The best first-person shooter games

There probably isn’t a gamer alive that hasn’t at least spent some time in the lobbies of Call of Duty or felt the thrill and adrenaline of just nearly cinching a victory royale, only to have it snatched away at the last moment by a lucky shot, we’ve all been there.

The rush of a good FPS is underappreciated in what is, admittedly, a bit of an oversaturated market. But what about those gems, the diamonds in the rough that keep up coming back time, and time again, death after death, just for a taste of victory? Those are the titles worth sticking around for, and it’s those titles that deserve some recognition.

From the depths of Hell to the dystopic plazas of Rapture, we’ve set out on the big task of compiling the best of the best FPSs, those games that deliver exciting action, intense drama, and mechanical goodness, all in one.

FPS titles have been slowly released onto the PS5 and Xbox Series X, and we must re-emphasise the word slowly, so we’re still holding out for some more FPS goodness in the following year.

These titles aren’t on every console or PC, so we’ve gathered games that any player can get their hands on, and for a good, competitive price too.

Without further ado, here are our top picks for the best first-person shooter games:

The best first-person shooter games at a glance:

Overwatch 2

Destiny 2: The Witch Queen

Halo: Infinite

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Extraction

Escape from Tarkov

Valorant

Doom Eternal

Metal Hellsinger

Apex Legends

Call of Duty: Warzone

Superhot VR

Bioshock: The Collection

The best first-person shooter games in detail:

Platform: Multi | Developer: Blizzard | Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment | Released: 2022 | Age Rating: 12

It's been over six years since the first Overwatch found its way onto our screens, and its popularity never seemed to falter. Fans are bound to be rejoicing at the very notion of new maps, characters, and of course the return of some fan favourites, without paying a penny.

Blizzard hasn't reinvented the wheel when it comes to Overwatch 2, there are some minor changes, here and there, but hey - the game's free-to-play, and we're just happy to see this series alive and well.

If you're looking to gain the edge in battle, and in style; check out the Watchpoint 2 season pass - containing limited-time skins, 2,000 coins, and a premium battle pass.

Destiny 2: The Witch Queen

The team at Bungie has been unrelenting when it comes to keeping the Destiny 2 saga alive, for five years players have been ceaselessly grinding Destiny 2's raids alongside teammates in search of the most powerful weaponry, so players are bound to be delighted at this year's major expansion.

The Witch Queen has players delving deep into some stunning, enormous levels, and face against the hordes of the Lucent Hive and the Witch Queen herself, Savathûn, in probably Destiny 2's most epic campaign yet - with tonnes of new guns, characters, and enemies to discover.

Halo Infinite

Platform: Xbox One | Developer: 343 Industries | Publisher: Microsoft Studios | Released: 2021 | Age Rating: 16

Halo Infinite has been hailed by fans and critics alike for not only reinvigorating the Halo series, but also the FPS shooter genre.

Vibrant, breathtaking vistas collide with a touch of nostalgia as players find themselves traversing Halo Infinite's seemingly infinite maps with Warthogs, Ghost, and Wraith tanks at their disposal.

Again, this is yet another title that hasn't entirely blown us away with an arsenal of new mechanics, and yet our inner younger self is delighted to be back playing as a spartan, especially with the brand-new grapple hook mechanic, which is about as brilliant as it gets.

Halo Infinite's campaign is, in a new twist, completely open-world - adding it to a long list of excellent open-world adventure games worthy of your time, check out our picks for the very best open-world games of all time, available now.

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Extraction

Platform: PS5 / Xbox Series X | Developer: Ubisoft | Publisher: Ubisoft | Released: 2022 | Age Rating: 16

Left for Dead meets the tactical shooter genre in this excellent spin-off from Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege that landed on PCs and consoles this year, Rainbow Six Extraction is simply thrilling, combining excellent graphics, harsh, yet rewarding gameplay mechanics, and exciting gameplay in one affordable package. Despite the undeniable thrill of gunning down an opponent in a master stroke of tactics, Extraction is a far more cooperative experience that doesn't leave you with as much contempt for other players as Siege often does.

Escape from Tarkov (PC)

Platform: PC | Developer: Battlestate Games | Publisher: Battlestate Games | Released: 2019 | Age Rating: 16

We'd be completely foolish if we were to write an entire list of the best FPS shooters and not include Escape from Tarkov in its ranks. Despite being in its beta development stage for about three years, Escape from Tarkov is one of the finest modern shooters of its ilk.

A brutal open-world hardcore FPS that ratchets tension like no other shooter we've experienced, intense low-light gun fights, resource-scavenging, and tactical cooperation - elements of any good open-world FPS meet an incredibly realistic aesthetic; no HUD, no guide, only the player and their limited supplies are thrown into Tarkov's brutal, war-torn landscape.

We won't lie, starting out in Tarkov is an incredibly punishing experience, time and time again you will be killed, you will lose progress, and it quickly becomes frustrating - but stick with it, because frustration quickly turns into exhilaration, and game-by-game, you'll soon be dominating your opponents.

Escape from Tarkov is currently a PC-exclusive title, if you're a PC gamer yourself, you may be interested in expanding your library of games with some of the best PC games available right now.

Valorant

Platform: PC | Developer: Riot Games | Publisher: Riot Games | Released: 2020 | Age Rating: 16

Yet another free-to-play tactical FPS that's taking Twitch and gamers by storm, Valorant has all the charm and difficulty of your essential hero shooter such as Overwatch - with some strong gameplay changes mixed in.

