I’ve been playing Call of Duty since the very first game back in 2003, so storming beaches, pushing through ruined cities and hearing the unmistakable crack of an M1 Garand instantly takes me back to the series that made me fall in love with first-person shooters in the first place.
A Different Way of Telling the Story
When Call of Duty: Vanguard launched in 2021, I skipped it. Whether it was franchise fatigue, the mixed reception or simply not having enough hours in the day, it just passed me by.
Thanks to Game Pass, I finally got around to playing it, and I’m glad I did.
Without venturing anywhere near spoiler territory, Vanguard’s biggest strength is how it introduces its squad.
Instead of throwing a group of strangers together and expecting you to care, the campaign takes the time to tell each character’s story individually before bringing everything together. Every flashback adds another layer to the overall narrative, and by the time the team is assembled, they actually feel like people rather than another collection of soldiers shouting objectives at each other.
It’s a simple idea, but one that works incredibly well.
Variety Keeps Things Fresh
One thing Call of Duty campaigns have always done well is pacing, and Vanguard is no different. Every mission feels distinct.
You’ll be charging headfirst into chaotic battles one minute before slowing everything down for stealthier moments the next. The sniper missions, in particular, are absolutely brilliant. They’re tense, rewarding and among the best sections of the entire campaign, forcing you to think before pulling the trigger rather than simply sprinting from checkpoint to checkpoint.
Just when you think you’ve seen everything the game has to offer, it changes things up again.
That’s exactly how a Call of Duty campaign should be.
Looks And Plays Beautifully
For a game that’s now several years old, Vanguard still looks fantastic.
The lighting, destruction and sound design all hold up remarkably well, while the gunplay remains every bit as satisfying as you’d expect from the series. Weapons feel punchy, firefights are cinematic, and the whole campaign runs with the smooth confidence Call of Duty has become known for.
More importantly, it’s just fun.
Sometimes games try so hard to reinvent themselves that they forget why people enjoyed them in the first place. Vanguard doesn’t overcomplicate things. It focuses on delivering a polished, entertaining campaign from beginning to end, and that’s exactly what it does.
Worth Revisiting
The campaign isn’t particularly long, but I’d argue that’s one of its strengths. It doesn’t waste your time, doesn’t pad itself with repetitive objectives and never feels like it’s dragging towards the finish line.
When the credits rolled, I actually found myself wishing there were another couple of missions left.
That’s never a bad sign.
Looking back, I think Vanguard suffered more from the timing of its release than the quality of its campaign. It arrived during a period where Call of Duty players were craving something different, and because of that, I think a genuinely enjoyable single-player experience was overlooked.
If you skipped Vanguard back in 2021 as I did, Game Pass gives it a second chance, and I genuinely think it’s one worth taking.
Not every Call of Duty campaign needs to redefine the genre. Sometimes, all you want is great action, memorable characters, excellent pacing and missions you’ll still be thinking about after the credits roll.
Vanguard delivers exactly that.
Final Verdict
Game Pass has been brilliant for giving older games a second life, and Call of Duty: Vanguard is a perfect example. I went in expecting a decent campaign and came away wondering why I’d ignored it for nearly five years.
Sometimes the internet gets it wrong. Sometimes a game deserves another shot. For me, Vanguard absolutely did.
