# Call of Duty: WWII
**Call of Duty: WWII** is a first-person shooter video game developed by [Sledgehammer Games](https://www.edgepedia.org/sledgehammer-games) and published by [Activision](https://www.edgepedia.org/activision), released on November 3, 2017 for [PlayStation 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation-4), Xbox One, and PC.[1](https://www.gamespot.com/games/call-of-duty-wwii/reviews/) It returned the series to its World War II roots for the first time since 2008's Call of Duty: World at War, after nearly a decade of modern, near-future, and science-fiction settings that culminated in 2016's Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare.[2](https://time.com/4750693/call-duty-wwii-activision/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Developer / publisher | Sledgehammer Games / Activision[1](https://www.gamespot.com/games/call-of-duty-wwii/reviews/) |
| Release | November 3, 2017; PS4, Xbox One, PC[1](https://www.gamespot.com/games/call-of-duty-wwii/reviews/) |
| Announcement | Worldwide reveal livestream on April 26, 2017, led by studio co-founders Michael Condrey and Glen Schofield[3](https://blog.activision.com/call-of-duty/archives/announcing-call-of-duty-wwii) |
| Campaign | Private Ronald "Red" Daniels, U.S. 1st Infantry Division, from the Normandy landings across France, Belgium, and the Rhine into Germany[4](https://support.activision.com/content/atvi/support/web/en/call-of-duty--wwii/articles/call-of-duty-wwii-campaign.html) • [3](https://blog.activision.com/call-of-duty/archives/announcing-call-of-duty-wwii) |
| Multiplayer changes | Divisions system replacing Create-a-Class, the narrative-driven War mode, and the Headquarters social space[3](https://blog.activision.com/call-of-duty/archives/announcing-call-of-duty-wwii) • [5](https://techcrunch.com/2017/11/08/call-of-duty-wwii-review-a-stunning-return-to-the-beaches-of-normandy/) |
| Third mode | Nazi Zombies, an original co-operative horror story[6](https://www.callofduty.com/ca/en/wwii) |
## Development and announcement
Activision and Sledgehammer Games revealed the title on April 26, 2017 through a worldwide livestream. Studio co-founders and co-heads [Michael Condrey](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-condrey) and [Glen Schofield](https://www.edgepedia.org/glen-schofield) described the game as a squad's journey of personal growth and heroism across Europe, a story about common men and women doing uncommon things to preserve freedom. The team had worked on the project for about two and a half years, and Schofield said the main character was named after his father, Ronald "Red" Daniels, who died during production.[3](https://blog.activision.com/call-of-duty/archives/announcing-call-of-duty-wwii)
The return to the 1940s followed years of increasingly futuristic entries. [Call of Duty](https://www.edgepedia.org/call-of-duty) first visited World War II in its 2003 debut and stayed in the period through its early installments, stepped away with 2007's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, and briefly revisited the Pacific in 2008's World at War before moving to modern and future warfare.[2](https://time.com/4750693/call-duty-wwii-activision/) Commentators noted the timing alongside EA DICE's own shift of Battlefield to World War I the year before.[2](https://time.com/4750693/call-duty-wwii-activision/)
## Campaign
The single-player campaign casts the player as Private Ronald "Red" Daniels, a Texas farm boy newly recruited to the [United States Army](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-states-army)'s 1st Infantry Division, the "Big Red One." The story opens with the D-Day landings at [Omaha Beach](https://www.edgepedia.org/omaha-beach) and follows the squad through occupied France, Belgium, and across the Rhine into Germany, with engagements at locations such as the Hürtgen Forest and the [Battle of the Bulge](https://www.edgepedia.org/battle-of-the-bulge).[4](https://support.activision.com/content/atvi/support/web/en/call-of-duty--wwii/articles/call-of-duty-wwii-campaign.html) • [6](https://www.callofduty.com/ca/en/wwii) The game focuses on 1944 to 1945 while touching on events from 1940 to 1944 to establish the characters, and players also encounter the French resistance.[3](https://blog.activision.com/call-of-duty/archives/announcing-call-of-duty-wwii)
