Were Any Call Of Duty Killers Actually Good?

Call of Duty has reigned atop the competitive FPS scene for nearly two decades. Beginning with Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, the franchise's signature blend of PvP and addictive progression systems reshaped how games of all kinds handle competitive multiplayer modes, pioneering ideas like killstreak rewards and prestige.

Many other games have tried to take Call of Duty's crown, earning themselves the title of "CoD killer," but so far, none have succeeded in claiming the throne. However, that doesn't mean that those games aren't good in their own right. They may not be Call of Duty, but these "CoD killers" are still worth your time.

To be clear, we're not saying that these games are better than Call of Duty, just that they're worthwhile games that tried (and failed) to compete with Call of Duty.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2

The Last Of The Old School

To be clear, many Battlefield fans will cite BF3 and BF4 as the best games in the franchise, and the games that most adequately compete with Call of Duty on the competitive shooter front. Why aren't we covering those instead? For one, those two games deliberately steered the franchise closer to CoD's formula, striving for realism and competitive gunplay above all else. Second, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is the last game in the series — and one of the last military shooters in general — to embrace the idea of pure arcadey fun.

Still sporting some of the best multiplayer maps in the series, Bad Company 2 encourages experimentation and creativity over tactics, the exact opposite of later entries. Environmental destruction is present to a much higher degree than later entries as well, ensuring that maps shift and evolve differently throughout every match, once again reinforcing the idea of acting on the fly and throwing caution to the wind. The extensive destruction physics also amplify the effect (and importance) of the game's vehicles, adding to the chaos of every match.

Medal Of Honor

End Of An Era

We're now going to buck the previous justifications entirely, because 2010's Medal of Honor is so clearly a CoD clone that reviewers were harder on it for that reason alone. Back in the 2000s, it was actually Call of Duty that acted as the "Medal of Honor killer," and in a last-ditch effort to preserve the franchise, Danger Close and EA pivoted towards their competitor's formula.

Is Medal of Honor better than Call of Duty? No, but is it still a really fun game with solid multiplayer, top-notch gunplay, and best-in-class sound design? Absolutely. If Call of Duty didn't exist and Medal of Honor emerged in a vacuum, it would have been a massive hit. Alas, that was not the case, but that doesn't mean that this is a bad game. Quite the opposite, it's a ton of fun, and a great palette cleanser between yearly CoD releases.

Crysis 2

More Akin To CoD Than To The First Game

The first Crysis wasn't just a technical showpiece; it was the technical showpiece. Simply having a PC that could run this monster was a status symbol, and having a PC that couldn't became a meme. As much as console fans hoped that their home system might one day be able to run it, that day took 13 years to arrive, when the remaster was released on PS4 and Xbox One. To make the series more accessible, Crysis 2 did away with the open-world and immersive sim elements and instead veered more towards linear FPS trends of the time, which invariably drove Crytek towards Call of Duty.

Strangely enough, while this sequel alienated fans of the original almost immediately, the fusion of CoD's formula with Crysis' patented technologically enhanced soldier gameplay is a match made in heaven. The campaign is fun on its own, but the Nanosuit powers make PvP feel like a battle between super soldiers. It's an awesome twist on the standard competitive FPS without getting too into the weeds with wild ideas. It also looked absolutely fantastic on the PS3, maintaining the series' reputation of achieving bar-setting visuals.

The Finals

What If CoD Were A Game Show?

There aren't many modern FPS games willing to go toe-to-toe with Call of Duty these days, but one game that has been relatively successful in doing so is The Finals. Developed by Emark Studios (which went on to make the even more successful ARC Raiders), The Finals is a free-to-play competitive shooter set in the midst of a deadly game show that features impressively destructible environments that make every match play out differently.

The Finals differentiates itself from CoD through its lengthier time-to-kill and unique game modes. One example is Cashout, a mix of Capture the Flag and Conquest, which requires you to collect cash and then deposit it in a Cashout Station. Cash is typically acquired by opening Vaults, then transporting the cash box to a Cashout Station. However, both opening Vaults and depositing cash happen on a timer and must be defended from opponents for you to secure the loot. It's inspired ideas like this that make The Finals stand out.

Titanfall 2

The King Of The Campaign

Titanfall 2 is highly regarded largely for its fantastic single-player campaign, and that alone is enough to warrant a spot on this list. It is widely considered one of the best FPS campaigns of all time, with spectacular level design and a surprisingly emotional narrative between Jack Cooper and his Titan, BT. Anyone who hasn't tried Titanfall 2 yet should pick it up just for the campaign, because it really is exceptional.

However, the PvP is quietly really solid as well. Its foundation is very similar to CoD, likely because the founders and development leads at Respawn Entertainment were also development leads on Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. That said, Titanfall 2 expands on the formula, giving pilots enhanced speed and maneuverability, while Titans slow things down but deal massive, match-altering damage. It's a shame this series has been on hiatus for so long, because it really was a welcome addition to the FPS scene.

Killzone 3

Brutal, Gritty Sci-Fi Warfare

The Killzone series was originally considered more of a "Halo killer," but once CoD became the big dog in the yard, this sci-fi series had a new opponent. These games always took a more bleak and gritty approach to sci-fi than Halo anyway, with technology that was a lot more grimy than Master Chief's futuristic tech. The campaign in Killzone 3 is pretty solid, although it doesn't quite rival Killzone 2, but the star of the show is unquestionably the fantastic multiplayer.

"Polish" is the word to describe Killzone 3. Guerilla Games has always hung its hat on this quality (just look at the Horizon series), and it is on full display in Killzone 3's PvP modes. Map designs are nearly perfect, but have a unique futuristic quality that fits perfectly with the game's aesthetic. Gunplay is excellent, kills are brutal, and the skill ceiling is impressively high, allowing you to feel yourself improving rather than just waiting to unlock the best gear. Since it was locked to the PS3, Killzone 3 never really stood a chance at competing with a multi-platform release like CoD, but it certainly pulls its weight.

Battlefield 6

Next Man Up

Yes, we're featuring a second Battlefield game here, not because this series is the only worthwhile "CoD killer," but because Battlefield 6 is the most recent game to take a swing at the King. Its fans are even claiming that it's the modern "CoD killer," so it has to be talked about here. It's especially notable after the failure of Battlefield 2042 that the series came back so strong in its next entry.

Much of Battlefield 6 is familiar, but amplified through modern hardware. More detailed environments, more spectacular destruction scenarios, bigger maps, etc. However, several new features have been added as well, such as the ability to lean around corners and drag teammates to safety before reviving them. New Combat Zones in each map also force you into close-quarters combat in ways that previous games never would. Releasing at the perfect time after a down year for Call of Duty, Battlefield 6 was the best-selling video game of 2025 in the U.S., and for good reason. The series is back in a big way, and its fans couldn't be happier.