Where Overwatch is massively dependent on the synergy of hero abilities, Valorant, much like a typical shooter, is far more weighted on gunplay - the hero's abilities are far less critical in seizing victory, which fundamentally changes the game's overall pace.

Valorant is totally free to play right now, so why not give it a go? In our eyes, it's one of the best shooters of the year.

DOOM Eternal

Platform: Multi | Developer: iD Software | Publisher: Bethesda Softworks | Released: 2020 | Age Rating: 18

Chaos, chaos and a little more chaos. DOOM Eternal is everything we love about the Doom franchise. It's frantic, violent, and over-the-top gory. True to the DOOM name, the game demands that you're brave, never resting, never stopping, and never overthinking. You will be breathlessly bound from swarm to swarm, fighting off the demon hoards threatening to overwhelm you. Adrenaline-pumping FPS action at its finest, all accompanied by some of the most brutal heavy metal to ever hit the gaming industry.

Metal Hellsinger

Platform: Multi | Developer: The Outsiders | Publisher: Funcom | Released: 2022 | Age Rating: 12

While DOOM asks, ‘what if you could play a metal album cover?’, Metal Hellsinger goes one step further: ‘what if you could play the cover and the music?’ The answer is a rhythm-shooter that grabs you by the throat and drags you kicking and headbanging through hell.

At its core, Metal Hellsinger is a stage-based high-score first-person shooter, wherein you blast through as efficiently and cleanly as possible, finishing each level with an Aspect encounter – aka, a boss fight. While a solid enough structure, it's the music – and your synchronisation with it - that keeps you coming back.

As you perform actions to the beat, your Fury multiplier builds. The higher the count, the more of the song you hear. Hitting 'x16' grabs you the complete track, complete with special guest vocalists from metal legends, including Matt Heafy (Trivium), Alissa White-Gluz (Arch Enemy), Randy Blythe (Lamb Of God) and Serj Tankian (System Of A Down).

Building to a crescendo in this way is a delicious combination, with song epic-ness matching the thrill of chained kills and the feeling of sitting right in the pocket of the beat. Likewise, taking a big ol’ L and losing your multiplier does feel like a loss – the world is a bit emptier, and the only way you can fill it is by cracking more skulls. Hellishly good.

Apex Legends

Platform: Multi | Developer: Respawn Entertainment | Publisher: EA | Released: 2019 | Age Rating: 16

With many games of its ilk, Apex Legends feels like it came out of nowhere, suddenly launching and immediately posing a threat to the then-biggest names in the battle royale genre. In addition to quick-fire gunplay and epic maps that'll be instantly recognisable for players of Titanfall, one of the free-to-play game's best innovations is its team communication method, which streamlines the team-based cooperative elements. It's free to download, but there are special editions available through retailers like Amazon, offering special skins and weapons.

The PlayStation has been steadily expanding its game library since its release, and this year's set to be one of the best years yet, here are our picks for the best PS5 games of all time.

Call of Duty: Warzone

Platform: Multi | Developer: Raven Software | Publisher: Activision | Released: 2020 | Age Rating: 18

The battle royale game style has taken off over the past few years, drawing swathes of gamers away from the traditional online FPS game modes and pitting them against each other in huge, open-world maps.

Activision took note of this trend and put together its version that takes place in the world of Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare. The game, called Warzone, is huge. Up to 150 players can compete in one match alone, with each vying for survival. The ability to experience Call Of Duty's precise-yet-arcade-like and visceral mechanics isn't something to miss, especially for free.

Xbox has been taking the gaming world by storm recently with their Xbox Games Pass, it's pretty much the entire catalogue of every Xbox game ever released on a single system, which has been a childhood dream of hours for some time, here are just a few of the best games on the Xbox right now.

Superhot VR

Platform: Multi (VR) | Developer: SUPERHOT Team | Publisher: SUPERHOT Team | Released: 2016 | Age Rating: 12

Super_hot VR_ is one of the best VR FPS games available. The player takes on hordes of enemies with an array of weapons and Matrix-style time-bending abilities. The player's movement controls time, and as the player attempts to travel around levels, dodge bullets and karate chop bad dudes in the face, they'll be switching between flurries of movements and sudden position holds. It's super addictive.

With the PSVR2 right around the corner, there's no better time to recap the best VR games on the PlayStation so far.

Bioshock: The Collection

Platform: Multi | Developer: Irrational Games | Publisher: 2K Games | Released: 2016 | Age Rating: 18

Gritty, and despairingly horrific - Bioshock takes place far beneath the ocean, in the doomed city of Rapture, a utopic vision turned dystopia. The remnants of Rapture's populous have become crazed splicers, hooked on the raw power of Rapture's plasmids, addictive chemicals that give its inhabitants incredible supernatural abilities - you are tasked with unravelling the entire wretched mess of Rapture, and its charismatic ruler, Andrew Ryan, and ultimately escape the awful hellscape of one man's despotic vision.

Choose the impossible; choose Rapture.

Bioshock has found its way onto the Nintendo Switch in recent years surprisingly, so you can even play it on the go if you wish. For more excellent Nintendo games, check out our picks for the best Nintendo Switch games of the year, you won't be disappointed.

William Lobley is a Content Writer and reviewer for What's The Best, specialising in gaming, technology and the outdoors. He also writes for Empire Online.

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