What is ADS in Call of Duty?

Aiming Down Sights is an important tool everyone should use in Call of Duty
Aiming Down Sights is an important tool everyone should use in Call of Duty / Photo by Activision/Infinity Ward

What is ADS in Call of Duty is a common question many might have when jumping into the franchise or first-person shooters as a whole for the first time.

Call of Duty is a widely popular FPS franchise spawning entries across multiple platforms. The most recent entry, Modern Warfare, is a soft reboot for the franchise bringing it back to a modern setting. While fans raved about getting grounded multiplayer back after years of advanced movement, ADS has never changed in the franchise.

Here's everything you need to know about ADS in Call of Duty.

What is ADS in Call of Duty?

ADS stands for aiming down sights. It's an acronym that's not unique to the franchise, but one to the genre as a whole.

Aiming down sights gives players pinpoint accuracy to firing their weapons. On console, players traditionally ADS with their left triggers depending on platform. The opposite of aiming down sights is hip firing. The contrary is much more inaccurate unless a player uses an attachment or perk like a laser sight or Steady Aim.

The feature applies to all weapons except for fists and the knife. In newer Call of Duty titles, players can equip a knife as a secondary. There isn't a sight to traditionally look down, so the button input becomes a secondary melee button.