5 Most Memorable Call of Duty Maps

The “Call of Duty” video game series got its start back in 2003 and has been a staple of the gaming industry ever since. With a new game coming out just about every year, “Call of Duty” is in the same realm as sports games like “Madden” or “FIFA” in terms of release schedule. “Call of Duty” is known for its multiplayer, and through the years, there have been some very memorable maps. Here are our picks for the five that fans always come back to.

Terminal

One of the most memorable missions throughout the entire “Call of Duty” series is “No Russian.” The mission was part of the original “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2” and the single-player map was repurposed for multiplayer use, appearing in several games throughout the series overall. The airplanes sitting at the gate become a huge part of the strategy and sort of the middle ground between the two starting points.

Terminal is a good blend of wide open combat in the middle of the map and closed quarters sections which include the airplane interiors and the escalators in the plaza. One part of the map that gets extremely chaotic is the Hallway of Death, which is the walkway that connects the main terminal to the outer part of the map. In here, windows are used for sniping, but you can easily get stabbed from behind.

Highrise

Sometimes you just want to get a quick game of “Call of Duty” multiplayer in before you go off to do something else and need some chaos. Very few maps get the kind of fast intensity that Highrise does, with players often meeting in the middle of this tiny map to spray bullets from both sides. There are a few sneaky tunnels, but most of the action is dead center.

First introduced in “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2” alongside Terminal, it hasn’t been repurposed as many times. The only other appearances for Highrise have been in “Call of Duty Online” and “Call of Duty: Mobile”. If you really want to crank up the intensity, try playing a game of Domination on Highrise and watch all of the people using tactical insertion.

Rust

When you think about 1v1 battles in “Call of Duty”, the first map that comes to mind is Rust. Many an argument have been settled on Rust, and like the previous two maps, this one made its first appearance in “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2”. Since then, it has appeared in four other games, most recently in 2020’s “Call of Duty Mobile”.

The map has a large oil rig in the middle and the bullets don’t stop flying from all angles. There’s nowhere to run or hide on Rust, and even making it to the center section is an accomplishment in itself. Outside of the bullets, you might even see a lot of throwing knives that go airborne and take out unexpected players. In the campaign, Rust is part of the “Endgame” mission, which is fitting since it’s such an endgame map for multiplayer, too.

Firing Range

There are so many memorable parts of the Firing Range map that it’s hard to list all of them. At the very end of one map, you have the pistol firing range where you’re likely to spot at least one camper, there’s the tower that’s nearby, and next to that is the unfinished house. Then, of course, you have the trailer and long-arm firing range with a shed in the back to tie everything together.

No matter where you go on Firing Range, there’s going to be action. This map was first released as part of “Call of Duty: Black Ops” and instantly became a fan favorite which has made appearances in four more games since then, including “Black Ops III” and “Black Ops 4”. Unlike the other maps, though, this one isn’t part of the campaign.

Nuketown

Nothing goes hand-in-hand with “Call of Duty” quite like the Nuketown map. Nuketown is a small neighborhood that was designed to see what would happen if a nuclear bomb were dropped on a residential area. In this instance, though, it’s a lot like Firing Range for the fact that there’s no area on the map where you can catch your breath.

If you’re brave enough to go in the middle where there’s an open garage and a handful of empty vehicles, you’ll be met with fire from second-story windows on both ends. Add in the endless grenades that are lobbed into the middle of the map and crossing from one side to the other is one of the hardest things to do in a “Call of Duty” game.