Is Call of Duty safe for kids?
Call of Duty is a first-person shooter game with a PEGI 18 age rating. Learn more about the game to understand how to help young people game safely.
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In this guide
What is Call of Duty?
Call of Duty is a gritty first-person shooter (FPS) game based on military settings. The first few games are set in World War II while other wars feature in other games.
The game depicts events through the protagonists’ eyes. Atrocities against innocent civilians, terrorist attacks and scenes of torture and execution. Players need to decide whether targets are enemies or innocents.
Game series
Call of Duty was first released in 2003 with several versions and series. Versions of the game include:
- Call of Duty
- Modern Warfare
- World at War
- Black Ops
- Ghosts
- Advanced Warfare
- Infinite Warfare
- WWII
- Black Ops Cold War
- Vanguard
Some of these versions include three to four iterations as well. While each new game might have a new offering, they all generally include the same themes.
Minimum age rating
Generally, Call of Duty games have a PEGI 18 rating and are only intended for adults. Similarly, the ESRB rates Call of Duty as M for 17+ only.
Graphic violence, strong language and violence against “vulnerable and defenseless characters” inform these ratings. PEGI’s rating also cites “motiveless killing” of characters who are innocent.
How it works
Each Call of Duty game features a different story and set of characters. As such, the experience is unique to each game. However, Call of Duty generally include the following features:
Single-player or multiplayer
Players can choose from single-player and multiplayer modes. Single-player games focus more on the story and quests to complete. Multiplayer allows players to play against others in different ways:
- Team Deathmatch: Two teams compete to beat the most enemies.
- Domination: Teams fight against others to control different points on a map.
- Search and Destroy: Teams receive objectives to either defend or attack.
- Kill Confirmed: Players kills as many enemies as they can, collecting dog tags from the dead.
- Battle Royale: All players verse each other by collecting items to survive and kill others. The map shrinks to force players into interactions.
- Special Operations: Players complete cooperative missions with one or more others. Each mission includes different challenges.
Call of Duty parental controls
Call of Duty is for adults. However, if you allow your teenager to play, there are some things you can do to make the experience safer.
Turn off graphic content
You can turn off graphic content like blood and some bad language in the General menu. Here, you can also specify whether to exclude Text Chat, Filter Profanity and turn off Dismemberment & Gore Effects.
Disable voice chat
Voice chat can be turned off to reduce the risk of inappropriate language. Find this feature in the settings menu under ‘Audio’.
Set console controls
You can limit in-game spending, screen time and more by using console parental controls. Both PlayStation and Xbox have great options for parental controls.
If you want to restrict your child from accessing Call of Duty games, you can also set age limits on consoles.
Alternative games to Call of Duty
If your child is under 18, explore the following games instead.