Top 11 Enthralling Games Like “Call of Duty”
What Games Are Like “Call of Duty”?
Remember the simpler times when Call of Duty absolutely dominated the market every year it came out? Not too long ago, COD used to be a benchmark for first-person shooters. Who could forget the grandiose Modern Warfare that changed the whole game, turning the genre upside down?
Over the course of the last few years, the Call of Duty franchise has continued to enjoy a humongous fanbase, while keeping the formula more or less the same. As they say, don’t fix it if it ain’t broke.
COD still tops the charts and rakes in money every year, but it’s starting to feel like the same repackaged game in a new attire. It’s okay to turn away. I understand. For whatever reasons, if you’re looking for some games like Call of Duty to freshen things up, take a look at the list I have compiled.
Games Like “Call of Duty”
- Battlefield (Series)
- Titanfall 2
- PUBG
- Apex Legends
- Spec Ops: The Line
- Metro Exodus
- Escape From Tarkov
- Warface
- Insurgency: Sandstorm
- Post Scriptum
- Squad
1. “Battlefield” (Series)
Developed by Dice and published by EA, this first-person shooter is probably the closest you’ll get to finding a COD alternative.
If you’re tired of playing the same old game, maybe this military first-person shooter is what you need. With over 15 games in the franchise, you have plenty to choose from, though the older games don’t really have many takers in the gaming community. As is the case with most franchises, as soon as a newer iteration comes out, people tend to flock to that.
If you truly want to enjoy what the series has to offer, you should go for Battlefield 1 and Battlefield V, its two latest entries. While multiplayer experience is nothing short of thrilling, the single player element is not too far off as well. Called ‘War Stories’, the story mode is divided into 4–5 timelines, each taking place in a different place and country.
The good thing is, you’ll be free to do the exploring and playing however you want, unlike the COD single player sessions, which suffers from too much hand-holding. After a while, it feels as if you’re watching an interactive movie with almost no control over its narrative. Thankfully, Battlefield series, especially its latest iterations, have changed the formula.
Its semi-open maps allow you to play at your own pace. If you feel like sneaking behind enemies and finishing them off without making too much noise, feel free to try. It’s hard but possible nonetheless. Want to go all guns blazing instead? Take cover and go bonkers. It’s an enthralling experience either way.https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/YXwbrd_gg3c?start=0
2. “Titanfall 2”
Titanfall 2, developed by Respawn Entertainment, is the second game of the franchise, improving on the first one in every way possible. For starters, they have addressed the biggest complaint by giving players what the first game lacked—a single player campaign. And it’s no filler either. Though the single player storyline is short, lasting around 4–6 hours, it’s an engrossing experience all the way through. I would rather have a great short campaign than a lengthy but mediocre one.
Titanfall 2 retains the fluidity and mobility of the first game with some changes and augments here and there to improve its shooting and movement mechanics. As with the first game, the fighting involves the traditional gunfights as well as the mech fights, where everyone is controlling a giant mech in a bid to demolish each other.
Despite its fast-paced shooting and movement, Titanfall 2 is a thinking man’s shooter game. You just can’t run amok in the hopes of conquering the map. Patience and strategy is the key, which means you’ll often have to switch in and out of your mech depending upon the need of the hour. Fast, fluid, and fun—Titanfall 2 is one of the best games like Call of Duty.https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/VqeMjHmL9eg?start=36
3. “PUBG”
A little buggier and perhaps a little slower than COD, PUBGshould be a perfect fit for those looking for something new. Bucking the trend, Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) has made the battle royale sub-genre immensely popular.
Here is how it works; 100 players are dumped into a huge map to fight it out. You land with nothing but rags and loot everything on sight as soon as possible before someone else does. Get the guns, ammo, and some armor, and you’re all set for an epic firefight. You can go in alone or play with a team. In the case of the former, you’ll need to kill everyone else on the map in order to win.
Team matches, however, require more patience and strategy. Killing every other team on the map sounds like a straightforward job but things become complicated when you add a shrinking map to the equation. Every few minutes, the map becomes smaller, which means an inevitable all-out war.
