The FPS genre is arguably the most popular in all of gaming. The best first-person shooter games the genre has to offer have all put their own unique spin, offering something new to keep players engaged for years to come. Here’s our list of the 10 best first-person shooter games ever!
Credit: Rare
With in-depth stealth, great gunplay, and revolutionary multiplayer, GoldenEye 007 is iconic for many reasons. In 1997, there was nothing quite like it, bringing Bond action to the N64. It’s admittedly a little dated nowadays, but for its impact on the industry as a whole, it’s impossible to deny that GoldenEye 007 is one of the best first-person shooter games ever.
Credit: Bungie
You can thank Halo: Combat Evolved for modernizing the first-person shooter genre. Modern control schemes for console shooters still have Halo: Combat Evolved’s DNA, setting a new standard for the best first-person shooter games to compete with. Top this off with a legendary campaign, an all-time great soundtrack, and thrilling multiplayer, and you’ve got Bungie’s recipe for success.
Credit: Valve
Before Overwatch, there was Team Fortress 2. Released alongside The Orange Box in 2007, TF2 allows players to choose from one of nine unique classes, playing a unique role in team-based objective matches. In many ways, Team Fortress 2 is the precursor to the hero shooter, but we think Valve got it right way back in 2007. It even continues to receive new updates to this day, such is its ongoing popularity.
Credit: Bungie
Don’t be surprised to see yet another Halo game on this list. Halo 2 took everything great about Combat Evolved, innovating further with an ambitious campaign and best-in-class multiplayer. For years, Halo 2 was the best first-person shooter game on Xbox, and is seen as the game that really kickstarted Xbox Live as a platform.
Credit: id Software
In the years following 1993’s Doom, just about every FPS looked to copy id Software’s efforts. The Doom clone almost became a genre of its own, with other developers looking to match the standard set by id Software. Very few came close, with Doom’s fast-paced gameplay and gory visuals setting a new standard among the best first-person shooter games.
Credit: Infinity Ward
When 2007’s Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare came around, it changed the landscape of the multiplayer shooter. Its thrilling campaign aside, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare’s multiplayer rewrote the book on how to keep players invested over a long period of time. Its Prestige and leveling system felt fresh, while custom classes and killstreaks provided a unique experience for every match. A phenomenal shooter that feels just as good in 2024 as it did in 2007.
Credit: Valve
It rarely gets better than Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. The successor to 1.6 and Source, CS:GO took tactical first-person shooter gameplay to the next level, with players essentially playing out an elaborate game of chess on the battlefield. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive didn’t launch in perfect shape, but as the years passed, it became the PC shooter to beat.
Credit: Valve
Valve’s original Half-Life changed everything about how the best first-person shooter games could be experienced. The game removed cutscenes altogether, allowing the action to happen around the player, giving them a new sense of urgency in the world. This, combined with intelligent combat AI creating immersive, difficult gunfights, makes Half-Life a joy to play to this day.
Credit: Bungie
Yes, another Halo. Halo 3 is Bungie’s masterpiece and the culmination of a flawless trilogy. It may not innovate like Halo 2, but it puts another layer of polish on its campaign and multiplayer modes, resulting in the series’ best effort yet. Halo 3 is legendary, and well worthy of second place on the list of best first-person shooter games ever.
Credit: Valve
The first-person shooter genre simply doesn’t get any better than Half-Life 2. Valve’s 2004 title embraced the original game’s removal of cutscenes by making the world more interactive than ever. Its use of physics puzzles using the Havoc engine was the first of its kind, and perhaps no one has ever done it better since. Half-Life 2 is the most influential FPS of all time and, for our money, the best.
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