If you’ve been let down by Modern Warfare 2 or Call of Duty Vanguard, then it might be time to get yourself logged into Xbox Live. Some of the best COD games like the OG MW2, World at War, and Black Ops have been available via backward compatibility for a while, yet their multiplayer servers have been hindered by exploits or failed to work at all. Now, amid the Microsoft x Activision merger, it appears that the Xbox servers for an array of Call of Duty games are springing back to life.
Before we see what the Call of Duty 2023 release date has in store for us, you can return to the comfort of some of the best games in the entire franchise. Though COD games aren’t confirmed for Xbox Game Pass just yet, it appears that the servers are operating as intended – for the first time in years.
Activision or Microsoft is yet to offer a statement as to why the servers have been reinstated, but it is possible that the results of the FTC’s court trial have had knock-on effects behind the scenes.
YouTuber ‘Duncan Mors’ highlights this with some sweet COD4 gameplay, arguably the undisputed king of the series, but that take might cause a battle between The Loadout team. At least we can settle that fight on beloved maps like Ambush, Crash, Wetwork, and Vacant. Forget those worries about using the best Modern Warfare 2 guns too, because in COD4, that M4 is a recoilless beast.
More importantly, the time to dive into the original COD Zombies experience is definitely now. We’re talking Nacht Der Untoten, Verruckt, and Der Riese in their glorious 2008 form. The sweet melodies of Elena Siegman and Kevin Sherwood’s songs like Beauty of Annihilation.
We wonder if there are any secret COD Ghosts fans waiting in the wings, but it doesn’t seem like the divisive 2013 title is bringing any players together – at least not in the capacity of MW2 and World at War.
The servers still aren’t exactly perfect, which is worth noting if you decide to give them a whirl. COD fan and YouTuber ‘XpertFusion’ notes that hackers are still appearing throughout different matches. However, with many of these games approaching milestone anniversaries, it isn’t surprising to run into these issues.
If you’ve got a physical copy of these COD games, Xbox Series X owners will have no trouble at all getting back into the action. However, for those of you with an Xbox Series S, your only option is to get hold of them via the Xbox storefront. These are the older Call of Duty games with functioning Xbox Live servers, and where to buy them:
- Call of Duty Modern Warfare (2007) – US
- Call of Duty World at War (2008) – US
- Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 (2009) – US
- Call of Duty Black Ops (2010) – US
- Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 (2011) – US
- Call of Duty Black Ops 2 (2012) – US
- Call of Duty Modern Warfare (2007) – UK
- Call of Duty World At War (2008) – UK
- Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 (2009) – UK
- Call of Duty Black Ops (2010) – UK
- Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 (2011) – UK
- Call of Duty Black Ops 2 (2012) – UK
It is a glorious time for COD fans, but don’t forget to keep tabs on upcoming PS5 games and upcoming Xbox games as the next entry approaches.