The game was a commercial success, generating $500 million of revenue within just three days of its release. However, it was criticized for the single-player's lack of innovation and similarity to past games set in the same era. Praise was given towards its story, the changes to combat, multiplayer modes, and visuals. Upon release, the game received generally positive reviews from critics. They also chose to include atrocities and Nazi concentration camps in the campaign mode to deliver an authentic war story. Studio head Michael Condrey stated that he was unsure if a World War II game would feel right after creating a futuristic title like Advanced Warfare, but the developers ultimately decided to create a game in this time period. Sledgehammer Games were interested in bringing the series back to World War II after developing their previous title, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (2014), which featured advanced movements and futuristic warfare technology. A social hub, named Headquarters, was also implemented into the game, allowing for players to interact with each other.

The mode also features the new Divisions system, replacing the create-a-class system that previous games in the series used. The multiplayer mode features map locations not seen in the campaign.

The player controls Ronald 'Red' Daniels, who has squadmates who can supply the player with extra ammunition, health, or grenades as well as a targeted grenade and target spotting none of these are automatically replenished in the campaign. The game's campaign is set in the European theatre and is centered around a squad in the 1st Infantry Division following their battles on the Western Front and set mainly in the historical events of Operation Overlord.

Call of duty world war 2 closed beta