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The Worst Call of Duty Games of All Time

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Ignacio Weil

Gaming - January 10th 2026, 13:00 GMT+1

Call of Duty 3 cropped processed by imagy — 15. Call of Duty 3 (2006)

*Call of Duty 3* has always felt like the mainline entry that slipped through the cracks, not because it’s a disaster, but because it struggles to leave a lasting imprint. The World War II setting is familiar territory for the franchise, yet the campaign often plays like a sequence of competent scenarios instead of a story with a strong pulse. Missions can blur together, and the pacing doesn’t consistently build toward those signature peaks the series is known for. A big part of its reputation is also about presence: it never had a PC release, which helped it become a “heard about it” CoD for a lot of players rather than a shared reference point. Revisit it now and you’ll find moments that work, but rarely the kind you’ll bring up in an argument about the series at its best. | © Treyarch

Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War — 14. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (2020)

One minute it’s leaning into slick spy-thriller energy, the next it’s asking you to babysit an ecosystem that always felt like it was being adjusted in real time. The campaign can genuinely hit when it commits to paranoia and intrigue, but the conversation around Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War kept circling back to multiplayer feel, balance swings, and systems that didn’t always land cleanly. Zombies offered spectacle and plenty to do, yet it didn’t unify the fanbase the way the mode can at its peak – some loved the direction, others missed a tighter, moodier loop. It also carries that awkward identity of trying to satisfy two appetites at once: arcade chaos and competitive clarity, without fully owning either. The result isn’t “unplayable,” it’s more the frustration of a game that can be fun in bursts but exhausting as a long-term home. | © Treyarch / Raven Software

Call of Duty Black Ops 4 cropped processed by imagy — 13. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (2018)

The missing piece is the first thing most people mention, and it changes the entire vibe before you even pick a mode: no traditional single-player campaign. What you get instead is a package built around multiplayer, Zombies, and a battle royale swing, and that split the audience right down the middle. Specialists pushed matches toward ability-driven chaos, which made every lobby feel louder and less readable for players who wanted “pure gunplay” simplicity. Blackout was ambitious and important to the franchise’s evolution, but it also made the whole release feel like it was chasing the genre’s hottest trend rather than steering the ship. Zombies arrived loaded with ideas and content, yet the complexity could be more intimidating than inviting if you just wanted a clean co-op night. Even when people defend it, the praise often sounds conditional – which is why *Call of Duty: Black Ops 4* still gets filed under the series’ most divisive misfires. | © Treyarch

Call of Duty Advanced Warfare — 12. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (2014)

If you liked learning a new movement language, this was exhilarating; if you didn’t, it could feel like every match was a vertical blur you never asked for. The exo suits reshaped map flow and fight timing so completely that “getting good” meant retraining instincts, not just memorizing spawns. Campaign spectacle and star power helped, but they couldn’t drown out the sour aftertaste from progression and supply drops – especially for players wary of anything that smells like pay-to-win. What makes the backlash stick is that it wasn’t only about preference; the entire identity of moment-to-moment CoD changed, and plenty of fans simply didn’t come along for the ride. *Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare* also sits at the start of a broader era where monetization became part of the discourse in a way the series struggled to shake. Love it or hate it, it’s an entry that still triggers arguments because it forced a future onto a fanbase that wasn’t unanimous about wanting one. | © Sledgehammer Games

Call of Duty Ghosts 2013 cropped processed by imagy — 11. Call of Duty: Ghosts (2013)

A new subtitle is supposed to signal a bold reset, but this one often gets remembered as the moment the franchise’s spark dimmed a little. The campaign shoots for blockbuster scale and keeps raising the stakes, yet the story beats don’t always land with the punch the presentation promises. Multiplayer brought ideas – loadout flexibility, squads, a different pacing – but the overall feel didn’t crystallize into the kind of instantly iconic identity players associate with the strongest eras. Extinction was a smart co-op alternative and a welcome change of pace, though it never reached the cultural grip of Zombies. The harshest critiques tend to be almost deflating in their simplicity: not “broken,” not “unplayable,” just strangely flat for a series built on big, repeatable highs. That’s why *Call of Duty: Ghosts* keeps showing up in worst-list conversations – it’s the reset that didn’t ignite the way it needed to. | © Infinity Ward

Call of Duty Infinite Warfare 2016 cropped processed by imagy — 10. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (2016)

