Call of Duty: Vanguard was one of the most original Call of Duty releases in a decade; however, terminally online basement dwellers and right-wing content creators ensured that we will unlikely see another entry like it anytime soon.
There is much we could say to say about Call of Duty: Vanguard, but we have already said it here.
Instead, let's focus on how many people are playing Call of Duty: Vanguard in 2024, and more importantly, does it have a future, and if so, what does that future look like?
Call of Duty: Vanguard is struggling, and matchmaking is on the cusp of becoming unviable outside of peak playtimes.
While plenty of people are around, and matchmaking times for the quickplay playlist are around 90 or less, once you branch out from the default playlist, things start to deteriorate unless you are based in NA/EU and play during peak playtime for those regions.
In preparation for this article, I attempted to find lobbies for each playlist. Unfortunately, except for the Quickplay list, I could not find a full lobby during off-peak hours.
Most playlists struggled to half-fill a single lobby, and larger game mode playlists, such as Blitz, were almost entirely dead. Some playlists, such as Champions Hill and Assault Pacing, have been permanently disabled.
While you may have more luck finding full lobbies for once-popular modes during peak times, if you want to spend more time playing than waiting for lobbies to fill, quickplay is your only option in 2024 for many regions.
As time has gone on since Call of Duty: Vanguard’s lukewarm reception, gamers have come to appreciate just how good a game it was.
Unfortunately, this was too little, too late.
While being added to Xbox Game Pass (PC, Console, and potentially cloud) will bolster its flagging player count, it was held to unfairly high standards from the moment it was revealed because the key art featured a black man and a white woman instead of a white male, which had been the case in every Call of Duty title released up until that point.
An excellent roster of characters, near-perfect gunplay, and some of the best maps since Call of Duty World War War ensure that Vanguard will be around in some capacity for many years.
In addition, permanent double XP and a large roster of unlockable operator skins (including stunning gold and black variants) give new and cause players plenty of reasons to play vanguarVanguards a veteran of the game, I must admit if not for the time commitment required to complete Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3/Warzone battle pass, it would still be my Call of Duty of Choice, despite liking both Modern Warfare 2 and its 2023 sequel.
Call of Duty: Vanguard is a great game; the campaign is fun, the zombie mode is enjoyable, the operators are memorable, the 6v6 multiplayer is engaging, and the map list contains some of the best maps we have received since Call of Duty World at War.
While I would not pay full price for Call of Duty: Vanguard in 2024, I fully recommend picking it up on sale for the campaign alone, which, while not as good as some entries in the series, is an enjoyable yarn full of excellent performances and excellent set pieces, making it one of the most memorable campaigns since Call of Duty Modern Warfare (2019).
Call of Duty: Vanguard may not be as active as it once was. However, there is still plenty of fun to be had thanks to crossplay and quickplay, which ensure that players can find matches reasonably quickly at all times.
Alternatively, Call of Duty: Vanguard is due to arrive on Xbox Game Pass soon, and I feel it is worth downloading for those who have already subscribed to the service or are considering doing so.
