Call of Duty has a long and prestigious history when it comes to online multiplayer. Consistently the biggest release of the year, it continues to entice returning veterans back into the fold and picks up new fans along the way. Although it has changed quite a bit since the early years, the core appeal of Call of Duty multiplayer has remained the same for many years.

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With a release every year since 2005, there are many multiplayer modes to choose from. The majority of games in the franchise only had a year in the metaphorical sun before being replaced by the shinier, newer model. It is important, therefore, to consider the popularity of each multiplayer mode during its peak, as opposed to judging its position and relevance now.

7 Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (2018)

Predecessor to Warzone

Although the main multiplayer mode suffered under the weight of a specialist-style operator system that players were bored of, the main focus in retrospect has to be on the very good Blackout battle royale mode. Seeking to take advantage of the sudden growth of independent battle royale games like PUBG: Battlegrounds and Fortnite, Call of Duty took its first swing at the mode.

The result was an extremely enjoyable battle royale game that fans greatly enjoyed. Its popularity suffered due to the pre-requisite of buying Black Ops 4 but the lessons learned were carried forward when another attempt was made.

6 Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007)

The Game That Revolutionised The Series

When Call of Duty 4 was released in late 2007, it drastically changed the look, feel, and type of game that Call of Duty was. Contemporaries made instant comparisons with Halo 3 which speaks to the popularity and acclaim at the time.

All the base systems that Call of Duty would define its success on originate in the game. Prestige, Streaks, and various other things all start here. It's fairly dated now but at the time it was one of the best multiplayer shooters ever.

5 Call of Duty: Warzone (2020)

All Roads Lead To Verdansk

Building on the great reception to the rebooted Modern Warfare released some months earlier and releasing in the midst of a global pandemic that kept people at home for months just after the game's release, Warzone became an overnight success and quickly became the most popular battle royale game on the market.

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This is for good reason too as its core gunplay, memorable map, and gulag system (which allowed players who won a 1v1 battle to have a second chance) were too good to ignore for a lot of players.

4 Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 (2015)

Jetpack Movement Is Mastered

The second Call of Duty to have the jetpack movement system, Black Ops 3 made great advancements on the previous entries and created a system that felt far smoother to play. This was relatively popular with players at the time due to the movement system having not become overblown yet.

The best multiplayer mode in the jetpack era of Call of Duty, Black Ops 3 also had a specialist system which gave a new feel to multiplayer with plenty of new options available because of it.

3 Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (2012)

A Somewhat Risky Venture

Coming off the success of the original Black Ops, it would have been easy to make a sequel that directly followed the setting of the first game. Instead, Treyarch jumped 50 years into the future to create Black Ops 2.

Black Ops 2 was immensely popular with fans and critics as the setting, tone, and style were unlike anything seen before in the franchise. The multiplayer was the perfect blend of new and old, a new, fresh, and colorful look but with an unchanged core gameplay loop.

2 Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010)

Near Perfection

A slightly slower and more subtle experience than the games on either side of it. Black Ops 1 had the best core features of good multiplayer mode in Call of Duty history.

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Numerous iconic maps including Nuketown and Summit, a new customization system that involved the acquisition and use of credits, and plenty of new modes that would be staples of the franchise going forward such as Gun Game.

1 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009)

Bombastic and Wild

Modern Warfare 2 is the most popular and influential Call of Duty game of all time. The game was so bombastic and exciting that it spawned a whole online sub-culture filled with tactical nuke video clips and 360p trickshot montages.

This is for good reason as Modern Warfare 2 built on the foundation laid two years earlier in almost every conceivable way. The multiplayer here was incredibly fun to play and deserves its place at the top of the list. It's so good in fact, that 2023's Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer reused all 16 maps from this game.

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