Call of Duty: WWII

Call of Duty: WWII marked the series' return to its original World War II setting after years of futuristic, contemporary-styled entries, which many longtime fans welcomed with relief. The story follows a squad from an American infantry division from the landing in Normandy through the campaign across Europe toward Germany, placing emphasis on camaraderie among the soldiers and the human dimension of the war rather than the grand technological effects of the previous futuristic entries. The narrative also tries to capture the darker, rawer sides of war, giving the campaign a heavier weight than had been typical for the series in recent years.

Gameplay-wise, the game returned to a more grounded pace without double jumps or an exoskeleton, while also introducing a squad-leader system that let the player ask squadmates for extra ammo, medkits, or grenades right in the middle of a firefight. Multiplayer offered the War mode, where one team attacks and the other defends a sequential set of objectives on the map, as well as the social space Headquarters, where players could meet and chat outside of combat. With this entry, Sledgehammer Games proved that even a return to a classic World War II setting could deliver clean, well-tuned mechanics for a broad audience.

On PC, the game technically benefited from richly detailed European battlefields, ruins, and villages, as well as atmospheric orchestral music that effectively underscored the serious tone of the wartime narrative. Both critical and player reception was very positive, praised mainly for the return to the series' proven fundamentals and for an emotionally powerful campaign with a human dimension. Within the modern part of the series, WWII is considered one of the more successful attempts at a return to its roots, one that also showed World War II still has plenty to offer new generations of players in today's games industry. The multiplayer community around the game stayed active for several years after release, confirming that the classic World War II setting has a firm place alongside the series' more modern and futuristic entries.

Why play: For fans of World War II stories who'll appreciate the series' return to more grounded combat, an emotional campaign, and atmospheric orchestral music.