Highlights
- Borderlands 2 improved upon the original with its colorful graphics, charismatic characters, and compelling story, making it one of the best FPS games.
- Left 4 Dead 2's range of zombie types and cooperative gameplay forces players to strategize, making it an instant hit for its thrilling and challenging gameplay.
- Titanfall 2 may have been a commercial flop initially, but its enjoyable multiplayer and campaign modes gained a dedicated fan base, proving its worth as a top-notch FPS game.
The first-person shooter genre has played an important role in the gaming industry for decades now. Some of gaming's most iconic franchises have been first-person shooters, such as Halo, DOOM, and Call of Duty. As is often the case with popular genres, the FPS genre is constantly being flooded with new entries.
Unsurprisingly, many of these games fail to impress or simply want to cash in on the genre's success. However, every once in a while, a game comes along that reminds players just how great a first-person shooter can be when done right. For the sake of variety, this list will include just one game per franchise.
The 32 Hardest FPS Games Ever Made, Ranked
First-person shooters are a tough genre to get into if someone has never played them before. Some get so hard that they are nearly impossible.Updated on October 11th, 2023: There are a lot of amazing first-person shooters that have released over the years. These titles are far more than simple shooting games and feature elaborate stories, engaging characters, over-the-top action gameplay, and much more. To better showcase some of the best first-person shooting games on the planet, the following list has been updated and now includes a companion video that outlines some of these releases in detail.
14 Borderlands 2
When the original Borderlands was announced, it instantly turned heads with its cartoon-like graphics that are bursting with color, along with its characters and world design that ooze charisma.
Borderlands 2 is set five years after its predecessor and introduces the now-iconic video game antagonist, Handsome Jack. Borderlands 2 greatly improved upon the already impressive original Borderlands. The game was lauded by critics, exemplified by its 91 Metascore and Action Game of the Year award at the 16th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards.
13 Left 4 Dead 2
Left 4 Dead 2 was developed by Valve and released on PC and Xbox 360 in November 2009. Like its predecessor, the game was an instant hit for its fantastic cooperative play, which let groups of friends take on hordes of zombies.
The range of zombie types is one of Left 4 Dead 2's best gameplay features, as their many different strengths, weaknesses, and attack patterns forced players to think on their feet as learning and utilizing the best strategies to defeat them was essential to staying alive.
12 Far Cry 3
Far Cry 3 was released in November 2012 on PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One and offered a stunning open world for players to explore set on a sunny tropical island.
The game is best remembered today for the charismatic Vaas, who has quickly become one of gaming's most beloved villains. Vaas' unpredictability, quotable lines, and explosive anger have helped him live long in players' memories, which is a testament to the performance of his voice actor, Michael Mando, whose stock recently rose for his excellent portrayal of Nacho in Better Call Saul.
11 Titanfall 2
When Titanfall 2 was first announced, few people would have predicted that the game would one day be regarded as one of the best first-person shooters of all time. EA's Titanfall 2 was released on October 28, 2016, just over two years after its predecessor and only one week after another EA first-person shooter, Battlefield 2. Although EA's Andrew Wilson claimed that the close releases wouldn't harm Titanfall 2 as the games have different playstyles, the actuality was that Titanfall 2 was a commercial flop.
However, the game slowly but surely rose in prominence as its ever-expanding player base raved about the immensely enjoyable multiplayer and campaign modes. Titanfall 2 may never get the commercial success that it deserves, but it is certainly appreciated by fans.
10 Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege
Since Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege was first released, it has come a long way in terms of level design and gameplay. Be warned, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege is not ideal for casual players. To get the most out of the game, a significant time commitment is needed to learn the game's advanced gadgets and tactics.
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege is today considered to be the best Rainbow Six game of all time, which is an impressive honor given how many critically-acclaimed games have been released in the long-running franchise.
9 DOOM (1993)
It's no exaggeration to say that every game on this list owes a debt of gratitude to 1993's DOOM. Id Software's DOOM wasn't the first-ever FPS game, but it is still considered to be the genre's most prominent pioneer, with its many innovations like verticality, ambient lighting, and the game's Deathmatch mode, which has become a staple of the genre.