The reveal-era backlash did so much damage that it became hard to talk about the release on its own terms. A lot of players were exhausted by boost movement and sleek sci-fi aesthetics, so even genuine effort got dismissed as “more of the same.” Still, *Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare* has a campaign that actually tries to pace itself like a modern action film, with mission variety that goes beyond the usual corridor-to-explosion routine. Multiplayer struggled to escape jetpack fatigue, and that perception colored every match, even when the mechanics were sharp. It’s one of those entries where timing did as much harm as any design flaw. The end result is less a catastrophe than a game forever arguing with the audience it arrived to. | © Infinity Ward

Call of Duty Finest Hour cropped processed by imagy — 9. Call of Duty: Finest Hour (2004)

Some older console shooters age like classics; this one mostly ages like homework. Controls and feedback can feel stiff, firefights don’t always have satisfying weight, and the mission flow often hops forward without building momentum. There’s ambition in the multi-front WWII framing, but it doesn’t consistently translate into memorable sequences you’d want to replay. What keeps people mentioning *Call of Duty: Finest Hour* is how clearly it reads as an early experiment – important for the brand’s console history, less convincing as a modern-day recommendation. Even fans who appreciate the era tend to describe it with qualifiers: interesting, uneven, rough around the edges. It’s a time capsule first, a great game second. | © Spark Unlimited

Call of Duty WWII cropped processed by imagy — 8. Call of Duty: WWII (2017)

The boots-on-the-ground return sounded like a clean reset, and at first the familiar rhythm can be genuinely comforting. Then the surrounding design choices start to crowd the experience: a campaign that looks earnest but often keeps you on rails, and an online package where progression and systems could become the conversation instead of the matches. War mode gave the multiplayer a distinct identity, yet that didn’t stop many players from bouncing off the broader loop and its friction points. The co-op offering went darker in tone, which worked for some and felt off for others who wanted a more instantly replayable groove. Mention *Call of Duty: WWII* today and you’ll still hear the same split reaction – solid moments, messy aftertaste. It’s a game that can be fun without ever feeling essential. | © Sledgehammer Games

Call of Duty World at War Final Fronts cropped processed by imagy — 7. Call of Duty: World at War – Final Fronts (2008)

A famous name sets expectations this entry simply can’t meet, largely because it was built under heavy constraints. You feel the compromises quickly in the reduced scope and simpler mission design, where the pacing rarely ramps into the series’ usual signature highs. Midway through, *Call of Duty: World at War – Final Fronts* starts to feel less like a full release and more like a pared-back companion piece wearing the same uniform. The campaign is lean and straightforward, with fewer standout moments and a presentation that doesn’t carry the franchise’s normal punch. No multiplayer means no second life; once you’re done, there’s little pulling you back unless you’re collecting series oddities. It’s not unplayable – it’s just thin, and the comparison to the bigger experience is unavoidable. | © Rebellion Developments

Call of Duty Heroes cropped processed by imagy — 6. Call of Duty: Heroes (2014)

The whole experience is built around mobile habits – timers, upgrades, resource loops – so the identity clash hits before you’ve even settled in. After a bit of base tinkering, *Call of Duty: Heroes* makes it clear it’s chasing retention mechanics, not the fast-feedback thrill people associate with the franchise. It can be mildly sticky at first (these systems are designed that way), but the longer you play, the more it feels like scheduling chores instead of building skill. The pressure to wait or pay to keep momentum becomes the defining texture, which is a tough sell for fans who came in expecting something closer to a shooter. Its eventual shutdown only reinforced the sense that it was a disposable detour rather than a lasting branch worth revisiting. What lingers is mostly the confusion of the branding choice, not any moments you’d want to retell. | © Faceroll Games

Call of Duty Modern Warfare II 2022 cropped processed by imagy — 5. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022)

Menus became the villain here, which is not what anyone wants to say about a blockbuster shooter with this budget. The moment you start digging through loadouts and settings, *Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II* can feel like it’s testing patience instead of setting up a match, with navigation that many players found needlessly layered. On top of that, the perk pacing choice turned into an everyday gripe, because it made early-game engagements feel like you were playing a “half build” of your class until later. The shooting and audio design are often praised, so the frustration lands harder: you can sense the excellence underneath the friction. Even good sessions could end with a sigh because the surrounding experience kept getting in the way. It’s a modern entry that sparks “why is this so complicated?” more often than it should. | © Infinity Ward

