# Call of Duty: Vanguard
**Call of Duty: Vanguard** is a 2021 first-person shooter developed by [Sledgehammer Games](https://www.edgepedia.org/sledgehammer-games) and published by [Activision](https://www.edgepedia.org/activision), set in World War II and built around a campaign, multiplayer, and a Zombies mode.[1](https://liquipedia.net/callofduty/Vanguard) It launched worldwide on November 5, 2021 for [PlayStation 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation-4), PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.[2](https://investor.activision.com/node/34441) • [3](https://as.com/meristation/2021/11/05/noticias/1636140454_246169.html) Development was led by Sledgehammer Games, with Treyarch leading development for Zombies.[2](https://investor.activision.com/node/34441)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | November 5, 2021, on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC[2](https://investor.activision.com/node/34441) • [3](https://as.com/meristation/2021/11/05/noticias/1636140454_246169.html) |
| Developer / publisher | Sledgehammer Games (lead), Treyarch (Zombies); published by Activision[2](https://investor.activision.com/node/34441) |
| Setting | World War II across the Eastern and Western Fronts of Europe, the Pacific, and North Africa[4](https://www.callofduty.com/pl/vanguard/home) |
| Modes | Campaign, Multiplayer, and Zombies[5](https://www.callofduty.com/blog/2021/11/call-of-duty-vanguard-boot-camp-first-10-hours-tips) |
| Metascore | 73 on PlayStation 5 (34 positive, 34 mixed, 0 negative of 72 reviews); 72 on PC[6](https://www.metacritic.com/game/call-of-duty-vanguard/critic-reviews/) • [7](https://www.metacritic.com/game/call-of-duty-vanguard/critic-reviews/?platform=pc) |
| Warzone tie-in | Call of Duty: Warzone Pacific launched December 8, 2021 with Vanguard Season 1 content[8](https://investor.activisionblizzard.com/static-files/6c3d95f2-f8b1-4b73-a2c3-1056f13cd8f8) |
| Later availability | Added to Xbox Game Pass on June 17, 2026 (Cloud, Console, and PC)[9](https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/xbox/xbox-game-pass-june-second-wave-2026) |
## Campaign
The single-player campaign follows five soldiers whose individual actions across four major fronts made them heroes, and who come together as Task Force One, a top-secret international Special Forces team formed to stop a Nazi resurgence as World War II ends.[10](https://www.callofduty.com/uk/en/blog/2021/10/call-of-duty-vanguard-campaign-behind-the-scenes-details) The game opens at its climax: the player, as a newly recruited Operator, infiltrates a fortified U-boat facility to obtain Axis military intelligence tied to a code-named project, Project Phoenix, before it is smuggled out of Germany.[10](https://www.callofduty.com/uk/en/blog/2021/10/call-of-duty-vanguard-campaign-behind-the-scenes-details)
The squadmates are Private Lucas Riggs in the North Africa Campaign, Lieutenant Wade Jackson from the Pacific, Lieutenant Polina Petrova on the Eastern Front, and Sergeant Arthur Kingsley of the [British Army](https://www.edgepedia.org/british-army)'s 9th Parachute Battalion, the squad's leader.[10](https://www.callofduty.com/uk/en/blog/2021/10/call-of-duty-vanguard-campaign-behind-the-scenes-details) Petrova, voiced by [Laura Bailey](https://www.edgepedia.org/laura-bailey), is a Soviet sniper based on real female Soviet snipers; the campaign's creative director David Swenson described one inspiration as "the most successful female sniper in history".[11](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOGtQ7AMNnM) • [10](https://www.callofduty.com/uk/en/blog/2021/10/call-of-duty-vanguard-campaign-behind-the-scenes-details) The story is fiction, but, in Swenson's words, "even though we are not beholden to history, we are rooted in history".[12](https://techxplore.com/news/2021-08-duty-vanguard-video-game-players.pdf)
