Regarding Call of Duty, it’s easy to argue that Black Ops is perhaps the most beloved and popular series in the franchise’s history. With Black Ops 6 firmly on the horizon, I’ve looked through the last 16 years to rank every Treyarch-developed game from worst to best.
It’s a testament to the quality of the Black Ops series that Treyarch is widely viewed as the best Call of Duty developer, which made ranking the six mainline entries difficult. A dev team rarely has no absolute stinkers in their library, but Treyarch has never made a bad CoD game, at least in my opinion.
However, this is an article to rank them all, so I couldn’t sit on the fence and say that they’re all great, which is why we’ve ranked them all in order. For this list, we’ve included Call of Duty: World at War, as it is viewed as the beginning of the Black Ops series due to characters from it appearing in 2010’s Black Ops.
6. Black Ops 4
- Release year: 2018
- Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4
- Modes: Multiplayer, Zombies, Blackout
Picking the worst Black Ops game is like going to a donut shop and picking the least tasty one: They’re all pretty good. There had to be a loser though, and for me, Black Ops 4 is probably the least memorable title in the series, and always felt like I wasn’t sure what kind of Call of Duty game it was.
The return to “boots on the ground” CoD was certainly welcome, but bringing Specialist abilities back meant that BO4 felt like an odd mix of classic and futuristic Call of Duty that never quite worked for me. The decision not to release with a campaign also damaged this title, and the public reception to it meant Black Ops 4 was on the back foot before it was even released.
Treyarch does deserve credit for the game though, for the most part, the multiplayer was fun and Blackout was a great introduction to Battle Royale in CoD, laying the groundwork for the ultra-successful Warzone. While Blackout was a little clunky and wasn’t updated very often, it was still an enjoyable experience, one that shaped the Call of Duty we play today.
5. World at War
- Release year: 2008
- Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii
- Modes: Campaign, Multiplayer, Zombies
World at War is viewed as the starting part of the Black Ops franchise, even though it doesn’t feature the series’ iconic title. Set during World War II, it was a stark change from the previous year’s game, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
As it’s the oldest CoD game on this list, it’s easy to write it off, but to do so would be a mistake. The campaign is one of my personal favorites—It’s dark and gritty, and switching between the Americans and the Soviets really gives you a feeling that you’re not in control of what’s happening, and the true intensity of war.
Of course, you can’t talk about WAW without gushing about Zombies, the starting point of the legendary mode, and some of my favorite memories in Call of Duty. I can still picture myself sitting in my old bedroom playing Nacht der Untoten with my buddies, even though I was terrible at it.
Unfortunately, multiplayer is where I feel like World at War slips down this list, as I didn’t enjoy many of the maps, the weapon meta was dominated by the PPSh-41, and the inclusion of tanks didn’t feel like Call of Duty multiplayer to me. In truth, I ended up returning to CoD4 before the year ended, and I never looked back.
4. Black Ops 3
- Release year: 2015
- Platforms: PC, macOS, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3
- Modes: Campaign, Multiplayer, Zombies, Bonus (Dead Ops Arcade, Nightmares, Freerun)
Look, before I get into Black Ops 3, I have to be honest. Advanced Warfare is, in my opinion, the best jetpack Call of Duty game by a mile, and I don’t care what anyone says. So with that in mind, there was simply no way I could rank it any higher than this, even though I know BO3 has its loyalists who think it’s the best CoD ever.
Black Ops 3 multiplayer is fun, but I think the jetpacks are almost too powerful. Being able to wall-run and dash to the sides made it play too quick for my liking, and at times it felt like you were playing Halo rather than CoD. It does have some really good maps like Stronghold or Evac, but it’s also got some stinkers like Exodus and Havoc which were just not enjoyable to play.
For me, BO3 also has the weakest campaign in the series and ended up being a confusing experience that didn’t really explain why you were doing anything. The campaign gameplay is fun and does have some good moments, but it’s not enough to make up for the flawed story.
3. Black Ops Cold War
- Release year: 2020
- Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4
- Modes: Campaign, Multiplayer, Zombies
Black Ops Cold War is my favorite of the “modern” Call of Duty titles and was lightyears better than 2019’s Modern Warfare reboot. There’s a lot to like about BOCW, with a solid campaign that’s bolstered by the fact that decisions you make during the story can change the ending you see. I ended up completing it a couple of times to see what happened, which is something I rarely do with CoD campaigns.
The Zombies Dark Aether storyline was also really strong, and the gameplay was, in my opinion, the best since Black Ops 2. The maps were good, the gameplay didn’t get too convoluted, and it was generally an enjoyable experience. Multiplayer on this game was also great, with gunplay feeling much more rewarding than MW and classic maps returning to the game. I spent hours playing BOCW‘s Ranked Mode, and if it was still live, I’d be tempted to go back.
My only real gripe with Black Ops Cold War is how strong the skill-based matchmaking felt in multiplayer, which made playing matches feel more like work than fun at times. Still, I have fond memories of this game, and it almost feels harsh to rank it third.
2. Black Ops
- Release year: 2010
- Platforms: PC, macOS, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo DS
- Modes: Campaign, Multiplayer, Zombies
The first CoD game to boast the Black Ops title, Treyarch’s 2010 is an almost flawless Call of Duty game. The campaign was the best in the entire franchise at the time, with an ending (which we won’t spoil in case you haven’t played it) that will blow your mind.
Multiplayer gameplay was also excellent, with weapons that were enjoyable and rewarding to use, while the maps were also widely excellent. Black Ops is the game that introduced Nuketown, one of CoD‘s most iconic maps that is recreated to this day, showing how influential this game really was.
No surprise, but Black Ops’ Zombies mode is also brilliant, with unique maps that each posed different challenges, a solid storyline that weaved through every map, and great gameplay that added new guns like the Thunder and Wave Guns.
1. Black Ops 2
- Release year: 2012
- Platforms: PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii U
- Modes: Campaign, Multiplayer, Zombies
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is the pinnacle of the franchise. It’s not just the best Black Ops game, it’s the best Call of Duty, period.
BO2 was the first campaign in the series to use branching storylines, with decisions you make affecting the ending you get. Better than that, the choices have real stakes and really invest you in the story. Treyarch went above and beyond in this campaign and hasn’t been able to match it since.
Zombies in Black Ops 2 is good, not great, but still, a really fun experience that is boosted by its incredible gunplay and all-around gameplay. Mob, Origins, and Die Rise are all solid maps that each have their unique style too, helping to keep the mode fresh.
Black Ops 2 multiplayer, however, is where this game blows everything else out of the water. This game has arguably the best maps in the franchise, with remakes still popping up in CoD games to this day. On top of that, the guns feel so rewarding to use, the Pick 10 class system is still yearned for by players, and League Play is the standard to which all CoD Ranked Play modes are still held, and none have managed to better it yet.
A truly perfect Call of Duty game, and one that has yet to be matched in the 12 years since its release.
