Over the years, the Call of Duty series has been responsible for some of the best FPS multiplayer maps ever. With annual releases since 2005, there are bound to be some classics.
I’m sorting the treasure from the trash to bring you the 10 best Call of Duty multiplayer maps from the series’ history. While it’s a subjective list, just beware that I’m totally right with these rankings. Obviously.
10. Rust
- First appearance: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009)
If you grew up a gamer in 2009, you might be familiar with the phrase “1v1 me on Rust.” This tiny map debuted in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and became an instant hit with players due to its small size and various levels of elevation, making for constant action.
Rust matches were absolute chaos from start to finish, so its subsequent returns in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) and Modern Warfare 3 (2023) were exciting. Explosive action, easy XP – what’s not to love?
9. Vacant
- First appearance: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007)
The dark corridors of Vacant make for some epic close-quarters fights. It goes underappreciated in the series’ long history, but I can appreciate that Vacant matches were unlike anything else. This uncertainty of where your next fight came from made Vacant one of the best Search and Destroy maps in Call of Duty history.
While appearances in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) and the 2019 Modern Warfare reboot followed, it’s difficult to top the dreary atmosphere of the 2007 original.
8. Castle
- First appearance: Call of Duty: World at War (2008)
Call of Duty: World at War‘s Castle oozes atmosphere. Set in WW2-era Japan, it’s a map with something for everyone. Various tight lanes allow for intense close-quarters combat, although there are several sniper’s nests that players can use to shackle up and camp out some kills.
Despite being asymmetrical, Castle works exceptionally well in almost every game mode. It never got its props, but I was ecstatic to see it return in 2021’s Call of Duty: Vanguard.
7. Firing Range
- First appearance: Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010)
If you’re looking for action-packed Domination or Headquarters matches, it doesn’t get much better than Firing Range. It’s set in, you guessed it, a military firing range, subtly adhering to the series’ standard three-lane approach while cleverly drawing players toward the center.
Treyarch knows what a gem it created, too, with it returning in Black Ops 2 as Studio and Black Ops 3 and 4 as Firing Range once more.
6. Standoff
- First appearance: Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (2012)
Based in a tiny border town, Standoff is a small map that still encourages long-distance engagements. Multiple levels of verticality near flag sites make Standoff an excellent Domination map.
Standoff came back for Black Ops Cold War, and there’s no doubt that Treyarch will revisit this one in the future.
5. Terminal
- First appearance: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009)
Whenever you played Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, you prayed for a Terminal match. It’s awesome for every play style. You’ve got medium-range engagements through the terminal, close-range fights in the airplane, and long-distance lanes great for snipers littered around the map.
Terminal is the best Search and Destroy map in the entire series. It has plenty of hiding spots, where one mistake is fatal and can lose you the whole round. One of the bomb sites being on the plane is a stroke of genius, as it makes it extremely difficult for the attackers to get a foothold on the map due to the difficulty of the close-range encounters.
4. Shipment
- First appearance: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007)
Shipment is the smallest map in the Call of Duty series, yet one of the best. The map is filled with shipping containers, filtering players down several lanes in what is essentially one small square. This makes for beyond-chaotic matches, which are perfect for farming XP and earning camos extremely fast.
After its first appearance in the original Modern Warfare, it later returned in the 2019 reboot, too. The series’ love affair with Shipment continued, swiftly appearing in Vanguard as well as Modern Warfare 2 and 3.
3. Hijacked
- First appearance: Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (2012)
Everyone loves Hijacked. Symmetrical mayhem on a luxurious super yacht. Two main interior structures allow for interesting close-range fights, while the exterior is where you’ll find many medium-range engagements. You’re never far from your next gunfight on Hijacked, making it one of the most fast-paced maps Call of Duty has ever seen.
As a multiplayer map, Hijacked only ever returned in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. I’m hoping it’s not the last time we see it.
2. Crash
- First appearance: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007)
Crash is a masterclass in map design. The crashed helicopter in the map’s center is the focal point, with all avenues leading back to it. This naturally brings all the players together to one area of the map, creating a constant battle for control of that center.
Because of this, Crash feels much smaller than it is. That’s a compliment – it never gets boring, which is why it returned in both 2009’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and 2019‘s Modern Warfare reboot, its layout virtually untouched. It’s pretty much perfection anyway, and comfortably one of the best Call of Duty maps ever.
1. Nuketown
- First appearance: Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010)
Two tiny show homes separated by one small street make for the best Call of Duty map ever. It’s all chaos, all of the time, as players dart around this extremely small map, trying to farm as many kills as possible. The original version of Nuketown placed the map at a nuclear test site, creating an eerie vibe that made it instantly iconic.
At this point, it’s not a Treyarch game without Nuketown, with variations featured in every Black Ops title. Pick your poison. Nuketown 2025. Nuk3town. Иuk3toши. Nuketown ’84. No matter which iteration you play, it’s all a spin on the same classic formula established back in Call of Duty: Black Ops.
Published: Oct 25, 2024 04:57 pm