## Multiplayer and Zombies
Multiplayer launched with more maps on day one than any previous [Call of Duty](https://www.edgepedia.org/call-of-duty) title, according to Johanna Faries, then General Manager, Call of Duty, at Activision.[2](https://investor.activision.com/node/34441) The game is cross-play, cross-progression, and cross-generation enabled, so profile, progression, stats, and digital content move with a player who upgrades consoles within the same family on the same Activision account.[13](https://support.activision.com/vanguard/articles/vanguard-editions-faq) It runs on the engine of 2019's Modern Warfare, and a PC review noted that the gunplay and visuals of that game remain intact.[7](https://www.metacritic.com/game/call-of-duty-vanguard/critic-reviews/?platform=pc)
Zombies was developed by Treyarch and billed as the first Zombies crossover in Call of Duty history.[2](https://investor.activision.com/node/34441) The mode includes an Altar of Covenants system that lets players choose abilities and build different loadouts each run.[14](https://news.blizzard.com/en-us/article/23733253/discover-more-about-the-horrors-that-await-you-in-vanguard-zombies) At launch, however, the mode shipped without its main quest, which Activision said would be added weeks later; Axios reported this as an example of 2021 blockbusters releasing with parts missing.[15](https://www.axios.com/2021/11/02/2021-blockbuster-video-games-parts-missing) A Digital Chumps review likewise criticized that the Zombies mode was "impacted by a content drop that is expected a month from launch".[6](https://www.metacritic.com/game/call-of-duty-vanguard/critic-reviews/)
## Reception
Critics were divided between praise and reservations. On Metacritic the [PlayStation 5](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation-5) version holds a Metascore of 73, labeled "Mixed or Average", from 72 critic reviews split evenly between positive and mixed, with none negative; the PC version holds 72.[6](https://www.metacritic.com/game/call-of-duty-vanguard/critic-reviews/) • [7](https://www.metacritic.com/game/call-of-duty-vanguard/critic-reviews/?platform=pc) Digital Chumps scored it 95, calling it "a standout shooter experience" with some of the franchise's best visuals and an exceptional multiplayer, while wishing the campaign mystery lasted longer.[6](https://www.metacritic.com/game/call-of-duty-vanguard/critic-reviews/) GameSpot's review by Phil Hornshaw, titled "Personnel Problems", scored it 7 out of 10 and argued that forcing the game's parts together "exposes the seams" and weakens both.[16](https://www.gamespot.com/games/call-of-duty-vanguard/reviews/) • [17](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/review-roundup-for-call-of-duty-vanguard/1100-6497730/) Other critics called it a good but safe entry with an excellent cinematic narrative and slower gameplay than much of the franchise.[7](https://www.metacritic.com/game/call-of-duty-vanguard/critic-reviews/?platform=pc)
The game earned a nomination for Best Audio Design at [The Game Awards 2021](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-game-awards-2021) and was included in the [Call of Duty League](https://www.edgepedia.org/call-of-duty-league) esports competition.[18](https://burjcdigital.urjc.es/server/api/core/bitstreams/e0a7e144-86b5-4c0d-8eb2-cf8c2a364fec/content) Player sentiment was harsher than critical reception: Windows Central reports more than 1,500 negative Steam reviews citing a mediocre single-player campaign, uninspired multiplayer modes, and technical issues, and calls Vanguard one of the most contentious titles in the franchise.[9](https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/xbox/xbox-game-pass-june-second-wave-2026) In Microsoft's UK regulatory submission, Vanguard was ranked number 73 among 2021 games and number 159 all-time in Metacritic user scores for PlayStation 5, and [Activision Blizzard](https://www.edgepedia.org/activision-blizzard)'s own investor update showed monthly active users falling across the entire Call of Duty franchise following Vanguard's launch.[19](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/637cec9dd3bf7f5a0b33f881/MICROSOFT_S_RESPONSE.pdf) • [20](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/634e5d3dd3bf7f618d8f88d1/Activision_-_Initial_Phase_2_submission_a.pdf)
