If you take a peek at the Steam player charts at any given time, you’ll see that first-person shooters consistently make up the top positions. It’s just human nature, it seems, to want to shove a virtual gun in someone’s face and pull the trigger.
I play first-person shooters just about every day, and this love affair started a little too young by playingDOOMas a toddler. That said, it took almost a decade after that first exposure to cement it, with a mix ofUnreal TournamentandCounter-Strike1.6 that quickly made way toCall of DutyandBattlefield1942.
The great thing about FPS as a genre is that you have enough variety to fit any taste in there.This list has a mix of some games I enjoy, and, crucially, which I have successfully sold friends who are new to the genre on.
10 Shooters With Amazing Reloading Mechanics
When that clip is empty, these games make reloading almost as fun as shooting.
Before we start, an important note on multiplayer: next to MOBA, popular first-person shooters are the sweatiest games in existence. The multiplayer lobbies are populated by people with more free time than sense, and who will kill you faster than the human brain is typically capable of processing.
All of this is to say that no one in their right mind would recommend games like Counter-Strike 2,Rainbow Six Siege, orEscape From Tarkovto a newcomer, because generally speaking, you will not have a good time.
With that out of the way, hit the reload key so we start this with a full mag, and let’s dive in.
10Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered
You know what’s the easiest way to avoid FPS multiplayer problems? By not playing online at all. Activision made that easy to do when they remastered the originalCall of Duty: Modern Warfarecampaign in 2017.
As much as I love the earlier Call of Duty games, it’s undeniable that the writers' room watched too much Band of Brothers and played too muchMedal of Honorbefore making them. Innovative business in 2005, but exhausted tropes today.
The first Modern Warfare campaign is beautifully unique because,while it still had the heroism of yore, it mixes in a fresh, grounded storylinethat had yet to succumb to the tough guy nonsense that has marred the series since then.
Modern Warfare remastered has accessible difficulty options, engaging linear levels, and gunplay that is both fun and easy to learn. I refuse to believe someone can play the All Ghillied Up mission and not become a fan.
9Dying Light
Death, Taxes, And Parkour
Dying Light
Most things in this world are up for debate, except for the fact that killing zombies is insanely cool. No sane person does not get at least a bit of a high from transforming the undead back to the dead, butDying Lightgoes the extra mile to make it awesome.
What makes Dying Light special is thatit’s not really a first-person shooter as much as it is a parkour game. The game has you traversing through a hellish city at your own leisure, punctuated by inflicting great violence upon zombie hordes using a fun mix of melee weapons and firearms.
This flow makes Dying Light much more accessible to those new to FPS games, since it prioritizes smart movement over raw accuracy. Even if you cannot hit the broadside of a barn with a gun, you can still enjoy the game while you improve your nonexistent gunnery skills.
Despite coming out in 2015, the developers releaseda massive updatetitled Dying Light Retouched that brings the game’s visuals closer to contemporary standards, so you can enjoy the carnage in HD.
8Star Wars: Republic Commando
“Your Tactics Confuse and Frighten Me, Sir”
Star Wars Republic Commando
Most beginner-friendly first-person shooters focus on more action-oriented sequences, but if you’re a brains-over-brawn type of player, it does not get much better than Star Wars: Republic Commando.
This 2005 release is the perfect example of why less is more when making a good game. You’re thrown intoextremely linear levels, there’s next to no weapons or enemy variety, the story is straightforward, but all of that works in the game’s favorbecause every element feels like it belongs.
Top 10 Classic Shooters You Need To Play
Becoming a classic shooter connoisseur isn’t easy, but we’ll help you get there. Here’s the top 10 Classic Shooters you absolutely need to play.
The main draw of Republic Commando is itstactical gameplay, where you lead a diverse group of elite clone troopers from the Battle of Geonosis from Star Wars: Attack of the Clones to the Battle of Kashyyyk portrayed in Revenge of the Sith.
Success and defeat in this game depend on the decisions you make for your team rather than how good you are with a blaster, and the easier difficulties are particularly lenient about the latter.
Back to Basics
And no, I don’t mean the 1993 one, although the differences aren’t that big. DOOM is generally accepted as the granddaddy of first-person shooters as we know it, with a format so good that it has remained functionally unchanged since its release concurrent with Nirvana’s In Utero album.
This isthe gateway drug for would-be FPS fans who don’t want to spend time worrying about silly things like tactics or a deep story. DOOM knows you’re here to shoot things up, so the entire game is designed to give you exactly that.
Your entire time playing DOOM is spent shooting hellish abominations in the face while enjoying satisfying gore mechanics and a banger of a soundtrack. That simplicity makes it the most beginner-friendly of the modern DOOM games, though if you want things to move a little faster, try outDOOM Eternal.
6Delta Force
DICE’s Modern Nemesis
Delta Force
Everything I said before about multiplayer being a hive of scum and villainy is true, butDelta Forcesoftens the blow in two ways.
For starters,the game is completely free, so you don’t have to worry about wasting money when getting thrashed by xX69CAG_Boi69Xxfor the seventeenth time. The other bit is that Delta Force expertly created a sweatlord honeypot in the form ofthe Operations game mode.
This Temu version of Escape From Tarkov keeps the more aggressive players away from Warfare, which is the most accessible, fun game mode.
