Summary
- 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.