Call of Duty: Vanguard

Like clockwork, another year, another Call of Duty. This time, Sledgehammer is back at it, the studio’s first new Call of Duty since 2017’s WWII. Headed back to that war, the studio is this time focused on exploring another angle—or several angles—of WWII that we don’t normally hear about. It was called “World War,” after all, and Vanguard focuses the light on different theaters of war around the ...

Does Call of Duty: Vanguard advance the series in any meaningful way? Of course not, but that doesn’t stop it from being a fantastic package for Call of Duty fans, or a good entry point for those seeking a way in. The campaign here is brief but captivating, managing to make you feel for its band of heroes despite your short time with them. Zombies has some interesting twists that keep you on your ...

All in all, Call of Duty: Vanguard is a solid yet unremarkable entry into the long-running franchise. On a technical level, it's one of the most impressive games out there right now. On a gameplay level, it's nothing you haven't seen before.

Sledgehammer Games clearly had high ambitions when approaching their third solo Call of Duty project. Doubling down on World War II was a smart idea to help the studio carve out its own identity separate from Infinity Ward and Treyarch. While Call of Duty: Vanguard doesn't break the mold, it does succeed on most fronts, delivering one of the better multiplayer experiences in years for the franchis...

Call of Duty: Vanguard doesn’t drive the franchise forward in any major ways, but its tense, cinematic campaign and satisfying multiplayer modes are worth experiencing.

Tweaks in multiplayer and Zombies advance the Call of Duty franchise overall, and an emphasis on distinct characters makes Vanguard's story fun, but it doesn't always mix well with the series' gameplay.

What you know to be true about Call of Duty continues to be true in Vanguard, though there are some surprisingly earnest characters in the campaign and an expectedly addictive suite of multiplayer maps and modes.

It may sound like we're being a bit down on this year's Call of Duty, but it's only because we know the franchise has potential. Warzone has proved it with multiplayer and Black Ops Cold War showcased it with its campaign. We hoped this would build upon those foundations, but instead it steps back into familiar territory. It's not a bad game by any means - in fact, even at its worst it's better th...

If Activision could pick and choose when the Call of Duty series is hot or not, this would be the year where it goes all guns blazing. The publisher faces more competition than usual as Battlefield 2042 and Halo Infinite go toe to toe with its premier FPS, tussling for both mindshare and your time. Consumers are spoilt for choice should they choose to look elsewhere, and with Call of Duty: Vanguar...

Despite some impressive moments, Sledgehammer's WWII shooter struggles to stand out.

Three distinct game modes vary so much in quality - this is the most up and down Call of Duty in years.

“While it adds some interesting new features to the Call of Duty formula, Vanguard's mixed bag of changes makes it a forgettable entry.”