While Call of Duty Vanguard features similar mechanics to 2024 Modern Warfare, the game received mixed reviews after launch. Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War, as the title suggests, features a storyline that takes place in the 1980's and focuses on Cold War between the United States and the USSR.

It serves as the 18th installment in the overall Call of Duty series. Vanguard establishes a storyline featuring the birth of the special forces to face an emerging threat at the end of the war during various theatres of World War II.