Recap: With a new mainline release in the Call of Duty franchise dropping each and every year like clockwork, it's easy to forget that there's also a mobile variant in play. The aptly-named Call of Duty Mobile arrived back in late 2019 as a free to play title (with microtransactions) for Android and iOS devices and got off to a solid start.
The mobile version of CoD was downloaded 270 million times in its first year, and generated nearly $500 million in revenue in the process. By May 2021, downloads had topped 500 million and by February 2022, the game had collectively brought in over $1.5 billion.
We are now five years in, and CoD Mobile is still going strong. In an announcement for the game's 10th season, Activision said lifetime downloads now sit at over one billion.
Like the mainline entries, CoD Mobile is anchored by its multiplayer mode. It features fan-favorite maps and game modes from earlier franchise entries, and continues to receive a steady dose of themed events to keep players engaged and willing to open their wallets for in-game purchases.
Season 10, which launches on November 6 at 5 pm Pacific, will include a new Battle Royale map called Krai that is described as a dense urban landscape at the base of the Ural Mountains. There is also a new weapon up for grabs – a USS 9 SMG – as well as five player archetypes, new weapon blueprints, and more.
Playing a first-person shooter on a mobile device isn't exactly the best way to experience that type of game, but the shortcomings can easily be rectified by bringing a wireless gamepad and a standalone display into the mix.
If non-mobile is more your jam, CoD: Black Ops 6 sounds like it may be worth a look. The newly minted game recently scored the biggest opening weekend in Call of Duty history and is one of 55 games that has been enhanced for the new PlayStation 5 Pro.