What is the most sold Call of Duty game ever?

Modified Jan 13, 2025 16:35 GMT

What is the most sold Call of Duty game ever? — This is the most sold Call of Duty game of all time (Image via Activision)

The most sold Call of Duty game of all time is Black Ops 3. Although this may come as a surprise to some, the title has sold over 43 million copies worldwide since its release in 2015. Today, Black Ops 6 is putting up strong competition as it became the biggest CoD launch of all time. Meanwhile, Modern Warfare (2019) is also one of the most popular games having sold over 40 million copies.

Still, Black Ops 3 remains the most sold Call of Duty. While the sudden rise in sales in the past decade may be unexplainable to a certain degree, the game surely had some noteworthy qualities.

Black Ops 3 is the highest-selling Call of Duty game of all time

Black Ops 3 Zombies was an amazing experience for many (Image via Activision)

Recently, Activision's current creative head, Patrick Kelly, revealed in a court filing reviewed by Game File that Black Ops 3 sold over 43 million copies worldwide since its 2015 release. The top three sellers as of the time of writing are:

Black Ops 3 – 2015: 43 Million Copies Sold
Modern Warfare – 2019: 41 Million Copies Sold
Black Ops Cold War – 2020: 30 Million Copies Sold

Black Ops 3 had a massive budget along with a team of talented professionals working at Treyarch. Kelly noted the development costs of the title, as he said:

“Treyarch developed the game over three years with a creative team of hundreds of people, and invested over $450 million in development costs over the game’s lifecycle.”

Black Ops 3's popularity in the Call of Duty franchise could be attributed to its massively popular Zombies mode. The mode had interesting maps, engaging movement mechanics, and immensely exciting rewards, which are all important factors.

Furthermore, the game had the Nightmares bonus game mode which was a retelling of the Black Ops 3 Zombies campaign. The Chronicles DLC was also incredibly popular among the fan base. All of this combined shows why the title has remained a success even a decade after its release.

Overall, Black Ops 3 Zombies was a positive experience for players who thoroughly enjoyed defeating the undead. The mode may just have helped the title sell millions over millions of copies.

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Edited by Shraman Mitra