The Call of Duty franchise really kicked things into gear back in 2007 with the release of Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, a huge change of scenery into the modern-day which contrasted their previous focus on historical World War 2 combat. Modern Warfare 2 continued that trend and includes one of the most popular multiplayer modes in the history of video games. With it came a legendary selection of maps that’ll be familiar to fans of the franchise.
We’ve ranked each of the main maps (not including the multitudes of DLC that were later added to the game) that came with MW2.
16 Derail
The grand, snowy terrain of Derail is of very little interest to Call of Duty players. It has its committed following of course. But in general, its huge size makes for slow gameplay, its mostly outdoor setting creates a bland landscape to fight across, and its flurries of snow make visibility low for everyone except thermal snipers.
15 Sub Base
Sub Base never made for a particularly memorable experience. The murky, grey landscape of the submarine docking port took away from the often sunny setting of MW2 and launched the player into what felt like a map from a COD of the past. Both the indoor and outdoor areas of this map were stilted by boring visuals and a lack of cover.
14 Rundown
Another of Modern Warfare 2’s most forgotten maps is Rundown. The map is situated in Brazil, in a "rundown" town that features a few accessible houses, some areas of dense shrubbery, and dried-up river.
The large size of the map and the multitude of hiding places meant that many games played here were slow and uneventful.
13 Wasteland
Wasteland is one of the most controversial maps in the game. Some are addicted to its open spaces and minuscule covered areas, while many despise the fact that the map has very little to offer other than endless long grass. And that's blowing past people shooting a grenade launcher from spawn to kill the whole team in a singularly inglorious non-event of a match.
12 Quarry
There are times when Quarry can turn into an exciting end-to-end battle, and then there are other times when it's full of snipers who can see from one side of the map to the other. This turns it into something totally average, brought down massively by the bland repetitiveness of the environment.
11 Invasion
Invasion is another of the many dilapidated towns used as MW2 maps, this time set in Afghanistan. This is the first map on the list where things start to get seriously good. It balances terrifying open spaces with close-quarters combat inside houses and allows for a speedy game.
10 Underpass
While Sub Base brings an unexciting murky greyness to Modern Warfare 2 and it doesn’t fare particularly well, Underpass nails it. The spitting rain and the nearly palpable chill in the wind make this one of the game’s most unique experiences, even if the map itself isn’t the greatest.
9 Karachi
Set in the town of Karachi in Pakistan, this map is a favorite for those looking to ravage the corridors of small houses. Thanks to the many indoor locations, it makes killstreaks a little difficult to use effectively unless brave players happen to be lurking around that open space right in the middle.
8 Estate
![call of duty modern warfare remastered multiplayer]](https://static0.gamerantimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-2-estate-map.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1500&dpr=1.5)
Estate might be the best Modern Warfare map to look at. You’ve got the fancy cabin at the top of the hill as the centerpiece, surrounded by luscious grounds, water features, and some other interesting, smaller indoor spaces. The main issue is the win-or-lose nature of the cabin. Control it and you have a view of pretty much the entire map, don’t control it and you’re a sitting duck.
7 Afghan
The huge reddish-brown of Afghan is unique in Modern Warfare 2, as it is one of the only maps set in an outright desert.
The entire thing is centered on a downed plane, with vantage points from below allowing direct access to exposed objectives, and vantage points above providing some exciting sniping positions.
6 Skidrow
Skidrow is one of the few Modern Warfare maps set in the USA. Most of the map’s outdoor space can be found in the often empty spawn points for each team, meaning this is a perfect map for those looking for down-the-corridor and close-quarters combat.
5 Scrapyard
Scrapyard is a famed COD map that has recently made its way into Warzone. It is set in a plane graveyard full of downed and broken aircraft, allowing for gunfights to take place both inside these thin metal tubes, and between the two buildings at either side of the map.
4 Favela
Narrowly missing out on a place in the top three is Favela, a fan favorite set in a Brazilian slum. It returned to COD for Ghosts thanks to the love for its uniquely structured hillside design and rooftop combat. Matches here were often intense, making for some truly white-knuckle firefights.
3 Highrise
Highrise is a dream for snipers, whether it’s that opening shot between the two opposing windows or a climb up to the top of a crane.
The heavy cover of the outside area allows for teams to safely charge at each other before meeting in the middle for a total bloodbath. It's an absolute blast to play, to say the bare minimum on it.
2 Rust
One of the smallest maps in Call Of Duty history is the legendary Rust. The tiny map allows for players to rack up kills incredibly quickly and wreak havoc with killstreaks and explosives, as long as they’re willing to die a fair few times themselves. Rarely, if ever did a match take place here without a constant barrage of delightfully chaotic explosions via the constant presence of killstreaks.
1 Terminal
In the top spot, we obviously have Terminal. Not only the best map in Modern Warfare 2 or even the entirety of Call Of Duty; it might be one of the best maps in the history of FPS games. It's practically an icon of the series, and fondly remembered by franchise veterans for its omnipresent promise of high-octane firefights.