The premise is simple: players are split between two teams of 32 on a large map; the goal is to secure areas by outnumbering the enemy in them, like your usual King of the Hill mechanics, but with more violence and multiple objectives.
While Delta Force can be overwhelming in terms of weapon customization, Warfare lets you ignore all that, spawn in, and rush to the point. You are likely to die a million times over, but so will everyone else; no pressure there.
5Battlefield 3
The Last, Great Battlefield
Battlefield 3
Let me caveat this entry by saying that any Battlefield game is a decent starting point for FPS fans. I got my fix way back when with the Battlefield 1942 legendary Wake Island multiplayer demo, but you don’t have to play a 2002 game to get a similar fix.
With some minor exceptions, just about every game in the franchise follows the same format: multiplayer primarily focused on Conquest mode, where you and your team fight for control of objectives around the map, and a campaign mode.
As most of these games aren’t particularly new now, the people who are left on multiplayer servers are typically those deeply familiar with the game, which makes it a little brutal on newcomers. That’s why I’m basing my pick on the campaign mode instead, since that’s where the fun is going to be for you.
Battlefield 3isa gorgeous nuclear drama that plays out similarly to Tom Clancy’s The Sum of All Fears, and has tons of iconic scenes, like the epic F/A-18F air battle mission. If you want something a little more lighthearted but equally entertaining, try out the Battlefield: Bad Company series. You won’t regret it.
4Team Fortress 2
Whacky Boom Boom
Team Fortress 2
Once upon a time, Team Fortress was just a mod forQuake, one of the premier arena shooters in its day. The linear passage of time sent Quake into the history books, whileTeam Fortress 2cemented itself as a standalone classic.
TF2 stands out thanks to itscartoonish art style, deeply unserious physics and gameplay, and a thriving communitythat loves the game more than many parents love their children.
9 Badly Reviewed FPS Games That Are Actually Pretty Good
Trust your gun, not the reviews.
As a multiplayer game that’s been out for longer than some drivers have been alive, you’re guaranteed to come across some incredibly sweaty players who will make your life rather short. The good news is, Team Fortress 2 is so ridiculous that you won’t be too bothered by it, especially since it’s free.
Another good thing about the game is that it relies on very distinct classes, so it’s a good launch pad for other FPS games that require you to commit to the roles to help your team win.
3Borderlands 2
The Quintessential Looter Shooter
Borderlands 2
While I was considering going forBorderlands 3due to the objectively better shooting mechanics, theBorderlands 2lobby would kill me. And honestly, they’d be right. If you’re planning to get into FPS titles, you want a game that has more cringeworthy moments per minute than the Scott’s Tots episode in The Office.
The smoother gameplay in Borderlands 3 is entertaining and easier to get into for the first hour of the game, but after that, you’re just left a little annoyed by the world around you. Contrast that with Borderlands 2, wherethe game’s over-the-top storytelling and humor really come to light. I mean, Handsome Jack alone is enough reason to put BL2 above its sequel.
Borderlands 2 is a looter shooter that unequivocally answers the fundamental question of “why should I care about any of this” that makes a good game great.
It’s also the kind of game that, if you’re enjoying yourself, you get to run the story three times to reach the real endgame. And if you’re not enjoying Borderlands 2, well, we can’t be friends, so I don’t know what to tell you.
2Halo: Reach
Tell ‘Em To Make It Count
Halo: Reach
While I was always a Sony child, it’s hard to be a fan of shooters and not cross paths with theHaloseries, especially given its reach (I’m so sorry) on PC, on top of Xbox. For over two decades, the franchise has been the starting FPS for people of all ages and gaming preferences, so it’s impossible to make this list without recommending at least one game from it.
There is no wrong recommendation here (except forHalo 5, but we don’t talk about that), but my Halo of choice is going to beHalo: Reach. Make no mistake, I enjoyed other titles in the series too, butthe story in Reach cuts deeper with its heavy tones.
Some of the enemies might feel like damage sponges, but it’s nothing close to jankygames like STALKER, and the gunplay feels extremely fun all the same, so you don’t mind putting some extra rounds into someone.
Oh, did I mention you get a jetpack? Yeah, a properly functional one, so you can go around living out your Mandalorian fantasies while being the baddest of badass as a Spartan.
1Half-Life 2
So Good That a Sequel is Impossible
Half-Life 2
If you ever wake up feeling like visiting totally-not-Bulgaria, this is your calling to go and boot upHalf-Life 2. Despite being a direct sequel to the 1998Half-Life, this is a game you can comfortably jump into as your first.
Crowbar hero Gordon Freeman is woken up from stasis and sent to City 17, and what awaits you is a mix of decaying eastern European suburbs, zombies, portals, and headcrabs. What, you want an explanation? I’m afraid I cannot give you one, Dr. Freeman.
Half-Life 2 is a game for the curious, dropping you into the deep end of events that are well above your pay gradebut also offering you all the pieces you need to put the mystery together.
I vividly remember my first time walking about at night, terrified of each and every sound, but also armed with a steel resolve because the game is so interesting. Half-Life 2 may be a first-person shooter, but it plays out like a classic turn-of-the-century mystery TV à la Twin Peaks or The X-Files. It does not get any better than that.
