In the 80s and 90s, shooters of every variety were mostly based on running and gunning down opponents. It didn’t matter if it was a side-scroller like Contra or a first-person game like Doom, players were encouraged to blast enemies like they had infinite lives or health. Then there was a shift, as some games started to add cover systems, like Time Crisis in arcades.
Best Squad-Based Shooters
These squad-based shooters from eras both past and modern go beyond the one-man army trope and let players invest in their team.
Home consoles also got a big mechanical revolution in 2003 via Kill Switch, a relatively mundane third-person shooter on platforms like the PS2 and Xbox with one standout feature: its cover system. It was an important step, but no one really remembers that game as well as they do these other experiences. Taking cover plays a big part in the following games, and they each represent the best of the cover shooter genre.
Gears Of War
Run Roadie, Run
Gears of War
- Released
- November 7, 2006
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- Epic Games
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter
The first Gears of War is still considered the best game in the series, which is the game that most point to as the experience that brought cover shooters to prominence. Each mission gave players a small squad to buddy up with, or they could join up with another player in co-op.
If players didn’t take cover from the Locust enemies, they would die quickly. As beefy as Marcus Fenix is, he's still a human after all. The shooting felt great, running between cover was thrilling, and the chainsaw gun was jaw-dropping. The whole experience can now be played on PlayStation consoles via Gears of War: Reloaded, which is the best modern way to play.
Mass Effect 2
A Squad-Based RPG
Mass Effect 2
- Released
- January 26, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Language, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- BioWare
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Third-Person Shooter
Mass Effect 2 is the middle child of the trilogy, but it is deemed the best entry in the Mass Effect saga among fans. All three games in the trilogy are great and are essential to play in order, but there’s no denying the power of the series' dark middle chapter.
Most of the gameplay was carried over from the first game, but with a few tweaks. Ammo was scarce, adding to the tension of gunfights as players had to issue companion orders more thoughtfully and use their class-based powers well. It’s one of the few RPGS out there with branching storylines that is also a competent cover shooter.
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Is That My Blood?
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
- Released
- October 13, 2009
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Blood, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Naughty Dog
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Adventure
The Uncharted series is a fun mix between intense, cover-based shooting segments, action-adventure platforming, and puzzle-solving scenarios. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is the best entry in the series, which upped the ante of the original in several ways.
Play These FPS Games Before Halo 1 Remake
Get into the right headspace for the Halo remake with these acclaimed first-person shooter games.
The cover-based shooting was more responsive, there were more varied environments and set pieces, including cityscapes, and the character dynamics were better written. Nathan Drake may not be a beefy traditional shooter hero like Marcus Fenix, but he gets the job done whether he has a rifle, pistol, or bandolier of grenades.
Binary Domain
Beware The Robot Uprising
Binary Domain
- Released
- February 28, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter
Binary Domain takes place in the future where once-friendly robots have turned against mankind. Players are sent in to control the dissent, one robot kill at a time. In between missions, players can choose two teammates to accompany them on their next outing, each with a different skill set, from a general weapons expert to a trained sniper.
Behind cover, players can issue orders, and if they train their teammates well, their affection will rise. It’s one of the better squad-based shooters out there, one that gives players a reason to be a better leader, as clean orders can help players unlock upgrades quicker.
Tom Clancy's The Division
Money Problems
Tom Clancy’s The Division
- Released
- March 8, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood, Game Experience May Change During Online Play, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Massive Entertainment
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Open-World
Tom Clancy's The Division is the first game in the series that established The Division, a secret military group that is activated when things go sideways in the country. The inciting incident happens in New York City, where a money-plagued disease ravaged the population on Black Friday. Quarantined from the rest of the U.S., players must fight back against factions that sprang up in the chaos.
There are classes and plenty of weapons to equip, as it is a looter shooter, but like most Tom Clancy games, the gameplay is grounded. There are no ice blasts or fireballs to be thrown here, just thoughtful tactical cover action in a ravaged war zone, which could be played solo or with three other friends.
Outriders
Adding Magic To Cover
Outriders
- Released
- April 1, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- People Can Fly
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter
Outriders is another RPG, but this one utilizes three-player online co-op for its squad-based tactics. Players could choose between four classes, each with a special skill set, like the Pyromancer using fire powers to burn enemies to ash.
The Best Tactical Shooters Of All Time, Ranked
Tactical shooters are different from your run-of-the-mill FPS. These titles stand out as the best the genre has to offer.
No matter the class, players still had to utilize cover in firefights because enemies often outnumbered them, even in co-op. Outriders was also loot-based, so players had a wide array of weapons and gear to comb through on their quest to establish freedom on this war-torn planet.
Killzone: Liberation
A Tactically Brilliant Spinoff
Killzone: Liberation
- Released
- October 31, 2006
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t
- Developer(s)
- Guerrilla Games
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter
Killzone: Liberation was a PSP spinoff of the legendaryb PlayStation franchise, and it was a top-down shooter. It utilized a cover system, so it was more like a tactical shooter than the mainline games, which were all about blasting Helghast soldiers in first-person.
Liberation is one of the few Killzone games that is widely available on PS5 consoles, thanks to a quick emulated port. The bite-sized missions, reward system, and challenging gameplay make this spinoff one of the better games in the series and a great, albeit smaller, cover shooter experience.
Vanquish
Why Didn’t Cover Systems Evolve After This?
Vanquish
- Released
- October 19, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- Platinum Games
- Genre(s)
- Action, Third-Person Shooter
Vanquish is one of PlatinumGames’ most underrated titles, and one that could have revolutionized the cover shooter market if anyone paid attention. Players fought robots and enemy soldiers of all kinds in space, but with their power suits, they had an advantage.
With enough juice in the tank, players could dodge bullets or slide past enemies at ridiculous speeds to get to cover, all of which would happen in slow motion. This made combat more dynamic, as it was easier and more exhilarating to get from cover to cover by sliding along the ground than by simply running, which was still a necessary and incredibly fun element of the game.
Best Games For Scoring Satisfying High Scores
From dancing to platforming, there is a high score to chase in all of these acclaimed games.