Call of Duty has been around for a really long time. It’s arguably the most popular first-person shooter franchise in history, and to date, it has sold hundreds of millions of copies. It has gone to space, travelled back to World War II, and spawned countless spin-off titles since debuting at the turn of the millennium. But it isn’t enough to entertain a gamer forever, despite its breadth. That’s why we’ve put together a guide showcasing the best games like Call of Duty, to bring you some alternative options.
If you’ve been hurting for a new game like Call of Duty that isn’t Call of Duty, we’ve got you covered. In this one-stop guide, we’re breaking down the series’ main competitors. With this walkthrough in hand, you’ll be able to pick up all the information you need to secure one of the best games like Call of Duty that the current market has to offer.
Let’s get into the breakdown.
What Are The Best Games Like Call of Duty?
Call of Duty may have inspired so many more franchises to surface, but which of them can be considered a rival to the best-selling shooter series? Here’s our breakdown featuring the top Call of Duty alternatives out there today.
Battlefield
The Battlefield series is Call of Duty’s closest competitor, and its development cycle has followed a relatively similar path. Traditionally, Battlefield has been more rooted in realism, opting for destructive elements and boots-on-the-ground gameplay while Call of Duty pushed for more fantastical elements with each new release – for a while, at least.
Battlefield’s peak arguably came between 2011 and 2013 with Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4, and since then, it has been on a steady decline. When the most recent title launched – Battlefield 2042 – the franchise was thrown into darkness, but it’s still one of the best games like Call of Duty at face value.
Rainbow Six
Rainbow Six is like Battlefield and Call of Duty in that it has a legacy that can be traced back several years. In fact, the first Rainbow Six game debuted in 1998, a full five years before the first Call of Duty title was released. In Rainbow Six, tactical combat is the order of the day, and the current (and most popular) game in the series, Rainbow Six Siege, is nothing if not tactical.
It’s a traditional first-person shooter game, which makes it a great alternative to Call of Duty, but it has a wider skill gap and takes a little more intelligence to master.
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike is just as old as Call of Duty, and in some ways, it’s more successful. In 2013, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive was released, and it quickly became the most popular esports game in the world – and the most valuable esports betting title. It pulls in way more viewers than the Call of Duty League, which is COD’s top-tier esports tournament, and even ten years after launch, CSGO is played by millions of people.
It’s typically played as a round-based first-person shooter, much like Call of Duty, but there are many mechanics that are more or less unique to CSGO – and soon, Counter-Strike 2.
Apex Legends
Apex Legends is a battle royale game set in the Titanfall universe, and it was released in 2019, a full year before Call of Duty Warzone emerged. It’s one of the best games like Call of Duty and it has long since stood as an alternative for players wanting something with a faster rate of play than Warzone. It’s a high-octane, first-person shooter battle royale, and it has remained at the top of its game since it was released.
There’s a plan in place to make Apex Legends last twenty years, which is nothing short of remarkably ambitious.
Overwatch
Overwatch (and Overwatch 2) are fantastic games like Call of Duty, and they’re published by the same company – Activision Blizzard. Since Overwatch 2 launched at the end of 2022, it has totally replaced the first Overwatch game, but almost every mechanic is exactly the same. Overwatch focuses more on hero-based combat, giving players a wide array of characters, each with their own unique abilities, that they can control on the battlefield.
It’s still a first-person shooter at heart, even if it boasts some unique features that make it seem a little fantastical.
Halo
Halo has been a Call of Duty competitor for two decades, despite being quite different as a game. Halo is firmly rooted in sci-fi, with aliens, super soldiers, and space travel being the order of the day. But, thanks to a similar development cycle and target market, Halo has always stood up as one of the top games like Call of Duty. It features a similar multiplayer platform, but it’s nowhere near as popular as Call of Duty.
The most recent title, Halo Infinite, bombed fairly hard when it was released, and even a revival of the Halo esports scene wasn’t enough to save it. But, with that being said, it’s still a solid Call of Duty alternative.
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