## Aftermath
Vanguard was Sledgehammer Games' last standalone lead project for several years. According to [PC Gamer](https://www.edgepedia.org/pc-gamer), since Vanguard the studio has "seemingly been demoted to support studio", assisting on and co-developing yearly releases, including co-developing Modern Warfare 3 (2023).[21](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/call-of-duty/the-call-of-duty-schism-why-fans-are-trapped-in-a-forever-war-with-each-other/) The game returned to prominence in June 2026 when Microsoft added it to [Xbox Game Pass](https://www.edgepedia.org/xbox-game-pass) on June 17, available via Cloud, Console, and PC tiers.[9](https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/xbox/xbox-game-pass-june-second-wave-2026)
## References
1. [Call of Duty: Vanguard, Liquipedia Call of Duty Wiki](https://liquipedia.net/callofduty/Vanguard)
2. [Activision Blizzard, Rise on Every Front, Call of Duty: Vanguard to Launch November 5](https://investor.activision.com/node/34441)
3. [Call of Duty Vanguard: dónde comprar el juego, precio y ediciones, MeriStation](https://as.com/meristation/2021/11/05/noticias/1636140454_246169.html)
4. [Call of Duty: Vanguard, callofduty.com](https://www.callofduty.com/pl/vanguard/home)
5. [Call of Duty: Vanguard Boot Camp, The First 10 Hours, callofduty.com](https://www.callofduty.com/blog/2021/11/call-of-duty-vanguard-boot-camp-first-10-hours-tips)
6. [Call of Duty: Vanguard critic reviews (PlayStation 5), Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/game/call-of-duty-vanguard/critic-reviews/)
7. [Call of Duty: Vanguard critic reviews (PC), Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/game/call-of-duty-vanguard/critic-reviews/?platform=pc)
8. [Activision Blizzard investor presentation, title release dates](https://investor.activisionblizzard.com/static-files/6c3d95f2-f8b1-4b73-a2c3-1056f13cd8f8)
9. [The most hated Call of Duty game gets another chance at life in Xbox Game Pass, Windows Central](https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/xbox/xbox-game-pass-june-second-wave-2026)
10. [Call of Duty: Vanguard Campaign Detailed, callofduty.com](https://www.callofduty.com/uk/en/blog/2021/10/call-of-duty-vanguard-campaign-behind-the-scenes-details)
11. [Call of Duty: Vanguard, The First 11 Minutes of Campaign Gameplay, IGN (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOGtQ7AMNnM)
12. [Call of Duty: Vanguard video game will take players back to World War II, TechXplore](https://techxplore.com/news/2021-08-duty-vanguard-video-game-players.pdf)
13. [Call of Duty: Vanguard Editions FAQ, Activision Support](https://support.activision.com/vanguard/articles/vanguard-editions-faq)
14. [Discover more about the horrors that await you in Vanguard Zombies, Battle.net](https://news.blizzard.com/en-us/article/23733253/discover-more-about-the-horrors-that-await-you-in-vanguard-zombies)
15. [2021 blockbuster video games keep shipping with parts missing, Axios](https://www.axios.com/2021/11/02/2021-blockbuster-video-games-parts-missing)
16. [Call of Duty: Vanguard Reviews, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/games/call-of-duty-vanguard/reviews/)
17. [Review Roundup For Call of Duty: Vanguard, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/review-roundup-for-call-of-duty-vanguard/1100-6497730/)
18. [Universidad Rey Juan Carlos thesis citing Vanguard's CDL inclusion and Game Awards 2021 nomination](https://burjcdigital.urjc.es/server/api/core/bitstreams/e0a7e144-86b5-4c0d-8eb2-cf8c2a364fec/content)
19. [Microsoft's response, UK Competition and Markets Authority case file](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/637cec9dd3bf7f5a0b33f881/MICROSOFT_S_RESPONSE.pdf)
20. [Activision Initial Phase 2 submission, UK Competition and Markets Authority case file](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/634e5d3dd3bf7f618d8f88d1/Activision_-_Initial_Phase_2_submission_a.pdf)
21. [The Call of Duty schism, PC Gamer](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/call-of-duty/the-call-of-duty-schism-why-fans-are-trapped-in-a-forever-war-with-each-other/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Games and gameplay › Franchises and series › Action, horror, and shooter franchises › Call of Duty franchise*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license