Call of Duty is a first-person shooter set during World War II and the first title in a long-running series. It is also the first game by development studio Infinity Ward and in some ways builds upon Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, a similar title a part of the team had been working on at 2015, Inc. before forming a new company.

Players experience the battle in Europe during World War II in different campaigns divided further into missions. Unlike MoH: AA these are not only presented from the view of an American soldier, there is a British and a Soviet campaign as well, each focusing on different parts of the battle. In total there are 24 interconnected missions to play to get to Berlin. In each campaign a different perspective is offered, starting as an American Paratrooper during D-Day, progressing to assume the role as an English Special Forces commando, and finally as a Russian tank commander. Some missions are played in solitary fashion, but in most of them the player is part of a larger group with computer-controlled team mates.

Most of the combat is infantry-based, but some is also set between vehicles or tanks. Multiplayer modes include death match, team death match, behind enemy lines (where the allies are outnumbered) and two objective-based modes: retrieval, and search and destroy.

The later-released console version Call of Duty Classic is a reworking of the original game with enhanced graphics.