Several mechanics distinguish the campaign from its predecessors. Health no longer regenerates automatically; the player collects or requests first aid kits, up to four at a time, from squadmate Zussman. Kills and Heroic Actions, such as saving wounded soldiers or accepting enemy surrenders, fill a morale meter that unlocks Squad Abilities from named squadmates, including extra ammunition, highlighted enemies, and mortar-fire smoke grenades. Each mission also hides three collectible Mementos from the era.[4](https://support.activision.com/content/atvi/support/web/en/call-of-duty--wwii/articles/call-of-duty-wwii-campaign.html)
The depiction of the war drew particular comment. A historian cited by Time noted that most World War II games avoid the major tragedies, and praised the game for a nonviolent mission in which the player solemnly walks through the remains of a liberated concentration camp, calling the inclusion of the Holocaust in a major AAA title a brave move.[8](https://time.com/5875721/world-war-ii-video-games/) Other reviewers were less convinced by the writing: [PC Gamer](https://www.edgepedia.org/pc-gamer) argued that a game framed as one man's story makes the squad's push into Germany, with thousands of enemies killed by the player's aim, feel absurd given the war's true scale.[9](https://www.pcgamer.com/call-of-duty-wwii-review/)
## Multiplayer
Multiplayer returned to grounded, boots-on-the-ground combat after the movement systems of recent entries. The Pick Ten Create-a-Class system was scrapped in favor of Divisions: players enlist in one of five divisions, each specializing in a weapon class with a matching benefit, and build loadouts within that division.[5](https://techcrunch.com/2017/11/08/call-of-duty-wwii-review-a-stunning-return-to-the-beaches-of-normandy/) • [10](https://www.gamereactor.eu/call-of-duty-wwii-review/) • [11](https://www.pcgamesn.com/call-of-duty-wwii/call-of-duty-ww2-multiplayer-gameplay)
The headline addition was War mode, a narrative-driven, asymmetrical Axis-versus-Allies mode in which teams complete staged objectives such as building a bridge, protecting supplies, or holding an area against attackers.[3](https://blog.activision.com/call-of-duty/archives/announcing-call-of-duty-wwii) • [5](https://techcrunch.com/2017/11/08/call-of-duty-wwii-review-a-stunning-return-to-the-beaches-of-normandy/) A new social space called [Headquarters](https://www.edgepedia.org/headquarters) let players rally and interact between matches.[3](https://blog.activision.com/call-of-duty/archives/announcing-call-of-duty-wwii) Reviewers generally welcomed the simplification. GamesRadar later ranked the game ninth in its all-time series list, arguing that stripping out drones and futuristic gadgets made the multiplayer a purer expression of reactions and spatial awareness.[12](https://www.gamesradar.com/best-call-of-duty-games/) Critics of the loadout design noted its rigidity, with [Ars Technica](https://www.edgepedia.org/ars-technica) observing that players could miss out on perks by pairing a Division with a weapon that did not fit its suggested style.[13](https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/11/call-of-duty-wwii-review-a-rearguard-action/)
## Nazi Zombies
The third pillar is Nazi Zombies, an original co-operative horror mode in which a crew sent to recover artworks stolen by the Axis regime finds its mission derailed by an army of the dead.[6](https://www.callofduty.com/ca/en/wwii) • [10](https://www.gamereactor.eu/call-of-duty-wwii-review/) Several reviewers counted it among the series' stronger Zombies offerings; GameSpot noted that loot crates played a larger, more practical role there than in multiplayer.[7](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/call-of-duty-wwii-review/1900-6416800/) Four DLC packs in 2018 added new multiplayer maps, further Nazi Zombies chapters, and War Missions.[6](https://www.callofduty.com/ca/en/wwii)
