Call of Duty: Ghosts takes place in an alternate timeline, where a conflict between the United States and The Federation, a coalition of southern American countries, has been ongoing for ten years. The two factions have destroyed entire cities. As with previous Call of Duty games, the player controls characters from different points of view from the conflict, but the story is told largely from the point of view of a US 'Ghost' team, a special forces unit specializing in clandestine and covert operations. The player's mission is to track down a former Ghost that has been captured and brainwashed by The Federation.
Call of Duty: Ghosts features a large multiplayer component, including standard CoD modes such as free for all and Team deathmatch. Ground War mode rotates between Domination and Team Deathmatch, while Blitz is similar to capture the flag, but players must get to portals at the enemy spawn point to score.