10 Top Games Like Call of Duty: The Best CoD Alternatives in 2024
The remake of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is one of those things that could have just been avoided with a little planning. Not the game itself — they had to launch that eventually. But it launched in a state that made plenty of people wish it’d had more time in the oven.
The vagaries of board room decisions have left many COD fans with burning questions. Namely: why did this have to happen? And is there anything else to play?
Don’t worry! I got you. My misspent youth and adulthood are finally coming in handy, and I can help with both of those things.
Before you play any of these games, remember that online games are best played with an extra layer of security. PIA VPN encrypts your traffic to make it harder for third parties to spy on you. It also prevents activity-based ISP throttling, and can even keep you protected against DDoS attacks.
Table of Contents
What happened to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023 Version)?What to Play Instead of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023 Version)
Single Player & Co-op PVE
Conclusion
FAQ
What happened to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023 Version)?
In a year when we had Gollum, and Skull Island: Rise of Kong — and in a year when we no longer have The Day Before at all — the drama surrounding this year’s COD game hardly seems like much. Still, this is the internet, therefore people are upset.
And they do have some reason to be upset. Aside from the fact that Activision decided to remake the Modern Warfare series and not change the name at all, the series has had a mixed reception in recent years. While the first and second games were generally well regarded, MW2 (2022) made controversial changes to the multiplayer. Moreover, the first version of Warzone actually got shut down, and Warzone players in particular were forced to switch.
This is pure speculation, but the mixed reception to MW2 was probably partially responsible for MW3 being released only a year later. Call of Duty has mostly steered away from yearly releases, so this came as something of a shock to the COD community.
But they really should have waited.
On November 2nd, 2023, the MW3 campaign was released on its own for those who’d pre-purchased the game. Activision promised that the multiplayer would come later, and people began to dive into the story. They would resurface an average of five and a half hours later (Thank you HowLongToBeat.com), complaining of several things:
- A comparatively short campaign.
- Uninspired level design.
- Assets largely reused from Warzone and reused multiplayer maps.
- A completely forgettable story.
What’s more, you’d still have to download 172GB on PC, and well over 200GB for consoles.
I’d like to be completely clear on one thing: I don’t blame the devs for this. They were given roughly sixteen months to develop the whole game, which is very little for this kind of title. Back when COD was doing yearly releases, it was because three different studios were working on games at the same time.
It’s often noted that this was the same amount of time given to the team that developed Call of Duty: Vanguard… and that was not well received either.
And then came the multiplayer and this? Well this could have gone better, and it could have gone worse. The greatest strength of the multiplayer for MW3 (2023) is also its greatest weakness in some respects: it’s basically the MW2 multiplayer with some tweaks.
By all accounts, it’s solid. Not terribly buggy, some quality of life improvements, what you’ve seen before is what you get. If you enjoyed the multiplayer in COD’s last game, you’re in luck. Go nuts. For everyone who bounced off that game, and there were quite a few, you might be looking hard for an alternative.
What to Play Instead of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023 Version)
This is a tough one. The Call of Duty franchise is so far beyond the point where they do just one or two things. For better and for worse, the franchise offers a very wide range of experiences, and it’s hard to find a game that does it all just like COD.
So we’re going to separate this list into categories, to try to make sure there’s something for everyone. We’re writing this with the assumption that readers will generally prefer COD’s signature mix of pseudo-realism and arcade-shooter gameplay.
It is thanks to that assumption that a lot of really good games that were just a bit too different didn’t make the list.
Single Player & Co-Op PVE
There are a lot more games I could list here but they’re all… old? Veteran fans have probably played them, and newer fans might have trouble getting them to run. Here’s the best of what’s recent and playable.
Battlefield 1 (2016)
Listen, I’m not just going to tell COD fans to “just go play Battlefield” and call it a day. As a BF fan, that would be funny, but not helpful. I am very specifically recommending the War Stories campaigns for Battlefield 1, where you control several different protagonists across this incredibly bloody, and tragic, war. The opening mission alone is worth the price of admission. No spoilers!
Platforms: PC, PS4 +, Xbox One +
Titanfall 2
I am very aware that large portions of the COD fanbase didn’t like it when COD had wallrunning and jetpacks and stuff. I am begging you to play this campaign regardless. It was made by former COD devs over at Respawn, one of the most celebrated studios out there. This campaign will show you why we love them so much.
Platforms: PC, PS4 +, Xbox One +
Back 4 Blood
Call of Duty: Zombies is a very popular co-op mode. Indeed, many say that the Zombies mode in MW3 is actually great! But there are also like… a ton of full games dedicated to the same concept.
In particular, Back 4 Blood is the spiritual successor to Left 4 Dead, made by pretty much the same people. Despite an admittedly rough launch, the game is in a pretty good spot now. If you want to run around shooting hordes of zombies with your friends in a desperate attempt to survive, it’s a great time to jump in.
Platforms: PC, PS4 +, Xbox One +
General Multiplayer
Luckily, there are actually quite a few games that set out to recreate COD’s general multiplayer formula, usually with their own little twists.
Expert Tip: When you’re playing a multiplayer game online, every millisecond matters. In some cases, a gaming VPN can help lower your ping and improve your response time. Choose a VPN server that’s close to your gaming server for a smoother, more direct connection.
Ironsight
Ironsight basically is COD, but legally distinct enough that it gets to keep existing. If you like COD, you’re basically guaranteed to like this… clone from another mother? Does that work? In any case, I should note that this is a free to play game. That means you’ll have to deal with the usual F2P grind, or pay to get some of the weapons faster.
