With the recent release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, now is a great time to look back over the series history and the best Call of Duty campaign moments.
Landing on consoles in 2003, and since spawning 23 successors via multiple narrative arcs, Call of Duty is has become a mainstay of mainstream gaming that is difficult to ignore. From experiencing the last moments of a nuclear explosion, to witnessing the worst attack on liberty and freedom since World War 2 on the streets of London, Call of Duty’s campaigns have always been known to pull out all the stops.
These moments always leave gamers with mouths and eyes agape respectively. So with that, let’s dig into the long and storied history of the Best Call of Duty campaign moments…
*SPOILER ALERT*
10. Hijacked Plane
We’ve all seen the moments in so many movies. A plane is hijacked, demands are delivered and we sit on the edge of our seats throughout the entire experience – but not this time.
In Modern Warfare 3’s ‘Turbulence’, we are tasked with protecting the Russian president as attackers aplenty are thrown at us, all while dealing with occasional moments of zero-gravity as the plane enters free-fall and finally crash lands. The moments on the plane are iconic and show just what the series is capable of when it tries something different, but the fact that the mission then progresses into a stealth sequence is phenomenal.
Turbulence allows us to live out our action-movie fantasies and be the sole hero, even if just for a day. If games are meant to be fantasy-fulfillment, then this mission stands atop the pile.
9. Mason No-More
We all know the story of Alex Mason, how important he is to the narrative and how crucial he was to the success of the first Black Ops game. This is pulled into sharp focus in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2’s ‘suffer with me’ mission.
The mission sees you playing as Woods as he is taking a sniper position with a view of the ringleader of the ‘Cordis Die’ terrorist movement. The call comes down to take the shot as a man with a sack covering his face is taken into full-view of the sniper. Believing that the man in the bag is Menendez, the shot rings out and the man falls dead to the ground (assuming a head-shot has been performed, if not, then the hostage survives).
However, as the body is inspected, it becomes increasingly obvious that the man that was just shot, is in fact Alex Mason. To say this moment pulled the carpet from beneath our feet would be an understatement.
This mission is a lesson in atmospheric storytelling and suspense building which results in a horrifying conclusion, hats off for this one lads – or sacks as the case may be.
8. Reznov’s Fate
Another iconic figure from the Black Ops series is prisoner, Viktor Reznov. We first meet Reznov in the ‘Vendetta’ mission of Call of Duty: World At War, where he is seen trying to assassinate German general Heinrich Amsel. He is the main ally of World at War’s Dimitri as he progresses his way through the campaign and eventually plants the soviet flag atop the Reichstag in the final moments. Fast-forward to Black Ops and we meet Reznov again.
Once Mason is imprisoned at Vorkuta, he encounters “The Wolf” Viktor Reznov. Reznov and Mason concoct a plan to escape the Siberian Gulag and in the midst of the break-out, Reznov decides to sacrifice himself during the breakout for Mason and the rest of the prisoners. He drives a truck away from Mason in order to lure the pursuing soldiers and his fate is left unknown. Or so we think.
Reznov reappears in the Vietcong and helps Mason a handful of times, while Mason’s allies appear to be unconcerned with Reznov’s presence. As the campaign progresses, we begin to discover the truth as delivered by Hudson after the execution of Steiner, who Alex believes Reznov had killed. However the truth is that Reznov died in Vorkuta five-years prior, and Mason was in-fact the person who killed Steiner while proclaiming himself to be Reznov.
Call of Duty blew people away with this reveal, and sparked a real conversation about mental health among soldiers, while delivering one of the most iconic stomach-turning twists in recent gaming history at the time. The twist worked so well as the game never explicitly tells the player that Reznov perishes, and by leaving that door open, they allow the player’s imagination to do the rest. After all, protagonists don’t die in action movies so why would they die in action-games?
7. Russian Embassy
While Call of Duty is known for its explosive storytelling, it also excels in capturing the quieter moments of war. Rather than constant conflict, the game highlights that some of the most decisive moments are somber and still, reflecting a deeper understanding of the realities of conflict.
Whether sneaking through post-Chernobyl Pripyat or navigating a Russian airfield to plant explosives, Call of Duty emphasizes quiet moments. Cold War introduces evidence gathering and focuses on espionage, particularly in the mission “Desperate Measures,” which critics praised for its “freedom of choice” and “stealth opportunities.”
Desperate Measures can be completed almost anyway you like, with the less stealthy approaches having far-reaching consequences. The mission calls to mind the more serious Bond installments and heavily relies on suspense and paranoia, to create an atmosphere that mimics the uneasy tension of the real-world Cold War situation, even if just on a personal scale. Not to mention, ending with one of the most cinematic shootouts in Call Of Duty history. Definitely one for the history books.
6. Concentration Camp
The horrors of World War 2 are widely known. The crimes the Nazis perpetrated will forever be a testament to the depravity of man, and the depths to which one can sink with the right amount of force. One would think then, that to dwell on this for any length of time within a gameplay setting, would be a terrible decision, au contraire. Sledgehammer smashed it out of the park with the final moments of the Call of Duty: WW2 campaign by doing exactly that.
The final scene is a playable sequence which sees your squad making their way through a recently liberated concentration camp in the search for Zussman, a Jewish comrade.
As you progress empty bunk beds and huts greet you and frame the entire narrative of the conflict of World War 2 and remind you exactly why the last 10-15 hours have happened. The mission serves as a reminder of the dangers of fascism while also presenting the real-world impact war-afflicted people who called those concentration camps their prison, and too often, their final destination.
For a series that is so well-known for the big blockbuster moments, this proved that when it wants to, the series can deliver a narrative while also teaching a lesson, we should not soon forget.