## Reception
Aggregated critical response was positive. GameSpot's review scored the game 9/10 (Superb), with reviewer Miguel Concepcion judging that if every European-theater shooter is measured by its D-Day landing, the game emphatically succeeds, and praising the mechanic that ties the squad theme to gameplay by making the player rely on squadmates for resources.[7](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/call-of-duty-wwii-review/1900-6416800/) [TechCrunch](https://www.edgepedia.org/techcrunch) called it a stunning return to Normandy and the series' first boots-on-the-ground game in three years.[5](https://techcrunch.com/2017/11/08/call-of-duty-wwii-review-a-stunning-return-to-the-beaches-of-normandy/)
## Post-release PC history
The game's later life on PC was turbulent. In early July 2025, Activision pulled the PC Game Pass version of the game days after reports of a remote code execution exploit, in which trolls used Notepad pop-ups, forced PC shutdowns, and changed victims' desktop wallpaper.[15](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/call-of-duty/call-of-duty-ww2-pulled-from-pc-following-reports-of-remote-code-exploit-trolling-players-with-notepad-pop-ups-pc-shutdowns-and-desktop-wallpaper-of-a-lawyer/) The game was temporarily delisted from the [Microsoft Store](https://www.edgepedia.org/microsoft-store) and PC Game Pass, then returned to Game Pass.[16](https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/call-of-duty/well-thats-a-problem-every-call-of-duty-title-is-offline-on-all-platforms-due-to-server-issues) An hour-long outage on August 29, 2025 affected every Call of Duty title on every platform, including the recently re-released WWII.[16](https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/call-of-duty/well-thats-a-problem-every-call-of-duty-title-is-offline-on-all-platforms-due-to-server-issues)
## References
1. [Call of Duty: WWII Reviews, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/games/call-of-duty-wwii/reviews/)
2. ['Call of Duty' Is Headed Back to World War II, Time](https://time.com/4750693/call-duty-wwii-activision/)
3. [Announcing Call of Duty: WWII, Activision Blog](https://blog.activision.com/call-of-duty/archives/announcing-call-of-duty-wwii)
4. [Call of Duty: WWII Campaign, Activision Support](https://support.activision.com/content/atvi/support/web/en/call-of-duty--wwii/articles/call-of-duty-wwii-campaign.html)
5. [Call of Duty WWII Review: A stunning return to the beaches of Normandy, TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2017/11/08/call-of-duty-wwii-review-a-stunning-return-to-the-beaches-of-normandy/)
6. [Call of Duty: WWII, official game page](https://www.callofduty.com/ca/en/wwii)
7. [Call of Duty: WWII Review, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/call-of-duty-wwii-review/1900-6416800/)
8. [Video Games May Be Key to Keeping World War II Memory Alive, Time](https://time.com/5875721/world-war-ii-video-games/)
9. [Call of Duty: WWII review, PC Gamer](https://www.pcgamer.com/call-of-duty-wwii-review/)
10. [Call of Duty: WWII Review, Gamereactor](https://www.gamereactor.eu/call-of-duty-wwii-review/)
11. [COD: WW2's War mode is a big change, PCGamesN](https://www.pcgamesn.com/call-of-duty-wwii/call-of-duty-ww2-multiplayer-gameplay)
12. [10 Best Call of Duty Games of All-Time, GamesRadar](https://www.gamesradar.com/best-call-of-duty-games/)
13. [Call of Duty: WWII review, Ars Technica](https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/11/call-of-duty-wwii-review-a-rearguard-action/)
14. [Call of Duty: WWII review (PS4), Gamereactor PDF](https://media.journoportfolio.com/users/20836/uploads/c2d8ec37-683a-425e-85a6-2609444165b1.pdf)
15. [Call of Duty: WW2 pulled from PC following reports of remote code exploit, PC Gamer](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/call-of-duty/call-of-duty-ww2-pulled-from-pc-following-reports-of-remote-code-exploit-trolling-players-with-notepad-pop-ups-pc-shutdowns-and-desktop-wallpaper-of-a-lawyer/)
16. [Call of Duty is back online after servers hit with hour-long outage on all platforms, Windows Central](https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/call-of-duty/well-thats-a-problem-every-call-of-duty-title-is-offline-on-all-platforms-due-to-server-issues)
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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 30, 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