Call of Duty: Ghosts takes place in an alternate timeline where the United States and The Federation, a coalition of southern American countries, are at war. The conflict has been ongoing for ten years, resulting in the destruction of entire cities. The player controls characters from different points of view throughout the conflict, primarily focusing on a US 'Ghost' team that specializes in clandestine and covert operations.
The game features a large multiplayer component, with standard Call of Duty modes such as free-for-all and Team Deathmatch available alongside Ground War, which rotates between Domination and Team Deathmatch and Blitz, a variation of capture the flag where players must reach enemy spawn point portals to score.