5. Execution
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare sets the tone early. In the second mission, the player controls a prisoner being transported to execution through a conflict-ridden Middle Eastern area, passing scenes of violence and military control. During this, the voiceover from antagonist Khaled Al-Asad details ultranationalism and the reasons for the player’s fate.
As the experience progresses, it becomes glaringly obvious that the player controls the current President of the region, Al-Fulani, as he is taken to the spot where Al-Asad will execute him in front of none other than Imran Zakhaev, a man the player will get to know intimately as the campaign unfolds.
The combination of helplessness, the gritty realism of the environment, and the chanting crowds demanding blood and the end of a relatively peaceful regime makes this sequence one of the best—and most chilling—introductions of an antagonist in gaming. It stands as one of the best Call of Duty campaign moments of all time.
4. It Was Shepherd All-Along
On the hunt for Makarov, and After securing the DSM for Sheperd, Roach and Ghost fight their way from the forest surrounded safehouse as it is invaded by ultra-nationalists, to the LZ where Shepherd is waiting for them. They hand the DSM over and something doesn’t feel right, the suspicions are quickly confirmed when Shepherd shoots Ghost and Roach point-blank in the chest. He then proceeds to set them on fire and climb aboard the helicopter. We then learn that Shepherd was the commanding General in the first game and when the nuclear device destroyed the city, it also killed 30,000 people under Shepherd’s command. Shepherd never got over this, and it radicalised him.
He started to view everyone as an enemy and decided the only way he could ensure that this never happened again was by restoring America as the world’s superpower. This ultimately backfires on Shepherd and he dies at the hands of Soap at the end of the campaign.
Losing 30,000 men and women in one second would certainly drive most people to do unspeakable things. Shepherd accompanied us throughout Modern Warfare 2’s campaign and became the grand architect of the World War 3, which ensued, however the most heinous crime he committed in fans eyes was the cold blooded execution of franchise favourite, Ghost. This moment will forever shock and abhor those of us who witnessed it, and arguably is one of the best moments in Call of Duty, even if not necessarily a nice one. Remember, war, war never changes and no one knew that better than Shepherd.
3. Raising the Flag
Call of Duty: World at War is regarded as one of the best in the series, taking players from the Eastern Front to Berlin’s Reichstag. You control a Russian soldier fighting Nazis, facing tanks, snipers, and waves of enemy troops to help liberate Europe. The game offers a gritty, ultra-realistic portrayal of war, featuring dismemberments and brutal deaths.
While the story which World at War tells is a familiar one, the Russian perspective is something not often discussed, especially the taking of the Reichstag. The Reichstag was the seat of all government power in the German state, so the taking of this was just as symbolic as it was logistic.
Making your way through the Reichstag, the comrades which make up your team are constantly chattering about the fall of the Nazi powers. They can repeatedly be heard shouting war-cries as they slash, stab, shoot and blow their way to the roof. Upon arriving on the roof, it becomes clear to the remainder of your unit that you have made it. Raising the flag atop that German landmark will never fail to take your breath away. A moment which takes you away, and brings you back with pride and relief, this one is effective, creative and ultimately, iconic.
2. Pripyat
What else could have this spot? What other moment in gaming history has been so iconic as the moment that we realise that the bush in front of us is actually our commanding officer? The Pripyat stealth mission is one of the best moments – not just in Call of Duty – but in gaming overall.
Set in a flashback, we play as a young Captain Price on a mission to eliminate ultranationalist dictator, Imran Zakhaev. Zakhaev is meeting to secure a trade deal for spent fuel rods to make a nuclear device, but that cannot be allowed to happen. The order is given, and Lieutenant Price receives the go-ahead to assassinate Zakhaev, with Captain Macmillan overseeing the operation.
What ensues is a masterclass in atmospheric stealth. The entire mission takes place in large woodland and later urban area, and while the whole affair is – of course – linear, the experience doesn’t feel that way. From crawling through a heavily armored convoy of vehicles, to sneaking by rabid attack dogs, you never feel truly safe.
Pripyat’s landscape is beautifully dismal, with reminders of the tragedy that struck the city at every turn. From a distant overlook, you take aim with a .50 cal rifle, factoring in wind and distance. This moment marks a shift in Call of Duty, moving from simplistic mechanics to a more realistic approach. As the rifle kicks back and the bullet flies, you realize you’ve witnessed gaming history.
Pripyat is a level so good, that Spielberg could’ve written it.
1. A Nuclear Affair
How do we follow that? With the first-hand representation of a nuclear explosion, that’s how.
Since the Cold War, we’ve wondered about witnessing a nuclear impact. Modern Warfare (2007) delivers this experience. After a tense manhunt for Al Asad in downtown Iraq, SEAL Team 6 reports a nuclear device has been found, halting all efforts to defuse it. Unfortunately, the bomb detonates.
In a landmark gaming moment, your helicopter witnesses the explosion from just outside the blast radius, caught in the shockwave. The screen flashes, and the chopper goes into freefall, crashing into the streets below.
Where there was once gunfire and chaos, only stillness remains amid rubble. Ranger Sgt. Paul Jackson experiences his final moments on the fallout-laden streets of Iraq, along with over 50 fellow soldiers, becoming the catalyst for the ensuing chaos of the game. This section of Modern Warfare is truly harrowing; while war is hell, nuclear annihilation is far worse.
Call of Duty has always been a series that likes to push the envelope. It is most comfortable on the fringes of believability while being firmly grounded in reality. Not an easy task for most game series to accomplish, but as the list has hopefully proven, Call of Duty does it remarkably well.
