Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 72 | 113 |
| Creator reviews (2 tracked) | – | 55 | 2 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 68% | 65 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 42 | 422 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 61% | 60 | 38 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Aug 26, 2026) · 2 reviews sampled · 38 total reviews in window · weighted 1 up / 0.8 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (169)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 70
“Call of Duty: Vanguard is built like a rollercoaster so you have your highs, your lows, and moments that flatline. There’s no question its three modes are fun to play and offer fans enough content to keep them busy for some time, but this is Call of Duty, after all. Until Activision does something completely different with the series, don’t expect it to feel too different each year.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“The best multiplayer Call of Duty in years. Too bad the campaign is forgettable, and Zombies didn't get enough love.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Only by leaving WWII in the rear-view mirror does the game live up to the innovation promised by its subtitle.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“Call of Duty Vanguard is a decent next installment in the franchise that I would recommend to both newcomers and veterans who love the game series. However, if you already own one of the previous installments and don't like the World War II theme, you can safely skip this one or wait for a lower price. It's easy to drown dozens and hundreds of hours in multiplayer in this game, but if you're not into multiplayer and are only interested in the campaign mode, I wouldn't buy the game if I were you, as the campaign mode is very short. I enjoyed Call of Duty: Vanguard and I thoroughly enjoyed all three game modes, I will definitely be returning to multiplayer and zombie mode more regularly. I'd recommend the game, and if you're excited about the multiplayer, dive into it as soon as possible while it has a large player count.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“All of this is precisely why Call of Duty: Vanguard is a missed opportunity for Sledgehammer Games, Treyarch, and Activision. The game suffers from an uncomfortable contradiction: the campaign and its visual cues favour newbies, while its multiplayer and its cranked-up pace is a veteran extravaganza. The single-player campaign is also unsatisfyingly short, while Zombies barely qualifies as a full game mode.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Call of Duty: Vanguard does little to change up the Call of Duty formula, but it's still a fun way to kill the nine months until next year's title releases.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“The story gets a little confusing at times, but overall Call of Duty: Vanguard is a solid game.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Even though the campaign is extremely predictable and the multiplayer is plagued with tones of issues, Call Of Duty: Vanguard is, after all, still a Call of Duty title, and will appeal to all hardcore Call of Duty fans.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“The latest Call of Duty: Vanguard is a correct shooter in single and a replay of entertainment in multi. It does not surprise either on the plus or on the minus, which makes it a slightly pale, easy to forget scene.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“While Call of Duty: Vanguard doesn’t quite hit the nail on the head when it comes to historical accuracy, it sure is an enjoyable, bombastic time.”
read full review ↗ - 72
“Call of Duty Vanguard falls fully within the canons of expectation and offer of the series under almost every single point of view, resulting literally as a "another Call of Duty", which will entertain all those who have always found enjoyable and fun experience offered by the various chapters of the saga, but does not try for a moment to strive to offer something more.”
read full review ↗ - 40
Gamepressure
3DNews
Slant Magazine
Gaming Professors
Gadgets 360
Jump Dash Roll
eXputer
PLAY Zine
GRYOnline.pl
Seasoned Gaming
SpaceNerd.it
The Angry Joe Show…and 157 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Modern Warfare 4 Open Beta: Weekend Two IntelAug 26, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Modern Warfare 4 Open Beta: Everything You Need to KnowAug 21, 2026significant · resets scoring window