Top 10 Best Call of Duty Maps in History
Published: Apr 24, 2024 - Last Updated: Jun 24, 2024
There are fewer things more iconic in esports than Call of Duty maps. Indeed, the best Call of Duty maps are recognizable by almost anyone who has been around gaming and esports – here’s our list of the top 10 best Call of Duty maps of all time!
Best Call of Duty Maps – Top 10
If you ask anyone who has been playing Call of Duty for the past 10 years, one thing is clear – they don’t make Call of Duty maps like they used to.
While it may not be strictly related to esports betting, well-designed maps makes the game better for everyone.
Bearing this in mind, this list focuses on the all-time best maps, with several subjective criteria such as community influence, map design and personal opinion.
In addition, we’ll try our best to avoid selecting multiple maps from one entry in the Call of Duty franchise.
Here’s our table of the best Call of Duty maps of all time:
| Ranking | Map | CoD Title |
|---|---|---|
| #10 | Firing Range | Call of Duty: Black Ops |
| #9 | Resistance | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 |
| #8 | Castle | Call of Duty: World at War |
| #7 | Raid | Call of Duty: Black Ops II |
| #6 | Shipment | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare |
| #5 | Highrise | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 |
| #4 | Nuketown | Call of Duty: Black Ops II |
| #3 | Hijacked | Call of Duty: Black Ops II |
| #2 | Terminal | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 |
| #1 | Rust | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 |
Let’s dive into each map below!
#10 – Firing Range – BO1
- Location: Cuba, Guantanamo Bay
- Size: Small/Medium
- Game: Black Ops 1
While it was a major part of the early campaign, Firing Range was an equally iconic multiplayer map. Great for any game mode, it’s a flexible map.
First seen in Black Ops 1, this map brought a certain verticality to it with several nooks and crannies along its lanes allowing for a diverse approach to every match.
Beyond the fantastic combination of environments, shooting paper targets while waiting for your next gunfight never gets old.
#9 – Resistance – MWIII
- Location: France, Paris
- Size: Medium/Large
- Game: Modern Warfare III
Plucked straight out of the Parisian avenues, Resistance is the most tasteful map from the third iteration of the Modern Warfare titles.
A cut-out from the epic Campaign mission set in Paris, the winding streets and classy buildings make for a dynamic map with a lot of open space for CoD streamers to enjoy.
Running up stairs, hiding behind vehicles and securing the central building makes for an authentic map which is unforgettable for anyone whose every played it.
Overall, the best game modes here were Domination and Capture the Flag.
#8 – Castle – WaW
- Location: Japan, Okinawa
- Size: Medium
- Game: World at War
Castle from World at War is another example of prioritising a memorable atmosphere while also offering solid map design across CoD games.
Replicating a real castle, Castle utilizes the Japanese architecture, consisting of a Dojo, Main Stairs, Watchtower and many rooftops. In addition, the scattered cherry blossoms are the cherry on the cake.
With everyone fighting to dominate the central tower, with the best vantage point, shotguns and submachine guns can make their way here to then swap to a Sniper.
#7 – Raid – BO2
- Location: USA, Los Angeles
- Size: Medium
- Game: Black Ops II
As our first Black Ops II entry on the list, Raid is not simply one of the top 10 Call of Duty maps of all time due to its design.
Moreover, its significance to competitive Call of Duty makes it so iconic – plays by Fariko Impact, OpTic Gaming and cOmplexity are forever immortalized on this incredible map. These are some of the best Call of Duty teams ever.
Professional CoD players love this map due to its various gunfight opportunities, whether it’s the obelisk with endless head glitches, the central pit or the infinity pool. No wonder it came back in Black Ops 3.
#6 – Shipment – MWI
- Location: Ukraine, Pripyat
- Size: Small
- Game: Modern Warfare
Moving back to Modern Warfare, fans loved how this game integrated the nuclear disaster in Pripyat Ukraine into its unparalleled stealth campaign missions.
Using the setting and a few shipment containers, Shipment is arguably the most chaotic map in the history of Call of Duty.
While sure, it may be a bit crazy, variants of Shipment have appeared in a majority of CoD titles – who doesn’t fancy taking hundreds of fights in the span of 20 minutes?
Few maps can compare to the insanity which Shipment offered.
#5 – Highrise – MWII
- Location: New York, USA
- Size: Large
- Game: Modern Warfare II
Very few maps compare to Highrise for several reasons.
Firstly, when trickshots were a thing, Highrise was the number one map for content creators. Thanks to the abilities of the best CoD players to climb the crane, this allowed for some unthinkable plays and moments – including glitch spots.
Secondly, apart from the trickshots, the massive sight lines allowed for thrilling sniping battles. Meanwhile, if you fancied dodging all the action and rushing to the other side, an underground segment facilitated this too.
#4 – Nuketown – BO2
- Location: Las Vegas, USA
- Size: Small
- Game: Black Ops 2
Based on the real-world nuclear test sites used by the USA in the Cold War, Nuketown immediately caught on with the community.
Treyarch’s equivalent of a ‘Shipment’, Nuketown offered fast-paced action, some long sight lines and close-quarter gunfights.
Brought back to multiple iterations of Call of Duty, Nuketown is a proving ground for content creators to show off their ability to string together killstreaks.
On this map, killstreaks are absolutely lethal.
#3 – Hijacked – BO2
- Location: International waters
- Size: Small
- Game: Black Ops 2
Harking back to Highrise from Modern Warfare 2, Hijacked also made use of the idea of having an underground section.
Set in an undisclosed location, Hijacked offered a more competitive map compared to other small maps such as Nuketown. Dialling down on the chaos slightly, this map still offered the perfect balance of short and medium-range gunfights.
As a fan favourite, this map has returned multiple times and is established as one of the top Call of Duty maps of all-time.
#2 – Terminal – MWII
- Location: Russia, Moscow
- Size: Medium
- Game: Modern Warfare II
Everyone and their aunt knows what Terminal looks like. As one of the faces of Call of Duty, Terminal is famous for two reasons.
To begin with, the iconic campaign mission, where players blend in with terrorists and take part in a massacre, will forever leave a mark in the minds of the community.
Otherwise, waiting at the airport has never been more exciting – the unique settings of an airplane cockpit, a food court and a reception make his map one of the best ever.
No wonder it’s returned so many times in modern Call of Duty titles.
#1 – Rust – MWII
- Location: Afghanistan, Site Hotel Bravo
- Size: Medium
- Game: Modern Warfare II
Whether good or bad, everyone has memories of Rust.
Inspired by the concluding scenes of the MWII story, where the player takes out the treacherous villain Sheperd, this map is simply the best.
Back in the day, any dispute could be resolved on this map, which was seemingly designed for 1v1 conflict. While it was insane for teamplay, in terms of chaos, Rust offered numerous ways of crawling around the map.
And that wraps up our top 10 list – do you disagree with your list? Let us know your opinions in the comments section below!
