Versions)

The Game That Exploded Call Of Duty Into The Mainstream

Despite the original Modern Warfare being the fourth Call of Duty game, it was many’s first and the first COD title to be played on such a high-competitive level. It popularized so many now common elements in the FPS genre, like create-a-class and the leveling system, plus created the Prestige mechanic, which continues to be one of the most badass elements of the franchise.

It still plays great despite its age, but many today will likely prefer the remastered version, which has better movement and more multiplayer game modes. It’s also important to note that on Xbox 360, it’s virtually impossible to find a match, so that’s another reason to check out the remaster.

9 Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009)

Pure Chaotic Fun

Throughout the lifespan of a Call of Duty game, you’ll see tons of balance updates, but for the original Modern Warfare 2, that wasn’t focused on as much. Besides a few weapons, many of the game’s overpowered mechanics were kept in, like the infamous noob tubes or One Many Army that, with luck, could essentially give you a free Nuke.

For this game, however, all of it works and adds to the fun factor. The pros still never used noob tubes or One Man Army, and OG MW2 just gave more tools to the casual players in comparison to newer CODs. It was the most popular game in the world at the time for a reason. It was just that damn fun, and unfortunately, the game appears to be dead or even broken on Xbox 360.

8 Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011)

A More Balanced MW2

It’s interesting that both Modern Warfare 3s were essentially an update or massive revision to MW2. For the classic MW3, you have a more balanced MW2, and objectively, it is superior. The maps are still great, the weapons still feel good to use, and there were some nice inclusions like Deathstreaks, helping out players who were having a hard time.

Deathstreaks would actually be great to have nowadays with Skill-Based Matchmaking. What really made MW3 special was the cooperative Spec Ops. A massive improvement over MW2, these co-op missions and survival maps were a great time with a buddy, offering quite a bit of challenge. It’s sad that, unlike Zombies, Spec Ops never really improved from this point on.

7 Call Of Duty: WW2

One Of The Best Post-Launch Support Ever In The Series

A few Call of Duty games have had a disastrous launch, and one of them is WW2. The map variety and general meta got people fed up really quickly, and it’s unfortunate that people didn’t check out the DLC and the updates because they turned this game all around. The DLC maps were so much better than the launch ones, and a few are up there with the best maps in the franchise.

You always have to love a sandbox map where you’re the size of ants going through buckets and sand castles. The best aspect exclusive to WW2 has to be Headquarters. A social hub where players can get together before a match; it’s baffling this has never returned in the series.

6 Call Of Duty: Black Ops 4

Where Warzone Truly Began

Many were upset about a missing campaign in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, but it was cut to focus on the new battle royale mode: Blackout. At the time, this was arguably the greatest battle royale experience you could play, bringing COD’s quality-rich shooting to the BR formula.

It waved the way for Warzone, which in many ways is superior, but Blackout was the blueprint. Basic multiplayer also felt great with superior movement to WW2 and the introduction of the Stim Shot, quickly recovering your health to keep you in the action. Black Ops 4 still has a pretty active player base, although many with a BR itch will likely check out another COD game.

5 Call Of Duty: Warzone

One Of The Best Battle Royale Games Ever Made

Initially released after Modern Warfare 2019 and again after MW2 2022, Warzone is the free-to-play battle royale title in the Call of Duty franchise. Within the same Call of Duty game app encompassing MW2, MW3, and Black Ops 6, Warzone delivers an A-grade level BR with the tight movement and shooting present-day CODs provide, along with an incredible pool of maps.

Warzone has to be one of the only BRs with memorable maps, so much so that many were reused in the campaign for MW3 2023. It’s always fun to play every now and then, plus Warzone is the only part of modern-day Call of Duty that carries over all your cosmetics from MW2 onward.

4 Call Of Duty: Black Ops 3

The Best Futuristic Call Of Duty Game

Back in the mid-2010s, much of the COD community was tired of advanced movement, which is funny considering how well-regarded the multiplayer for Black Ops 3 is these days. The maps were total bangers, especially the DLC ones. The guns felt great, and advanced movement felt the best here as well.

Some of the most devastating Scorestreaks also appeared in Black Ops 3. They were very hard to get, but if you got them, it felt so good to blow all the enemies away with the RAPS. Out of all the old CODs, this one holds up the best regarding modern standards. The only big negative has to be the loot boxes, which contain exclusive weapons you can’t get elsewhere.

3 Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023)

What MW2 Should Have Been

One of the worst Call of Duty multiplayers had to be the 2022 Modern Warfare 2. It was incredibly slow and just not very fun to play. Modern Warfare 3 2023 fixed that with incredible movement being so fast and a great selection of maps that got updated over time. Many in the COD community think that MW3 had the best post-launch support in the series, and they’re not wrong.

The added game modes, maps, and great seasonal content just made the entire year-long life of this game fantastic. It’s a shame MW3 was a full-priced game when it’s essentially a Director’s Cut of MW2, but it’s an excellent Director’s Cut at that.

2 Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6

The Best COD Launch In A Very Long Time

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 had one of the longest development periods in the series, with it taking four years to release, and it shows. The game’s polish, fun factor, and content-rich nature are leaps and bounds over most other CODs at launch. Introduced in Black Ops 6 is Omnimovement, a great addition to the series.

It makes movement feel even better with the addition of being able to sprint, slide, and dive in all directions, and this matters a lot because those first two are core to the competitive element of COD. The guns feel great, the maps are decent, and hopefully, they get better over time. Black Ops 6 is the first time since BO4 that had such a fun multiplayer experience at launch, and it’s going to get even better with the additional seasons.

1 Call Of Duty: Black Ops 2

The GOAT

What most consider the best Call of Duty multiplayer, heck, the best Call of Duty period, is Black Ops 2. The fan favorite of the series had the most balance, best guns, top tier maps, and introduced Scorestreaks, a massive innovation. A huge problem of prior COD games was that players would usually focus on getting kills instead of playing the objective. Scorestreaks fixed that.

Black Ops 2 might not be great for newcomers, as jumping into this game after playing something like Black Ops 6 can be quite jarring with the more restricted movement. However, once you give it a chance and let it sit with you, you’ll understand why Black Ops 2 is so revered.