Call of Duty 2 is the 2005 sequel whose campaign follows soldiers from the Red Army, British Army, and United States Army. Its World War II story is divided among four playable soldiers across three broad campaign chapters.
The Soviet section follows Private Vasili Ivanovich Koslov during the defense of Moscow and the Battle of Stalingrad. The British sections follow Sergeant John Davis in North Africa and Western Europe, while the American missions place Corporal Bill Taylor with U.S. Army Rangers during the Normandy invasion and later fighting in Germany.
This structure distinguishes Call of Duty 2 from several similarly named games. Call of Duty: World at War also depicts the Soviet and American fronts, but it was released in 2008 and is not the 2005 sequel. Call of Duty: Finest Hour is a separate console title, while Call of Duty 2: Big Red One is a 2005 spin-off centered on the American 1st Infantry Division. Developed by Infinity Ward, Call of Duty 2 was released first for Windows and then became an important early showcase for the Xbox 360. Its campaign contains 27 missions and uses multiple viewpoints to present different theaters of the war.