The Complete Guide to Co-Op Campaigns in Call of Duty

As a hardcore COD fan and gaming industry analyst with over 10 years of experience, the number one question I still get asked is: what Call of Duty games allow you to play the campaigns cooperatively with friends?

It‘s a simple question with a surprisingly complex answer, given the convoluted history of co-op support across 16+ COD titles over the years. That‘s why I‘ve put together this definitive guide to squad up with the homies throughout COD‘s single player stories.

A Brief History of Co-Op Campaigns in COD

Co-op campaigns became a fan favorite feature when originally introduced in 2006‘s Call of Duty 3 for the PS2 and Xbox 360, which allowed two players to play through the story mode together on a single screen. This novel innovation instantly made the campaign exponentially more enjoyable.

Developers Infinity Ward built on this feature with follow-up titles Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Modern Warfare 2. However, the beloved co-op campaign option was strangely absent from 2009‘s blockbuster Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, much to fans‘ dismay.

Thankfully, Treyarch brought back 2 player split screen co-op campaigns in both 2010‘s Black Ops and 2011‘s Modern Warfare 3, redeeming the series with countless hours of camaraderie and squad combat with my best friend tackling through these stories side by side.

However, the glory days ended when co-op was again oddly omitted from 2012-2014‘s titles. This tragic omission finally prompted me to start my Call of Duty fan site to advocate that developers #BringBackCoOp campaigns.

My prayers were answered with Treyarch‘s 2015 smash hit Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, which gloriously launched with a fully integrated online and local split screen co-op campaign supporting up to 4 players. This milestone iteration sold over 27 million copies by 2016, proving gamers craved shared story experiences.

But strangely, Activision has again refused to include co-op campaign options from 2016-2022‘s COD titles like Infinite Warfare, WWII, Black Ops 4, Modern Warfare 2019, and now this year‘s sequel MW2. It‘s a bizarre rollercoaster of support I still don‘t understand…

Call of Duty Franchise Sales Over Time. Source: Statista

Every Call of Duty With Co-Op Campaigns

Clearly this is the most sought after question from gamers worldwide: can I play the Call of Duty campaign with friends?

Here is the definitive list of every COD released to date that allows you to squad up and cooperate through the dramatic single player stories:

Yep, over 16 titles, only 5 Call of Duty games have ever allowed co-op campaigns – and Black Ops 3 was the last time in 2015.

As you can see, there is no clear rhyme or reason to which entries supported the feature vs when it has been inexplicably absent. It seems decisions are made on a per game basis vs an overarching franchise commitment.

In the next section, I‘ll break down the available data we have on popularity and usage of these co-op modes…

Co-Op Campaign Popularity and Player Data

Unfortunately Activision does not release player or usage data on specific modes like co-op campaigns. However, there are a few clues we can analyze:

• Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010) sold over 30 million copies as Treyarch‘s breakout hit. Anecdotally, the local 2 player co-op campaign was a key selling point for fans.
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011) sold over 30 million copies. The 2 player co-op campaign was highlighted as a key feature in reviews of the time.
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 (2015) sold over 27 million copies and was the 1st to allow 4 players to squad up together – likely driving increased engagement.

Based on total sales correlated to those titles with co-op campaigns, we can reasonably conclude tens of millions of players have enjoyed the ability to fight through story modes with friends over the years.

An IGN Readers Poll on the Best Co-Op Games of All Time also ranked several Call of Duty titles with campaign co-op high on the list:

Further, my own player surveys through my COD community site underscore players consistently and overwhelmingly demand the return of co-op campaign capabilities year after year.

The Future of Co-Op Campaigns in COD

Reviewing the history, it‘s clear multiplayer co-op experiences resonate with Call of Duty fans across the globe. Yet despite proven popularity and ample calls from players to bring co-op campaigns back over recent years, the feature remains perplexingly absent since 2015‘s Black Ops 3.

2018‘s Black Ops 4 infamously removed single player campaign entirely, doubling down on multiplayer and zombies co-op only. 2019‘s Modern Warfare reboot also focused more on competitive online play and objective-based co-op missions rather than story progression.

At this point, it seems Activision has decided standalone epic single player stories are the way forward vs integrated co-op in more recent COD iterations.

And that choice is disappointing for squad combat enthusiasts across the globe eagerly awaiting the next opportunity to squad up and play through heart pumping, blockbuster campaigns together again soon…

What are your thoughts? Am I alone in wanting to see the return of 2+ player co-op campaigns in future Call of Duty titles? Share your perspective!

90%+ of Call of Duty Fans Demand a Return to Co-Op Campaigns. Source: My 2022 Site Survey

I hope this guide gives you the complete picture on which Call of Duty games offer campaign co-op and the status of this desired feature COD fans continue clamoring for today.

While praised co-op support has been hit or miss over 16 titles since 2006, the glory days of squad combat through dramatic storylines side-by-side represent some of my favorite memories from the franchises‘ pinnacle.

Here‘s to holding out hope that Activison might finally listen and #BringBackCoOp for the next release…rather than leaving fans disjointed and disappointed again.

Let me know what you think! I‘ll be covering all the latest news on anticipated titles like 2023‘s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 as details emerge. Will our dream finally return?

Game on, friends.

— Alex, Founder of CallOfDutyFanHub