Though it lacks the splendor of games like Call of Duty or Battlefield, PUBG puts its own spin on the shooter genre—something almost every first and third person shooter is blatantly imitating these days.https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/hfjazBN0DwA?start=0
4. “Apex Legends”
Developed by Respawn Entertainment and published by EA, Apex Legends is the latest game to join the battle royale fad. Unlike countless blatant imitations, however, Legends holds its own. While it borrows loads of elements from games like PUBG, Fortnite, and Respawn’s own Titanfall series, this first-person shooter carves up its own identity.
It easily stands head and shoulders above its competition, thanks to a well-polished game with a stable launch—something not many battle royale shooters have managed to achieve so far. Though it’s still light on content, there is still a lot you can do here. Respawn will definitely be looking to add more modes and content as soon as possible, especially after the recent plummeting in the player base. Despite being a fun game, it’s apparent that players are not too happy with the lack of content. Here is hoping that they address it soon enough.
Coming to the good part, Apex Legends feels buttery smooth, right from the get-go. Even if you’ve never played a first-person shooter before, it’s easy to learn the ropes here, thanks to a well laid-out tutorial mode that explains everything.
It’s hard to trust any product where EA is involved these days, especially when it comes to RPGs, but they produce some of the best first-person shooters the gaming industry has to offer. Go on. Give it a shot.https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/Kw2SpMIxtyU?start=0
5. “Spec Ops: The Line”
A sandstorm has brought the city of Dubai down on its knees, destroying everything. Once a beautiful city, everything is almost in shambles. Even the towering buildings now lay buried beneath the sand. Most people have fled the city, but some still remain stuck, unable to flee.
That’s where you along with your A.I. teammates come to the rescue. It’s your job to lead the team through all the madness and chaos and find the remaining survivors. With no other help in sight, you must go deep in the ruins in a bid to save as many as you can. A straightforward job, right? It’s not up until a few hours into the game that you realize how messed up things can get here.
The first two hours are generic at best, where you’ll rinse and repeat the same thing you’ve done countless times in other mediocre games. Kill the bad guys, take a few steps, and then kill some more. Things, however, heat up soon enough when you’re compelled to make decisions—something that will impact not only you and your teammates but the whole city. Let me warn you beforehand though; nobody ever wins here. Every choice you make, no matter how noble it seems, will come back to haunt you.
With the city on its last legs, sometimes saving your own skin, no matter how selfish it seems, is the best idea. This unflinchingly cruel shooter is much darker in tone than Call of Duty. Brace yourself!https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/kIoJnMT3yUI?start=21
6. “Metro Exodus”
Based on novels written by Dmitry Glukhovsky, Metro Exodus is the latest entry in the long-running Metro series. The first two games in the series, Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light, takes place after an all-out nuclear war, wiping out everything. The only lucky ones surviving the detonations are those who were traveling in the underground metros.
Forced to live in the underground tunnels, thanks to the war that destroyed everything on the surface and made it inhabitable, these few last remnants of humanity must continue fighting against all the odds.
While 2033 and Last Night stays underground for the most part, seldom venturing out on the desolate surface, the latest iteration of the franchise reveals that there’s life possible on the surface as well. Miller, our protagonist, with his wife, must undertake the daring missions in a bid to survive and thrive.
Metro Exodus, unlike most of the first-person shooters, is not a run and gun experience. It’s a story-heavy game with a focus on exploration and stealth. You’ll be spending tons of time exploring every nook and cranny of its open-ended maps in a bid to uncover more of the story and find some loot. Though there’s no multiplayer, Metro Exodus is the best bet for those looking for a change in pace.https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/fbbqlvuovQ0?start=0
7. “Escape From Tarkov”
Escape From Tarkov is the Dark Souls of the first-person-shooter genre, except that there’s not even a tutorial to get you started. With trial and error as the only method to learn its subtle mechanics, you’re guaranteed to die more than a few times before you even learn the basics.
Developed by Battlestate Games, a small indie studio, Escape From Tarkov is clearly inspired by the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series. While the latter pits you against A.I. opponents, Escape from Tarkov brings PVP on the table as well, making for one-of-a-kind experience where you constantly have to fend off against not only the enemy A.I. but real players as well.
Still in early access, Escape from Tarkov currently features only four maps. Larger maps host around 10 players while smaller ones will put you against 4–5 players.