Platforms: PC
Shatterline
Shatterline is another free title with great gunplay, an interesting world/setting, and most of the usual multiplayer modes you’d expect. It also has a ton of co-op PVE missions for those who’d like to just hang with friends for a bit and shoot monsters.
Platforms: PC
Combat Master: Season 1
Available for both PC and mobile, Combat Master: Season 1 is a very COD-like game, similar to Ironsight, but newer. And it’s also free. With modern gameplay systems, and graphics that are designed to be fast and smooth even on lower end hardware, this title is an incredibly promising alternative to COD.
Platforms: PC, Android, iOS
Don’t miss our list of the best free games you can play in your browser.
BattleBit Remastered
So this game has a bit more in common with the Battlefield franchise than it does with Call of Duty. Not gonna lie. However, if you want some of the action you’d normally get in the Ground War or Invasion modes, BattleBit Remastered delivers that in spades, with a gameplay loop that has actually attracted a lot of big names and attention.
Platforms: PC
Special Mention: XDefiant
At the time of writing this, XDefiant isn’t out yet. However, I personally played in both the closed and open betas, and I think it will be a strong contender to COD when it does come out. It combines the best aspects of the COD formula with mechanics taken straight from hero shooters, and it’s fun.
Platforms: PC, PS4 +, Xbox One +
Battle Royale & Extraction Shooters
Apex Legends
Remember those former COD devs over at Respawn that made Titanfall 2? They also made Apex Legends, a wildly popular free-to-play battle royale game, with very similar, COD-feeling gunplay, and a hero shooter twist. It’s also set in the same Titanfall universe, with an ongoing story of sorts, so lore junkies can get their fix here too.
Platforms: PC, PS4 +, Xbox One +, Nintendo Switch
Marauders
COD’s DMZ mode is basically dead, and Tarkov has some issues that make it hard to recommend, so here’s my pick:
Marauders is a “boots on the ground” — well, “boots on the deck” — style tactical extraction shooter. It’s like most extraction shooters: get in, grab loot, avoid getting killed by NPCs or other teams, and get out. The twist is that it’s happening in space, on derelict ships left behind by humanities wars. It might not have the usual COD aesthetic, and it might be in Early Access, but it is also leaving a very good impression on players in general.
Platforms: PC
Why PIA Is the Best VPN for Gaming
PIA has 10-Gbps VPN servers all around the world, so you can always find a server in the location you need. We don’t cap your data transfer, so you can play securely for as long as you like.
PIA encrypts all your online activity and hides your IP address. This means you can bypass activity-related ISP throttling and stay protected from DDoS attacks while you’re gaming.
In addition, PIA supports gaming on any hardware: PCs, consoles, and even smartphones. A single account gives you unlimited simultaneous device connections.
It’s risk-free to try it out with our 30-day money-back guarantee.
Conclusion: We’re Not Hurting for COD-Style Games
The mess with the campaign aside, MW3 is a solid title, and plenty of COD fans will be sticking with its various multiplayer modes, the latest incarnation of Warzone in particular, and COD Zombies. To them I say, “Hey, I’m glad you’re having a good time. Good on ya!”
But for everyone who wants an alternative, there are tons. Not so many good recent alternatives for single player campaigns, not in the Call of Duty style, but there are so many that nail the multiplayer formula. And many of them are free.
I’d suggest using PIA VPN for the extra security, then trying a bunch of them out. See what you like!
FAQ
Absolutely. Pros and casuals alike will often use a gaming VPN all the time to help reduce lag (under the right circumstances), hide their IP address, or play with friends around the world.
Well, being an incredibly fast-paced game, you want a fast VPN to make sure that lag doesn’t get you taken out by every sniper in the lobby. PIA VPN has 10-Gbps servers all around the globe. It’ll help you get a fast connection to the game servers of your choice.
In terms of general multiplayer gameplay, with the classic modes, that title currently goes to two games, actually: Ironsight, and Combat Master: Season 1. They both make use of the COD formula with very little deviation. If you want “more COD but not COD”, these are the titles to look at.
That’s a difficult question, and you’ll get as many different answers as there are COD games. With a fanbase as large as that of COD, it’s tough to judge. In general, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007) is highly regarded, and I think that’s as good an answer as any.
Although — and I will annoy a lot of people by saying this — I don’t think Infinite Warfare was given a fair chance.
At the time of writing, Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010) is the best-selling game in the franchise to date, with over 31 million copies sold. That’s a lot. Can’t deny it.
Comments are closed.
2 Comments
There were big differences in the way MW3 played versus MW2. It took a long time to get used to it. The biggest difference was a much longer time to kill (TTK). That can be seen as a good thing or bad thing. I dislike it because it is very unrealistic. Opponents seem to soak up damage with little reaction to being hit at all. If you are hit by a bullet irl, it is going to hurt and possibly incapacitate you almost instantly. The TTK in MW2 was perfect imo. It helped move matches because campers can’t react instantly to people pushing. In MW3, it has devolved into camping a lot, which is most realistic, but kind of boring. It really rewards scoping with much bigger maps, so if you like camping with a sniper, you will love MW3. I have seen a LOT of bugs on PC, not just a few. On almost every game there is a texture problem or someone in the floor. I have had to tweak it a lot to run without DirectX errors also. That is due to it being an AMD-developed title and I have an nVidia 4080. Console is probably better because this is a game developed on console and they all use AMD GPUs due to power savings with the more efficient architecture… I am looking for an alternative to MW3 because I am tired of dumping money into it. $70 for this game was a ripoff.
Thanks for the feedback!