With a decade of online combat under its belt, the Call of Duty series has provided millions of us with unforgettable memories and more importantly; that one special map.
Perhaps it became your favourite after securing a giant killstreak, a moment of madness with a throwing knife, an epic clan match win, or even just because of good old fashioned game design.
I have set myself the formidable task of searching through the series’ back-catalogue to select its greatest ever multiplayer maps. Taking into consideration the likes of creativity, symmetry, spacial awareness, tactical balance and outright fun; these are the top 10.
With the exciting new trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops II (even though its voiceover is slightly cheesy) and promises of hi-tech robot warfare in the battlefields of 2025, it seems the next Call of Duty will receive a much needed creative injection. But Treyarch won’t go far wrong if they maintain the excellent level design of the following gems. So let’s crack on with the Top 10 Call of Duty Multiplayer Maps:
RAILYARD
Railyard was one of the original Call of Duty‘s finest maps. Based around a railyard caught up in the battle of Stalingrad, the map’s many vacant trains provide plenty of places to hide. Gaining control of the tank depot presents a fluid rush opportunity and the interconnected building block, overlooking the trainyard, gives the attacking team a crucial sniper spot. Tip: there is always an easy kill if you pummel the central rubble with grenades.
CLIFFSIDE
The aptly titled Cliffside gives teams the perfect mixture of combat scenarios. Whether you choose to move rock-to-rock and battle it out with SMGs on the clifftop edge or to make a sucidical dash through the map’s sniper-infested open fields; Cliffside provides a sparse but dense experience. Full of opportunities for creative quick shots through low-visiblity bushes, Cliffside was one of the strong points of World at War‘s inconsistent map selection.
ST. MERE EGLISE
Originally ‘Dawnville’ on Call of Duty 1, St. Mere Eglise was the superior COD2 interpretation. A dramatisation of the idyllic French town of Sainte Mere Eglise – which was at the heart of the Allied forces famous Operation Overlord – the map is a brilliantly balanced affair. The narrow buildings make jumpy face-to-face combat a formality and the decaying ruins of the medieval church provide multiple views; with snipers approaching at the end of the street, and plucky rushers ducking in the mazy graveyard.
OVERGROWN
The sheer size of Overgrown makes it quite daunting on first play but the map’s ambition helped prove Battlefield-sized maps could work for Call of Duty. Haystacks and grassy routes make it a haven for camouflaged snipers and cleverly hidden claymores. With its parallel bridges, cover-golden vegetation and multiple control points; you really do have to work as a team to win on Overgrown. Call of Duty continues to experiment with larger maps but none can match the spacious variety of Overgrown.
SUMMIT
Summit, much like WAW‘s Cliffside, takes place on the edge of a mountaintop. Full of surprises (entry to the cable car is pointlessly fun), the snowy terrain is high on adrenaline with every area exposed to multiple angles. The wintry sound effects echo on as you battle for supremacy of the satellite tower’s tightly packed computer room. First showed off as a multiplayer teaser in 2010, the rapid layers of Summit’s design make it frozen in time.
PIPELINE
Set among an abandoned Russian train station, Pipeline is all about successfully navigating between two large warehouses. With its grassy attack spawn, quick shot opportunities come in abundance for both sides whilst defending teams need eyes in the back of their heads, thanks to the underground tunnels. Pipeline’s tight spaces and endless opportunities for cover make it a great map for tactical encounters. Tip: equip Deep Impact if you want to rip through the warehouse’s aluminium sides.
TERMINAL
Terminal’s airport setting makes you feel like you’re an extra in Die Hard 2. With grenades showering through glass roofs, claymores hidden behind abandoned luggage and the cowering of machine gunners at a McDonald’s style cafe; Terminal is a hectic affair. The map has real character with the Boeing jet providing taut combat situations and the map’s many tourist shops leaving each team only metres apart. Modern Warfare 2‘s finest moment.
CRASH
Looking like a scene from Black Hawk Down, Crash’s favela style buildings are set around a downed US helicopter. With a great balance between attack and defence, Crash has been the scene of many tense encounters. Whether choosing to brave the open alleyway on the left side or taking a cautionary route with an M16, the key is to control the three-storey tower. Tip: climb the helicopter’s rotor blades to jump over the tower’s fence and surprise unsuspecting campers from behind.
CARENTAN
Based upon the French village made famous by the Battle of Normandy, Carentan really does have something for every type of player. You can surprise the opposition at close-range through the rustic wine cellar, conduct long distance sprays towards the archway or pick off enemies as they unwittingly wonder past each building’s many windows; Carentan is ageless. A veteran of the series, the map was featured on the first two games and also successfully re-imagined on Call of Duty 4 as the colorful DLC-map Chinatown.
SKIDROW
One of the series most underrated maps, Skidrow stood out amongst MW2‘s average map selection and its balanced corridor-based gameplay leave it feeling more like a COD4 map. The dilapidated urban environment makes controlling the two main building blocks essential to victory. Narrow corners perfect for claymores are a useful antidote to rushers and, it’s safe to say, the map is best experienced with an assault rifle. Tip: after planting a bomb in Search & Destroy lie down in the kids playground (pictured above), it’s so obvious no one will expect it!
Is your favourite map missing from our selection? Let us know in the comments section below.
DanThornton says
This is such a toughie – I’m still tempted to fight for the inclusion of Carnival, but really don’t know what I’d want to replace. Maybe Pipeline at a push…
But at least you weren’t tempted to put Nuketown on the list – Skidrow is the better of the CoD small maps because at least there’s a pause in the action sometime. That’s why I’m not surprised MW3 maps didn’t make the grade, it just feels like an endless cycle of Nuketown 24/7 every day.
JJ says
CoD 1 and 2 had the best maps by far. Burgundy and Brecourt are two other good ones. I looked at some other forums about good maps and it’s like everyone started playing at 4 and hasn’t seen maps from the first games.
First Person Shooter says
I like Summit map better than others. I just have highest kill streak there
Stephen Moran-Davis says
Nuketown, awesome team deathmatch, free-for-all hilarious and being rebooted in black ops 2 nuff’ said.