The call of duty franchise is one of the best and most popular action series of all time. To date, over 400 million copies of the games in the franchise have been sold. 2023 marks twenty years since the first game was released. Now there are 18 games in this series, and the latest releases are available through multiple gaming platforms, including Steam. The original CoD takes place in World War 2, but the games have since branched out into other historical and fictional future conflicts. Along the way, players have gotten to battle enemies and go on missions in a variety of environments, from mansions to jungles, to cityscapes, and everything in between. Since it’s been twenty years, let’s look back in no particular order at the best maps in the Call of Duty franchise.
Havana
We take our first map from Call Of Duty: Black Ops. Havana is a multiplayer map, meaning that you play team against team. The objective is for one team to move up the main street and for the other team to stop them. The best part of Havana is how many places there are for an ambush. However, moving out into the open in the middle of the street can be risky, since you could get flanked. So, to head down the street, the best option might be through the buildings, which are full of unknown dangers. The close-quarters combat mixes with the scenic Cuban city make an exciting combination.
Summit
Summit is another multiplayer map from Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. The fun thing about this map is that it takes place in a snowy locale, of which there aren’t too many in the CoD franchise. Snowy maps are often criticized because players have difficulty seeing through the snowfall. However, this is part of what makes Summit so fun. Luckily Summit also has plenty of indoor spaces to hide out and fight. The other thing that makes this map so fun is the various places you can hide. You can blend in with the snow or head to one of the buildings to curl up until the heat is off you.
Crash
If you like fighting in close quarters and fast-paced action, this map is for you. First seen in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 and featured in several games since. Crash takes place on a city street where a helicopter has been shot down. You can use any weapon and play in any style on this map. While the helicopter is the focal point, there are lots of places to hide and lots of open spaces. You can pick off your enemies one by one from rooftops, or while taking cover in a grassy knoll or behind a parked car.
Octane
Call of Duty: Ghosts isn’t considered one of the better games of the series, but Octane is a high point. The map packs a lot into a small area, making for some challenging close-quarter combat. The setting is a run-down intersection in the desert of Las Vegas. The focal point is a service station, but it also features a strip club, a storage building, and a diner. There are several places to camp with your weapons and plenty of opportunities to ambush your opponent. With many places to hide inside the buildings, it’s a challenge if you’re the searcher and a lot of fun if you’re the one hiding.
Shipment
One of the smallest maps in the franchise first appears in Call of Duty 4 and is featured in several future games. The best thing about small maps is that they allow absolute chaos. Every step you take is an adventure. There is not a lot of space to hide, and enemies could be ready to snipe you at every turn. There’s almost no way to have a cohesive strategy or tactics. You go in with your guns blazing and hope you make it out alive. Picture the shootout and the OK Corral, only with submachine guns, grenades, and RPGs.
Highrise
Everyone likes when maps differ from the usual locations, and Highrise does just that. It takes place at the top of a skyscraper that is under construction and just about finished. There’s a helipad in the middle of the roof, and offices are built on either side. This is a smaller map, but there is a lot you can do with angles and distance, and there are opportunities for sniping. Most players use the helipad to their advantage, because it’s elevated, and you can take cover. There is also heavy equipment to use to your advantage.
Raid
Raid takes place smack dab in Hollywood Hills in a luxurious mansion. Within this map, there is a surprising variety in the types of environments available. For one, there’s the courtyard, with a pool and a roundabout where some cars are parked. There’s also the intensity of battling room by room within the home. A lower-level parking area allows for opportunities to snipe your enemies from above as well. It is very hard to get a competitive advantage on this map, which is why evenly-matched teams love to choose it to test their mettle.
Strike
Strike might seem like a derivative map, but several factors make it an exciting addition to Call of Duty 4. There are many ambushes, with the main one being a T-junction at the end of the main street. If you have a sniper in the apartment building to the south, you can control the map very nicely. However, if you can’t hold that spot or don’t get to it, you could find yourself in trouble. There is lots of close-quarter fighting to go along with the sniping, making it a map that allows for several styles of action.
If you like warfare games where there’s a combination of pitched battles and stealth missions, then the Call of Duty games are a great option for you. While you can play these games on your favorite console, you can also get several CoD games for your PC through online game stores like YuPlay. Check out all the Call of Duty maps and find your favorite.
