When Did Call of Duty First Come Out?

The Call of Duty franchise is one of the most illustrious game titles ever made, with Activision churning out a fresh instalment every year with the help of their trusted trio of developers.

With a new game out each year, and a range of spin-offs, it becomes difficult to remember which came first, or for how many years you've been dropping nukes on your foes. 

For many players, their journey started during the Modern Warfare 2 era, or with the kickstart to the Black Ops sub-franchise. However, Call of Duty goes back much further than both titles.

So, when did Call of Duty first come out? 

When was the first Call of Duty released?

Call of Duty 1, or simply just Call of Duty, was released by Infinity ward in October 2003 and was truly when Call of Duty first come out.

Being played on an id Tech 3 engine, the first CoD was based on World Wr II and was strictly a campaign game. 

The title had three campaigns in total, following different storylines for the American, British, and Soviet Union armies. 

The sequel, Call of Duty 2, was the first game to have an active multiplayer experience, with the likes of Team Deathmatch, Search & Destroy, Capture the Flag and Headquarters being the core modes available.

How many Call of Duty games are there?

In total, there are eighteen core Call of Duty titles that have been released annually. Following the first three WWII based titles, Infinity Ward created the Modern Warfare series (five titles) followed by Ghosts and their futuristic Infinite Warfare.

Treyarch has released six titles in their Black Ops series, including World at War. Sledgehammer Games round off the core games with Advanced Warfare and WWII (soon to add Call of Duty: Vanguard to the mix).

There have also been a large number of spin-offs, including five mobile titles and four handheld adaptations. The recently closed down Call of Duty: Online was the Chinese variant of the game, whilst the popular BR, Warzone, falls in the Call of Duty franchise too.

With spin-offs included, there are 33 Call of Duty games, and a further four had been cancelled.