Call of Duty: Vanguard

 PC
User Score
3.3

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 692 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 167 out of 692
  2. Mixed: 54 out of 692
  3. Negative: 471 out of 692

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  1. BallromJupiter
    Nov 7, 2021
    5
    How in the flying f**k are all of you giving the game 10’s? Seriously here, the franchise has been using the same old and outdated engine since the PS3 era. It’s time for COD to blow up the franchise and re-work the game with an all new engine, and this is coming for a PS5 buyer of the game. I’m checked my friends version of the his PS4 version, to my eyeballs there was no noticeableHow in the flying f**k are all of you giving the game 10’s? Seriously here, the franchise has been using the same old and outdated engine since the PS3 era. It’s time for COD to blow up the franchise and re-work the game with an all new engine, and this is coming for a PS5 buyer of the game. I’m checked my friends version of the his PS4 version, to my eyeballs there was no noticeable difference.

    Everything’s locked, and requires serious game
    Progression to unlock what was once available to play upon starting the game. The audio has serious issues, the campaign is rinse lather repeat, and of course, the new woke social Justice bullsh*t, woman strong, man bad. It’s a joke. These game developers are catering to Twitter weirdos, which make for an extremely small category of people they’re trying to appease. Everyday people like myself are seeing this nonsense and getting completely weirded out and turned off from the game. I hope they realize that 90% of call of duty fans are males…

    I’ve read the other posts too…Diehard white Knight COD fanboys trying to say that any negative reviews are from Battlefield Fanboys, well, I got news for you, I’m a die hard COD fan that’s been playing the game since its PS1 conception, long before a lot of you were just seeds in your fathers b*lls, and the game is rough, and I legit feel dissatisfied with the games current condition. If you wish you had the PS5 version, don’t stress, because you are not missing much.

    The campaign is locked on the disc I bought and had to download it through the PSN store which is whack, and for the matter the campaign is rinse, lather, repeat. Can I just get a war game without being force fed some women bs? Women are plastered all over this game with sexy quips and one liners, sure it might cool for some under developed pre-pubescent teenager, but old time fans like myself could give two sh*ts about that stuff. We’re women in WW2 sure, but it wasn’t as normalized as COD’s trying to make it. Which is it that COD is trying to here? Make a realistic war game?Or cater to social Justice? Or maybe they’re trying to do both, but come in man, I just want to play a war game, let’s leave all of that modern political agenda bs out of it.

    To me it’s an average entry, and it’s made me legit sick of the WW2 era at this point. COD now needs to remain in the present, or fast forward to the future. There’s only so many WW2 stories I can keep playing. On multiplayer that Ricochet anti hacker thing they’ve been promoting also didn’t do crap, as several lobbies were littered with cheaters. The audio for me was glitchy and even worse than modern warfare. I dunno man, it was or should I say feels like it was lazy. What scares me is that if this was a solid effort by devs, then somethings wrong over there behind the scenes. This game does not deserve a 10 man…No shot… But it doesn’t deserve a 0 either. You’d have to have an IQ of a peanut to give the game a 0. For a game to have a 0 score, then it can’t even be function and it would have to be completely broken, which it’s not. However, it’s average at best, and a slightly below average game at best.

    COD needs to stop releasing annual games, or just focus on beefing up Warzone moving forward. In the meantime start working on a new COD game engine, because what we have is old and dated.

    I think I’m done with the franchise moving forward unless a serious change is coming.    … Expand
  2. RainbowSix_Glaz
    Nov 7, 2021
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It turns out that it was actually better than I expected at launch. The Beta was kinda null in certain points, but Sledgehammer Games actually listened to what we wanted in the game, and they did it. Various adjustments and additions, balances, visibility, and everything else in betweens. The superior IW 8.0 engine did show the beauty here, but there are some things that I need to pointed out.

    (+3) Multiplayer at launch was better than I expected. Seems like they have tuned down their controversial and "rage-inducing" skill-based matchmaking (at least, from my perspective). Players are now rewarded more often and penalized less. A solid step-up from Black Ops: Cold War, where in that game, everything would not be able to go along together in the right direction.

    (+1.5) SUPPORT BOTH NVIDIA DLSS AND AMD FIDELITYFX SUPER RESOLUTION.

    (+1.5) Visiblity is an improvement here compared to Modern Warfare (2019). More colors are visible and you can still see characters in certain dark areas.