10 Best DOOM Clones Of All Time, Ranked
DOOM clones dominated the '90s, cementing the core concepts that define what's known today as a boomer shooter. These are the best of them.Although DOOM (1993) may not look like much today, it is still genuinely enjoyable to play, which is a testament to how well-designed the gameplay was.
8 Halo 2
Bungie had a tough task on their hands with developing Halo 2, as they had to follow the ground-breaking Halo: Combat Evolved, which was a huge influence on the FPS genre and is today recognized as one of the most important launch titles of all time for how it immediately showed that Microsoft's Xbox had the potential to be a genuine force in the gaming industry.
Bungie smartly didn't try to reinvent the wheel with Halo 2, opting instead to simply try and improve on its key features while sprinkling some new ideas on top. The result was a game that offered both one of the best single-player campaigns and multiplayer modes in FPS history.
7 Apex Legends
Respawn Entertainment's Apex Legends is a mega-hit with fans of the first-person shooter genre. There are many similarities between Apex Legends and Epic Games' Fortnite, despite the latter being played in third-person as opposed to first-person. With some people preferring Fortnite and others Apex Legends, there's no telling how long the debate will go on. Its intricate gameplay mechanics involve class skills, such as rope gliding and dimensional rifts.
6 Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Many people fondly remember Battlefield: Bad Company 2 as the best Battlefield game to be released thus far. The Bad Company series added environment destructibility that was incredibly impressive at the time. Being able to destroy walls to reveal enemies hiding in houses improved the Battlefield series tenfold and made it stand out from its competitors.
Best FPS Games You Can Only Play On Mobile
Mobile gaming has come a long way. Here are some incredible first-person shooters that gamers can enjoy anywhere.Each multiplayer map had a ton of detail, encouraging players to return for one last battle. and the entire game is very polished. Even by today's standards, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is an exceptional title.
5 GoldenEye 007
Some would say the stigma behind movie-based video games is gone, but there has yet to be a movie-based video game as thrilling as GoldenEye 007 for the Nintendo 64.
GoldenEye 007 took first-person shooters to a whole new level by introducing a wide array of weapons and a campaign that stayed true to the original film. Combined with its split-screen multiplayer, GoldenEye 007 is regarded by many as the best first-person shooter of all time. Getting the Golden Gun in multiplayer for one-shot eliminations is too sweet, as is the satisfaction of winding up friends by picking Oddjob.
4 Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
The Call of Duty series has undoubtedly become one of the most divisive in all of gaming, but even the most staunch critic will have a hard time arguing that the series has had some fantastic releases over the years.
10 Underrated First-Person Shooters From The 2000s
The FPS genre has many beloved franchises (Call of Duty, Battlefield, Far Cry) but some 2000s shooters are underappreciated.Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is considered by many fans to be the series' high point. As the name suggests, the game reinvented the series by swapping its tried and tested World War II setting for the modern-day. The change was warmly received, and the stellar campaign and highly influential multiplayer mode secured the game's place as one of the genre's most iconic releases.
3 Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2 is a beloved first-person shooter for its innovative gameplay mechanics and incredible storytelling. Valve is one of the biggest names in first-person shooter gaming, and they didn't fail to deliver with Half-Life 2. When Half-Life 2 was first released, the game was ahead of its time in gameplay and graphics. Impressively, the game still feels fresh and unique to play today, despite how much the visuals have aged.
2 BioShock Remastered
BioShock Remastered may not have the most fun first-person shooter elements in a BioShock game, but it is the best overall package. The story's twists and turns are enough to keep players engaged and frightened, thanks in no small part to the now-iconic character Andrew Ryan.
Many would agree that BioShock 2 and Infinite have superior first-person shooting gameplay, but the original game's Rapture setting, Big Daddies, Little Sisters, and gripping story make it the series' best.
1 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is another game on this list that was developed by Valve. The first-person shooter was first released over a decade ago in 2012, yet it is still consistently one of the most-played games on Steam, which is a testament to how well the intricate gameplay mechanics were designed.
The game sees terrorists facing off against counter-terrorists to complete an objective, usually on one of the most legendary video game maps of all time, Dust II.