Expect the first few hours to be hellish as you learn the ropes. It’s a difficult game to master. You must learn the rules of the wasteland before going in. Unlike Call of Duty where you soak damage and heal automatically on a lower difficulty, in this game 2–3 hits anywhere on the body are more than enough to kill. If you’re lucky enough to survive despite being shot, you’ll need to heal manually, provided you have the appropriate items in the inventory.
Escaping from the hellhole where everything wants to kills you, can be an engrossing experience. Once you familiarize yourself with the basics, it’s a blast all the way through.
If you’re looking for a challenging game like Call of Duty, Escape From Tarkov should be right up your alley.
8. “Warface”
Available on PC, Xbox One, PS4, and Xbox 360, Warface is a free-to-play shooter developed and published by Crytek. Though this shoot-em-up doesn’t bring anything new to the table, it refines the tried and tested formula in a refreshing way, serving the same old content in a much more organized manner.
Fast forward over five years from its release, the game has been successful enough for developers to allocate a separate team for continuous updates and bringing forth new content. It has come a long way after its lackluster release back in 2013, adding much needed new modes and new content in the form of new maps, weapons, quests, and enemies, with more than a few handful tweaks along the way.
Despite its stupid name, something I wish they would change, Warface remains a fun free-to-play shooter with loads of game modes and challenges. As long as you don’t expect the pristine quality of blockbuster games, this first-person shooter should fit the fill.
9. “Insurgency Sandstorm”
Are you tired of mindlessly running and gunning? If yes, Insurgency Sandstorm is a perfect fit. It’s a perfect blend of realism and fun gameplay to make you feel as if you’re in the battleground for real. Every shot you take at your enemies feels authentic, every bullet you waste has its value, and every hit you take has the potential to kill you, especially if it’s a headshot. If you’re lucky, one-shot will not kill you, but your health will take a significant hit for the rest of the time.
War is never pretty, though it might seem like the case, thanks to countless movies, shows, and games glorifying it. Sandstorm, however, shows you the harrowing nightmare these wars often are. When you shoot and kill an enemy, for instance, they scream in anguish before going down for good. If you’re not prepared, it can be disturbing. As I said, it’s no Call of Duty or Battlefield. There is blood, gore, and tonnes more violence than you’re used to in the CoD series.
10. “Post Scriptum”
Despite being released over 2 years ago on Steam, it’s quite possible that you have not heard of this military tactical shooter yet. I was on the same boat, but I recently stumbled upon this underrated gem, thanks to Steam recommendations. It looked like a mindless fun game where I could spend some time before moving on to the next title. To my surprise, Post Scriptum exceeded all my expectations, turning out to be a totally different game than I’d expected.
This WW2 shooter goes off the beaten path, leaning more on the side of shooting simulators than casual shooters. That’s not to say that the game is a hardcore sim like the Arma series, but you should be prepared to sink in some ours to learn the basics of the game. Unlike the CoD series where you can be a lone wolf, if you want to, you’ll need to stick with the team and communicate with them. Even if you’re an aim god, going solo with no communication often ends up with your team on the losing side. If you see an enemy for instance, but you don’t have clear shot, callout their position and see if any of your teammates can take the shot.
Brace yourself for long walks and sprints before getting any action. The maps usually are pretty humungous, far bigger than the likes of Call of Duty. It goes without saying that Post Scriptum is not for the casual audience. Once the learn the ropes, this military sim can be a lot of fun.
11. “Squad”
Think Post Scriptum, but in the present era and you’ve got Squad, a tactical first person shooter from Bohemia Interactive, the same guys who brought you the hardcore Arma series.
If you’ve played Arma, it won’t take much time to get into Squad. Before you jump into to the Battlefield, it’s pretty essential that you familiarize yourself with its controls. Unlike COD where you only have a handful of buttons or keys to push for action, you’ll have to remember almost the whole keyboard mapping here. It’s overwhelming at first, but you get used to it after some time.
Another habit one might have to change is of running around going all guns blazing. You simply can’t do that here. Again, teamwork and communication plays a huge role here. Since enemies are hard to see, especially if they’re wearing the same outfit, you’ll someone in your team to scope them out. Every member of the squad has a specific role. For instance, if you’re the commander of the team, you’re supposed to stay behind the cover and direct your team to victory. Leave the running and gunning to riflemen. As long as everyone is playing their roles to perfection, you’ll have a good time here.
Did I miss out on any other good games like Call of Duty? Let me know in the comments section.