    (+1) Maps were well-designed, with balances between "predictable lanes" and "encourage camping." They allowed for a more wider-range of engagement, dynamics and balance of gunfights. Covers and destructible environments make this even more intriguing.

    (+0.5) Tons of settings to play around.

    (0) I wish the campaign was longer and go through the beginning of World War 2.

    (0) Despite using IW 8.0 engine. There are NO ray-tracing options in the game. A slight let down, but it really does not matter since a game like this demanded quick reaction and fast frames, and the game still look beautiful without ray-tracing.

    (0) Don't expect historical accuracy from this game.

    (-0.5) No factions. This can cause confusions during an intense gunfight.

    (-0.5) Sniper rifles take forever to aim. But I think they were intended to preserve their true roles to support from long range and not going in aggressively.

    (-1) Grinds take too much time. Even with Double XPs enabled, you can level up your weapon on average - 3 to 4 levels per match.

    (-1) Cheaters are in the game already! They got everything unlocked before they even play their first match! (Still not widespread, though.)
    [New anti-cheat is coming. I hoped that it will deal a major blow to them.]

    (-1) Some bugs were seen, hopefully they will fix them in the future.

    (-3) Zombies were a let down. It feels unfinished for a reason.    … Expand
  3. M-Reviews
    Nov 7, 2021
    7
    As expected, this years entry in the Call of Duty - Series does not offer much of a surprise. The heavily scripted and linear campaign is a hit and miss, while the expensive multiplayer mode will keep you busy in a reliable way, without offering any remarkable innovation. Technically, the game feels like a little step back from its predecessor - especially on current generation hardware.As expected, this years entry in the Call of Duty - Series does not offer much of a surprise. The heavily scripted and linear campaign is a hit and miss, while the expensive multiplayer mode will keep you busy in a reliable way, without offering any remarkable innovation. Technically, the game feels like a little step back from its predecessor - especially on current generation hardware. It is hard to imagine that "Vanguard" will be a game worth remembering in a year or two.… Expand
  4. gamebird8000
    Nov 8, 2021
    7
    Haven’t played a COD game in a while because of the bad reviews, but this one actually managed to get my attention and has proven to be a good game after all!
  5. VIXFALL
    Nov 16, 2021
    5
    Story mode and Zombies, are questionable at the moment. But multiplayer is fire.
  6. gunsgunsguns
    Nov 6, 2021
    7
    Could be way more and way better, but it is what it is i guess. Better than many previous cods if that says anything...
  7. Ivan9173
    Dec 9, 2021
    5
    Очередная типичная колда. Среднего качества мультиплеер (но он выигрышно смотрится на фоне провальной БФ2042), каличная кампания и худший зомби режим в серии. Не знаю, что добавить. Если вы фанат серии, то вы итак её купите или купили. Если нет, то и проходите мимо, забудьте про эту игру.Очередная типичная колда. Среднего качества мультиплеер (но он выигрышно смотрится на фоне провальной БФ2042), каличная кампания и худший зомби режим в серии. Не знаю, что добавить. Если вы фанат серии, то вы итак её купите или купили. Если нет, то и проходите мимо, забудьте про эту игру.
  8. mixmasta91
    Dec 8, 2021
    5
    The game is fun, but its very broken. Bugs are left unchanged over 1 month after release, progression is slow and grindy, zombies is awful and the operator system is annoying. Campaign looks nice but its not very fun. I've played 20 hours and will probably play another 40 by the time the next COD comes out, but this is a very mediocre release.
  9. MRBeanJoga
    Jan 14, 2022
    5
    ENG

    Lackluster campaign, unbalanced and broken multiplayer experience and a massive lack of content for zombies mode. Even 2 months after the release, it still feels like a rushed game. It has its pros tho, the customization is neat, map variety has improved compared to previous games, nice destructible environment (depends on the map) and some improvements compared to MW19 and BOCW.    ENG

    Lackluster campaign, unbalanced and broken multiplayer experience and a massive lack of content for zombies mode. Even 2 months after the release, it still feels like a rushed game.

    It has its pros tho, the customization is neat, map variety has improved compared to previous games, nice destructible environment (depends on the map) and some improvements compared to MW19 and BOCW.

    Overall i think it definitely needed more time of development to be a good and solid game.

    PT-BR

    Campanha vazia/rushada, multiplayer desbalanceado e quebrado, e uma falta enorme de conteudo no modo zombies. Mesmo depois de 2 meses do lançamento ainda parece um jogo quebrado.

