The 10 Best Call of Duty Multiplayer Games, Ranked

Ever wondered which Call of Duty multiplayer mode truly deserves the crown? With 22 mainline games and a 23rd on the way, there's plenty of competition. The series has become a yearly fixture, dropping like a care package with modes for every type of player. Modern Warfare 4 is next up, bringing a campaign, DMZ extraction mode, and the usual multiplayer suite. But how will it stack up against the greats? Here are the ten best Call of Duty multiplayer games, according to the source ranking.

Kicking off at number 10 is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023). Infinity Ward's second entry in the Modern Warfare reboot split fans, but Sledgehammer Games reworked the bones of Modern Warfare 2 to address feedback. The snappy movement of 2019's Modern Warfare returned, recharging perks were scrapped for a gear system, and Tac-Stance was introduced as a midpoint between ADS and hipfire. All 16 original Modern Warfare 2 maps came back, and in a series first, all previous year's content carried over, giving players a staggering 105 weapons on launch day.

Number 9 is Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. Despite a troubled, COVID-impacted development, it delivered a multiplayer mode fans loved in 2020. Taking players back to the 1980s for the first time in almost a decade, it blended Black Ops' spy-espionage tone with modern enhancements. The Gunsmith and create-a-class from Modern Warfare 2019 merged with Treyarch's free-form customisation, and Wildcards became a selectable class item, letting you equip three extra attachments or an extra perk without sacrificing class options.

At number 8, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 benefited from a four-year development cycle—a luxury for Activision's factory. Set in the 1990s for the first time, it introduced Omnimovement, letting you sprint, slide, and dive in any direction. This raised the pace and skill ceiling, and human shields let you roast enemies via voice chat while blocking bullets. With 16 maps, varied modes, and new weaponry, it's an experience many fans remember fondly.

Number 7 goes to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011). With much of the original Infinity Ward team off making Titanfall, three studios—Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer Games, and Raven Software—combined efforts. They built on MW2's success with the Strike Packages system, offering Assault, Support, and Specialist playstyles. Exploitable tactics like One-Man Army Pro explosives spam and Commando melee were dialled back, refocusing on gun-on-gun combat.

Number 6 is Call of Duty: Black Ops 3. Set in 2065, Treyarch's sub-series jumped fully into the future with jetpacks and wall running. It improved on Advanced Warfare's clunky thrust jumps, giving greater control when jumping and sliding, and maps were designed to take full advantage of the new movement. That's where the source list cuts off, but the ranking continues beyond the top six.

So, which of these multiplayer greats is your personal favourite? Will you be jumping into Modern Warfare 4 when it arrives? Let us know in the comments!