The story tak
es place across two separate arcs, one recounting events in the 1980s, and the other following characters in the year 2025.
The 1980s story arc follows the exploits of Alex Mason, fighting in a proxy war in Angola whilst suffering from a disorder as a result of his brainwashing in Vorkuta. Viktor Reznov will reportedly return in this section of the game, and it has been suggested that his friendship with Mason will continue to be explored.
This portion of the game chronicles the rise of Raul Menendez, the primary antagonist of the game in the 2025 chapter.
Known locations in this section are Angola, Afghanistan, Panama and parts of Central America.
In 2025, a cyberattack targets the Chinese economy, crippling the Chinese Stock Exchange. In retaliation for this, the Chinese government has banned the export of rare earth elements, sparking a “Second Cold War” between the United States and the People’s Republic of China. During an invasion of Los Angeles, David Mason – the son of Alex Mason – and a team from the United States Navy Special Warfare Development Group must escort the American and French presidents to safety as they come under attack from automated weapons and Menendez’s men.
In the time since the 1980s, Raul Menendez has styled himself as the leader of the Cordis Die, a populist faction hailed as the champions of victims of economic inequality. In his role as their leader, Menendez has taken control of the “keys” to the armed forces, hijacking the United States’ automated weapons systems and turning them against their masters.
Meanwhile, it is revealed that Frank Woods has survived his encounter with Lev Kravchenko and escaped from Hanoi. He has taken refuge in a secret location known as “The Vault” and has anticipated Menendez’s rise to prominence. Woods serves as the narrator for the 2025 story arc.
Known locations are Los Angeles, The Vault, Singapore, Yemen and Cayman Trench.