    O jogo tem seus momentos, a customização é bacana, a variedade dos mapas melhorou consideravelmente comparado aos ultimos jogos e a destruição de cenario é boa (dependendo do mapa) e algumas melhoras quando comparado ao MW19 e BOCW.

    Em geral acho que definitivamente precisava de mais tempo de desenvolvimento pra se tornar um jogo bom.    … Expand
  10. EnderDawn
    Nov 19, 2021
    6
    SBMM Ruins it a little bit. Gunplay and sound design are still a downgrade from modern warfare sadly. Also the operators ruin it a bit i think along with the censorship. Shotguns are broken atm.
    That's about it, still a solid CoD tho.
  11. Andrew_T
    Nov 17, 2021
    5
    I guess this game appeals to the new generation of players who have never played a WW2 shooter game before. The graphics are good, and you can go down the invisible and scripted corridor and shoot dummies dressed in Nazi uniform. A fresh experience if you are 14 yo. A tedious one for those who remember the D-Day from the original CoD of 2003 and have played those fps for years. It is likeI guess this game appeals to the new generation of players who have never played a WW2 shooter game before. The graphics are good, and you can go down the invisible and scripted corridor and shoot dummies dressed in Nazi uniform. A fresh experience if you are 14 yo. A tedious one for those who remember the D-Day from the original CoD of 2003 and have played those fps for years. It is like a movie I've already seen several times. It doesn't worth its price.… Expand
  12. TheHungryMingo
    Dec 11, 2021
    6
    This review is of multiplayer only.

    Given its on the MW engine its leagues ahead of Cold War, but doesn't quite hit the mark that MW 2019 did. The attention to detail found in that game doesn't seem to be present here. If you want another COD to grind through, it's still fun, it's just not perfect. It feels strange that every COD now has to launch with the exact same issues every    This review is of multiplayer only.

    Given its on the MW engine its leagues ahead of Cold War, but doesn't quite hit the mark that MW 2019 did. The attention to detail found in that game doesn't seem to be present here. If you want another COD to grind through, it's still fun, it's just not perfect.

    It feels strange that every COD now has to launch with the exact same issues every year, with the dev teams seemingly never learning from the mistakes of the last. I.e. launching with broken challenges, broken camos, broken spawns, glitched infinite killstreaks and overpowered shotguns. Most of these issues have been fixed within the first month, it just seems odd that they're all issues previous CODs seem to always launch with. Even the new map just added feels like it wasn't tested before releasing as the brightness is just randomly 100 times too high.

    All in all, its your pretty standard call of duty release. If you have the time to grind, you'll get your money's worth of enjoyment out of it.    … Expand
  13. smexi
    Nov 7, 2021
    6
    The game is so close to being amazing but there are things holding it back. The gameplay in the multiplayer is amazing, and it is a big step up from last year's multiplayer. However, the maps in the game are so, so so bad. They are too big, I get shot from absolutely everywhere, can't see who is shooting me, etc. Though these are things they can fix when they add new maps. Now to theThe game is so close to being amazing but there are things holding it back. The gameplay in the multiplayer is amazing, and it is a big step up from last year's multiplayer. However, the maps in the game are so, so so bad. They are too big, I get shot from absolutely everywhere, can't see who is shooting me, etc. Though these are things they can fix when they add new maps. Now to the zombies, and oh god is it bad. The zombies in Vanguard is like CW zombies, but ten times worse. It feels very rushed, with little to no content and some of the interfaces are literally Cold War, but tuned slightly (changed colors, etc.). Haven't played the campaign yet, but have heard it is great.
    If you are a zombies player, stay away. If you are an MP player, buy it and give it a try.    … Expand
  14. licasau
    Nov 30, 2021
    5
    It's pretty bad. SBMM super annoying, very vert gameplay and gunplay. Probably the worst Cod ever in my opinion.
  15. Ma60or
    Nov 11, 2021
    5
    A normal game, a boring multiplayer, a pointless story mode, and zombies with a new silly system.
    Trash weapons with normal gameplay.
    I miss Black Ops 3. >:
    5/10
    Normal Shooter Game.
  16. DrakoBat
    Nov 21, 2021
    7
    No hay demasiado para decir sobre este juego, Mas que es simplemente un WW2 con base de MW 2019. El modo historia se nota que fue un guion rapido pero mas que pasable, Tomando en cuenta que hoy en dia los jugadores estan mas centrados en el multijugador. De lo que escuche sobre criticas anteriores, La comunidad deseaba un MW nuevamente, Y aqui lo tienen entonces. Pero siendo lo mismo queNo hay demasiado para decir sobre este juego, Mas que es simplemente un WW2 con base de MW 2019. El modo historia se nota que fue un guion rapido pero mas que pasable, Tomando en cuenta que hoy en dia los jugadores estan mas centrados en el multijugador. De lo que escuche sobre criticas anteriores, La comunidad deseaba un MW nuevamente, Y aqui lo tienen entonces. Pero siendo lo mismo que los cod's anteriores, Este juego se nota que sera arreglado al pasar de los años.… Expand
  17. Serb-Dad
    Nov 22, 2021
    5
    I have to say, Props to Activision on making a pretty excellent campaign like always. Although short, its till interesting and fun to play.

