Call of Duty: WWII

Call of Duty: WWII is a first-person shooter released in 2017, developed by Sledgehammer Games with support from Raven Software. The title takes the series back to World War II. It combines a linear single-player campaign with competitive multiplayer and a separate cooperative Zombies mode.

The campaign follows the perspective of a US unit, while the online modes focus on different things, from classic PvP to consecutive team objectives in War mode. Despite its historical setting, this is staged action, not a military history simulation.

Activision released Call of Duty: WWII on November 3, 2017, for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Steam shows a neighboring calendar day for some regions. The publisher's date is the official worldwide release date.

Four extensive add-on packs expanded the game in 2018. There was no full version as Early Access.

The game was released natively for Windows PC, PS4 and Xbox One. A PS5 or Xbox Series version was not released as a separate native version. Newer consoles can run older console titles via backward compatibility, but this support must not be counted as its own launch.

Steam explicitly lists no cross-platform multiplayer. If you want to play online together, you therefore need a matching game environment.

WWII is a first-person shooter with fixed mission areas, team battles and military equipment. The single-player campaign follows a set storyline, while competitive multiplayer uses rounds and objectives. In the cooperative Zombies mode, other enemies and separate locations take center stage.

These areas differ significantly in structure and progression. War mode and Divisions belong to PvP, while the campaign is tailored to a specific character lineup and scripted events.

The four major expansion packs released in 2018 are called The Resistance, The War Machine, United Front and Shadow War. They add, among other things, maps for competitive multiplayer, new War Mode operations and further Zombies chapters. The Carentan map is part of the Season Pass offer.

The Season Pass bundles these expansions. A Digital Deluxe Edition includes the Season Pass alongside the main game; the standalone DLC packs require the matching base game. This prevents a common mix-up between main product, upgrade and separately sold map pack.

Steam lists at least a 64-bit processor, 8 GB RAM, Intel Core i3-3225 or AMD Ryzen 5 1400, a GeForce GTX 660 with 2 GB, GTX 1050 or equivalent Radeon graphics, and DirectX 11. The current Steam page lists 90 GB of free storage space.

Activision's support document gives 12 GB RAM, an Intel Core i5-2400 or AMD Ryzen 5 1600X, and a GeForce GTX 970/1060 or Radeon R9 390/RX 580 as guidance for a recommended configuration. The older Activision page differs on storage requirements; for a current Steam installation, the current Steam figure is preferable. Steam itself has supported only Windows 10 and later since January 2024, even though the historical game requirements still list Windows 7.

The story follows young soldier Ronald "Red" Daniels of the 1st US Infantry Division. His unit begins on D-Day in Normandy and later fights in other places in Western Europe, including the Hürtgen Forest and the Ardennes. Alongside Daniels, Zussman, Pierson and Turner shape the story of his squad.

The campaign thus tells a selected section from the perspective of several soldiers. The historical locations form the backdrop to a dramatically staged action story, not a complete military-historical overview.

In competitive multiplayer, teams with different weapons and equipment combinations face each other. The division system introduced at launch sorts the choice by playstyle: Infantry, Luftwaffe, Armored Division, Mountain Troops and Expeditionary Forces.

Each division received specific training and weapon abilities. Unlike the campaign, multiplayer does not follow a single story, but organizes competition through standalone modes and mission objectives.

War mode sets out connected attack and defense tasks in which the team must reach strategic objectives together. The encounters use historical war scenarios as a backdrop for a structured sequence of team tasks.

The four expansion packs later brought further War Mode operations: Intercept, Husky, Supercharge and Arcane. They add to the original multiplayer and are not standalone base games.

The standalone Zombies mode moves cooperative play into a supernatural horror story. Players face ever-new enemies together and follow the storyline on separate maps. It is separate from the campaign and the regular PvP battles.

Expansions continue this content in chapters, including The Darkest Shore, The Shadowed Throne and The Frozen Dawn. If you mainly want to play co-op, you should therefore distinguish between the mode included in the base game and the additional scenarios.

For the PC version, Steam lists German as the language for the user interface, full voice acting and subtitles. The store lists controller support, a single-player mode, online PvP, co-op, and shared or local multiplayer features.

Local modes are not the same as playing across different platforms. Steam explicitly excludes cross-platform multiplayer in Call of Duty: WWII.