Call of Duty Modern Warfare III 2023 cropped processed by imagy — 4. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (2023)

The campaign is where the disappointment concentrates, and once that pillar wobbles, the rest of the structure takes damage too. Mission design leaned into a more open approach that sounded exciting on paper, but many players felt it translated into objectives that were thinner and less memorable than the series’ best set pieces. Because of that, *Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III* picked up the “this feels like an add-on” stigma, and that perception clung to everything else – even the parts people enjoyed. Multiplayer had comfort-food appeal thanks to familiar maps and a reliable core loop, yet praise often came with an unspoken qualifier: fun, but not exactly a bold new chapter. The overall impression is a release where the machinery of the annual schedule becomes visible in a way that drains excitement. It’s not empty; it’s just hard to shake the sense of “we’ve been here.” | © Sledgehammer Games

Cropped Call of Duty black ops 7 — 3. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 (2025)

This one arrived with a strange cloud hanging over it, like the conversation was already primed to turn into a courtroom drama. Complaints didn’t stay neatly in one lane; they piled up across modes, with players arguing about polish, performance, and the feeling that some choices looked rushed rather than confidently designed. When a release becomes defined by constant discourse, it’s hard for the good moments to breathe, and that’s exactly what happened to *Call of Duty: Black Ops 7* in many corners of the community. It also became a magnet for debates about the franchise’s broader direction, which can be brutal when you’re just trying to enjoy a few matches. Critics tended to be calmer than the comment sections, widening the gap between “acceptable” and “unforgivable” depending on where you looked. The end result is a reputation shaped as much by chaos around the game as what’s inside it. | © Treyarch / Raven Software

Call of Duty Vanguard cropped processed by imagy — 2. Call of Duty: Vanguard (2021)

WWII should be a sturdy stage for this franchise, but the package often feels like it’s running on familiarity instead of urgency. The campaign’s character vignettes aim for variety, yet the connective tissue can feel thin, leaving you with moments that don’t always add up to a satisfying drive. Zombies took the biggest hit in fan conversations, especially early on, because the structure and content cadence didn’t deliver the replay pull many players expect from the mode. Multiplayer generally plays fine – sometimes more than fine – but it rarely creates that magnetic “one more match” heat that keeps a community locked in. By the time you’re assessing the whole offering, *Call of Duty: Vanguard* reads like a competent entry that struggled to justify its own existence. The most common reaction isn’t rage so much as a shrug, which can be worse for longevity. | © Sledgehammer Games

Call of Duty Black Ops Declassified cropped processed by imagy — 1. Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified (2012)

Handheld shooters demand precision and stability, and this entry too often feels like it’s wrestling both. The campaign is chopped into small bites that rarely build tension, and the combat can be undermined by rough AI and jank that makes firefights messy for the wrong reasons. Even when things click, you’re aware of compromises that don’t feel thoughtfully designed so much as begrudgingly accepted. Multiplayer exists, but it lacks the smoothness and balance that would make quick sessions reliably satisfying. Around the middle of any honest discussion of franchise low points, *Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified* comes up because it isn’t a “different flavor” of CoD – it’s a version that feels unfinished. The concept is easy to understand; the execution is what sinks it. | © nStigate Games

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Every Call of Duty era has its diehards – and its punching bags. Some entries landed with clunky campaigns, others shipped with multiplayer choices that didn’t click, and a few just felt like they missed the moment entirely. This isn’t about hating the series; it’s about tracing the times the world’s biggest shooter stumbled in public.

Below, we’re ranking the most widely criticized Call of Duty games from bad to truly rough, pulling from years of reviews, player reactions, and the kind of reputations that stick long after the patch notes stop. And yes – if you’re wondering where Call of Duty 7 ranks in the mess, we’re getting to that too.

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Every Call of Duty era has its diehards – and its punching bags. Some entries landed with clunky campaigns, others shipped with multiplayer choices that didn’t click, and a few just felt like they missed the moment entirely. This isn’t about hating the series; it’s about tracing the times the world’s biggest shooter stumbled in public.

Below, we’re ranking the most widely criticized Call of Duty games from bad to truly rough, pulling from years of reviews, player reactions, and the kind of reputations that stick long after the patch notes stop. And yes – if you’re wondering where Call of Duty 7 ranks in the mess, we’re getting to that too.