Which COD games are connected?

To kick things off simply – the various mainline Call of Duty titles with directly interconnected stories and continuity include:

• The World War 2 era original trilogy (Call of Duty 1, 2, and 3)
• The Black Ops games (World at War, Black Ops 1, 2, 3, and 4)
• The Modern Warfare reboot series (Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Modern Warfare 1, 2, 3)

Now let‘s dive deeper into the narrative threads weaving through each fan-favorite COD sub-series…

Reliving History in COD‘s World War 2 (COD 1-3)

The franchise put players on the frontlines of WWII from the very first Call of Duty game back in 2003. This initial trilogy – consisting of COD 1 in 2003, COD 2 in 2005, and COD 3 in 2006 – all built upon each other to tell one gripping story across various perspectives.

Overarching World War 2 Story Arc

Together, these three titles formed an intricate and emotionally resonant World War 2 narrative:

So while each individual game told self-contained stories, iconic characters like Captain Price maintained presence across games, and the overarching conflict created strong continuity.

Expanding the Scope

This original trilogy also widened the scope and scale of warfare portrayed with each new release:

So while the World War 2 setting remained constant, the scope of combat and stories being told increased substantially over this foundational trilogy.

Black Ops Timeline (World at War – Black Ops Series)

The fan-favorite Black Ops series has the most interwoven storylines and direct sequels of any Call of Duty sub-franchise. Let‘s break down how the covert battles unfold across each core Black Ops game:

World at War Lays the Groundwork

It all began with 2008‘s Call of Duty: World at War, which first introduced key Black Ops characters like Viktor Reznov. Set in WWII, this title kicked off secret missions and conspiracy elements that would shape the frachise‘s future.

Black Ops Flashbacks and Forwards

From there, 2010‘s Call of Duty: Black Ops jumped the timeline back-and-forth to tell an intricate Cold War tale from multiple memory perspectives in vivid 60s/70s settings.

Generational Storytelling

2012‘s Black Ops 2 flashed forward years later, conveying a story across two time periods with Alex Mason in the 80‘s and his son David in 2025. This generational saga raised the narrative complexity.

Total Mind Melt

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 got psychedelic with trips into the minds and dreams of its covert operators. Its 2060s setting with direct neural interfaces created stunning but disorienting sequences.

Tying Past to Present

Finally in 2018‘s Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, connections to previous characters like Reznov emerged to link this prequel story to precedessors. Its Specialist fighters provided fan service echoes of previous Black Ops heroes.

Clearly Treyarch wove increasingly dense and dark stories across these interconnected Black Ops titles spanning settings from World War 2 and Cold Wars to transhumanist future wars.

The Modern Warfare Reboot Trilogy

Beyond just direct sequels, Call of Duty has also delivered follow-ups by rebooting popular sub-series with new continuities. Case in point – the return to contemporary warfare in a reimagined Modern Warfare arc across three blistering blockbusters.

Origins of an Icon

The original Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare completely reinvented COD in 2007 by ditching WWII for fictional yet realistic near-future scenarios. Along with the famous "Nuclear blast" in its climax, this trend-setting title introduced legendary characters like Captain Price and "Soap" MacTavish.

Clarke Reboots Price and Task Force 141

In 2019‘s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, players stepped back into the boots of a rebooted Captain Price as part of Task Force 141. This remarkably refreshed installment provided nostalgia alongside heavy realism and moral gray areas in its "ripped from the headlines" spec ops story.

Soap‘s Son Seeks Vengeance

2022‘s blockbuster Modern Warfare 2 continues the reborn timeline with a grown-up version of "Soap" MacTavish‘s son Kyle crossing paths with Price on a quest for vengeance. This sequel amps up the globe-trotting special forces against-all-odds action to relentless new heights.

While rebooted and not direct prequels, these three Modern Warfare games maintain gripping continuity and nostalgic callbacks to earlier series high points for longtime fans.

COD‘s Shared Universe and Ultimate Crossover Event

Moving beyond isolated series, Call of Duty has recently established more of an interconnected "shared universe" between previously separated sub-franchises like Black Ops and Modern Warfare.

This crossover potential came to fruition in the world of Call of Duty: Warzone – the hit free-to-play battle royale shooter that launched in 2020. Warzone would allow operators, weapons, and other elements from both Black Ops Cold War and Modern Warfare titles to collide dynamically in its matches.

Some examples of this Canonical crossover content in Warzone includes:

• Playable operators like Black Ops‘ Stitch fighting alongside Modern Warfare‘s Ghost

• Shared weapon blueprint pool pulling from both series‘ arsenals in loadout drops

• Combined progression and unlocks across games like leveling up Black Ops guns in Warzone

• Narrative elements like the mobile nuclear bomb from Modern Warfare‘s story emerging in Verdansk

Warzone ultimately accelerated Call of Duty‘s shared universe – seemingly confirming that fan-favorites from previously siloed sub-series like Woods, Mason and Price all co-exist in the same overarching continuity. This converged universe will likely allow past characters to meet and clash in surprising ways in future titles.

For COD lore devotees, unraveling this increasingly dense web of canonical connections across interconnected games and timelines provides endless fun as both player and armchair analyst!