Activision's Call of Duty series may have become synonymous with the multiplayer scene, especially following its explosion in esports, but the trio of developers consisting of Treyarch, Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games have all produced incredibly compelling single-player campaigns for a handful of their respective games. Today, we're looking at the five best campaigns to be found in Call of Duty's history, ranging from historical wars to more, well, modern warfare. Here are our top five picks, in no particular order, starting off the list with a bang.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare


If you ask most Call of Duty fans what their favourite campaign is, chances are they'll immediately mention one of the Modern Warfare games (in Infinity Ward's original trilogy, not the reboot). While each game in the trilogy boasted an excellent campaign, there's no denying the sheer impact of the first Modern Warfare's explosive storytelling which was, by all accounts, a game-changer for the first-person shooter genre. Infinity Ward were firing on all cylinders here, and arguably have yet to best the biggest moments in this campaign, including the infamous Nuke scene. If you're looking for Call of Duty at its absolute best in terms of campaigns, you need look no further than Modern Warfare.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II


Stepping away from the traditional world war or modern warfare and focusing on the Cold War, Black Ops was quite a departure for the series in terms of brutality and its grizzly depiction of violence. While many might argue that the first game was the pinnacle of this series, we personally chose Black Ops II as our favourite for a handful of reasons. Black Ops II's focus on futuristic warfare was just touched upon, but its almost RPG-esque decision-making and multiple outcomes sold us on a Call of Duty campaign that was surprisingly very replayable, which is almost unheard of. Couple that with excellent shooting and some of the best locations in the entire series, and Black Ops II excels.

Call of Duty WWII


Developer Sledgehammer Games may have been responsible for flinging the Call of Duty franchise into the distant future with Advanced Warfare, but in 2017, they were tasked with taking the series back to its World War II roots. The results, at least as far as the campaign went, was nothing short of spectacular. On top of including a well-rounded cast of characters and explosive action set pieces, WWII's story was also a tragically emotional one, honing in on the devastation of World War II that led to a gut-wrenching finale. Call of Duty WWII might be the series' most mature game yet thematically, but it also earns its spot as one of the best campaigns of the series.

Call of Duty: World at War


Probably remembered for ushering in the zombie craze, World at War is often overlooked in the series when it really shouldn't be. Going back to World War II and setting itself up as a kind of prequel to Black Ops, World at War focused on the battles fought primarily between the United States, Japan, Germany and the Soviet Union. World at War is also credited for being one of the most violent games in the series, but it all comes with a hefty amount of emotional investment and consequences that tackled the horrors of war with an unabashed confidence. Zombies aside, World at War earns its medals and should definitely be given more credit.

Call of Duty 2


Arguably the peak of the series' World War II setting, Call of Duty 2 is fondly remembered as the game that cemented the brand as a force to be reckoned with in the first-person shooter market and gaming world at large. The famous Pointe du Hoc D-Day mission is widely considered to be some of the most intense moments in any shooter to date, with gameplay that laid the foundation for what the rest of the series would adapt thereafter. Despite its age showing in the visual department, you can't deny the creative ambitions of Infinity Ward and their push into the mainstream with this entry. Call of Duty just wouldn't be what it is without the second, highly important entry, and presented a campaign that rocked the boat for storytelling in video games donning the World War II setting.

What was your favourite campaign in Call of Duty?