    However, a massive But, a huge however. It really feels like Call of duty games do not care anymore. the gameplay feels like a copy and paste of the last 4 installments with little to no changes. Do not get me started on historical accuracy and gun    I have to say, Props to Activision on making a pretty excellent campaign like always. Although short, its till interesting and fun to play.

    However, a massive But, a huge however. It really feels like Call of duty games do not care anymore. the gameplay feels like a copy and paste of the last 4 installments with little to no changes. Do not get me started on historical accuracy and gun mechanics. for a game that has claimed to be the most immersive and realistic WW2 experience so far, it has done so much that pisses off gun nuts and history nerds collectivly. Don't get me started on the bugs either, haven't seen broken games like this in a long time.

    I think we are seeing the end of a series boys. I honestly don't know how Call of duty can come back from this one. it seems its only going to be getting worse from here on out.    … Expand
  18. F1refly_cs
    Dec 7, 2021
    7
    Not good, not bad, just mediocre. The campaign is enjoyable (3-5 hours gameplay), the multiplayer was copy-pasted from Modern Warfare 2k19 (with some bugs added). The multiplayer maps suffer from various bugs and poor design choices (operators vs operators; not even divided into factions!). The zombies mode contains a single map with a few repetitive missions (07.12.2021). Overall score:Not good, not bad, just mediocre. The campaign is enjoyable (3-5 hours gameplay), the multiplayer was copy-pasted from Modern Warfare 2k19 (with some bugs added). The multiplayer maps suffer from various bugs and poor design choices (operators vs operators; not even divided into factions!). The zombies mode contains a single map with a few repetitive missions (07.12.2021). Overall score: meh (but still better than Bf 2042).… Expand
  19. DekuSkrub2129
    Dec 7, 2021
    5
    I don't know how a company as big as Activision can somehow manage to have dedicated servers worse than P2P connections, but they did it. Even on Gigabit connection, I somehow manage to drop 30% of my packets, but only in this joke of a game. Gameplay would be good, if bullets would actually function, and i wasn't constantly teleporting
  20. julysniper
    Jan 26, 2022
    6
    Campaign and graphics are mediocre, but atleast they are better than cold war. Multiplayer however, bugs bugs and bugs... idiot spawning system and broken things such as legal wall hacks make the game far from being fun to play
  21. Mattie
    Jul 10, 2023
    6
    Gameplay - 6/10
    Graphics - 8/10
    Performance - 8/10
    Story - 4/10

    Total score - 6,5/10

Awards & Rankings

11
#11 Most Discussed PC Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 30 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 30
  3. Negative: 0 out of 30
  1. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Dec 15, 2021
    63
    It’s hard to name a single thing about this game that’s worth your time. [Issue#257, p.54]
  2. Gamersky
    Dec 2, 2021
    82
    Call of Duty: Vanguard maintains the usual high level of production of the Call of Duty series, with an excellent cinematic narrative that allows players to have an audio-visual experience of being in the battlefield. The online content is also excellent, the new zombie mode has many good parts, but the thin content makes it difficult to retain players for a long time. Overall, it is still a popular FPS worth trying.
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  3. Het Nieuwsblad
    Nov 28, 2021
    60
    With Vanguard, Call of Duty returns to the roots of the series: World War II. The solo campaign is entertaining but short, and the multiplayer is exactly as expected: full of action and adrenalin. However, the few novelties are not spectacular enough to lift it above mediocrity.
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