Best First-Person Shooters With Class Systems

In the modern gaming era, first-person shooters have evolved exponentially over the past two decades. From relatively simple multiplayer games like Quake and Unreal Tournament where players competed over LANs, to groundbreaking titles like Half-Life, Halo, Counter-Strike, and Call of Duty in which complex storylines and improved graphics were introduced, shooters formed core memories of many gamers around the world.

The emergence of sub-genres like tactical shooters (Rainbow Six, SWAT), historical shooters (Medal of Honor, Battlefield), and futuristic shooters (Titanfall, Destiny) meant that the soldier archetype had to be increasingly modifiable and customizable for each player to enjoy a tailor-made gaming experience.

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Unsurprisingly, class systems have now become a staple in many first-person shooters, allowing players to choose a specific role and playstyle that suits their preferences. From the nimble scout to the heavily armored juggernaut, each class brings something unique to the battlefield. There are a number of incredible FPS games that have perfected the class system, providing players with a well-balanced and engaging multiplayer experience.

5 Team Fortress 2

Nine Character Classes

Team Fortress 2 was released in 2007, but even today, it is a shining example of how to properly implement a class system in an FPS game. With its diverse cast of characters, each with unique abilities, weapons, and playstyles, TF2 offers endless replayability and depth. There are nine classes: Offense, consisting of the Scout, the Soldier, and the Pyro; Defense, consisting of the Engineer, the Demoman, and the Heavy; and Support, consisting of the Sniper, the Medic, and the Spy.

The game also has unique, quirky characters assigned to each class, and the game combines its iconic art style inspired by a 1960s spy movie aesthetic with over-the-top violence to deliver a product that has stood the test of time. Valve is still supporting the game through updates, and whether players choose a healing medic to keep their team alive or a stealthy sniper, gunning down enemies from a distance, the gameplay is highly addictive and will keep gamers coming back for more.

4 Overwatch

An Ever-Expanding Roster Of Hero Characters

Blizzard took the gaming world by storm with vibrant heroes and dynamic, fast-paced combat in its 2016 title Overwatch, which has since been replaced by Overwatch 2. The game's class system is brilliantly designed, with each hero character falling into one of three categories: Tank, Damage, or Support. From Reinhardt's impenetrable barrier, shielding allies from harm, to Tracer's time-bending antics, blinking across the battlefield, Overwatch's heroes are distinct and require mastery to play effectively.

Additionally, the game's constant updates and balance changes keep the meta fresh and exciting, ensuring that no single hero or strategy dominates for too long. With new heroes and maps regularly added, Overwatch remains a constantly evolving experience. From a technical standpoint too, it is a ridiculously impressive game, because it is well optimized. The gameplay is unrivaled in free-to-play hero-based shooters, where team cooperation is vital, and in a ranked environment, the Overwatch experience is very rewarding.

3 Titanfall 2

Unique Titan & Pilot Abilities

Respawn Entertainment's magnum opus , Titanfall 2, is undoubtedly one of the best shooter games ever made. Thanks in part to its unfortunate release window (right between Battlefield 1 and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare), the game received overwhelming critical acclaim but didn't perform well commercially. Titanfall 2 introduced several gameplay mechanics, some of which later found their way into Apex Legends: slide, wall-running, and a grappling hook, to name a few. Not only did the movement mechanics and the gameplay in the campaign feel buttery smooth, but the multiplayer experience became infinitely better thanks to Respawn listening to fan feedback after the release of Titanfall. If the rumors about a new game set in the Titanfall universe are true, then fans can rest assured that Respawn will deliver a quality product.

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Pilot tactical abilities were expanded to include powers like Holo Pilot, Phase Shift, A-Wall, and Grapple. The old abilities of Cloak, Pulse Blade, and Stim returned. Each has its own advantage, and players can identify which tactical another player has chosen just by looking at them. Titans are also divided into seven different categories: Ion, Scorch, Northstar, Ronin, Tone, Legion, and Monarch. Each class has its own core ability and weapon, allowing for combinations of unique pilot and titan playstyles. With all the titan and pilot abilities having their own strengths and weaknesses, the multiplayer meta in Titanfall 2 remains great even today.

2 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege

Attacker & Defender Operators

Bringing a unique concept to shooters, the developer of Rainbow Six Siege, Ubisoft Montreal, made the bold decision not to include a campaign in the game. Instead, Siege focuses on multiplayer modes in which team cooperation and environmental destruction are primarily used to achieve an objective within a room. Although the game didn't immediately garner a lot of positive attention on launch, it has since received heaps of praise due to free downloadable content thanks to the games-as-a-service (GaaS) model employed by Ubisoft.

There are currently 71 playable operators available in Rainbow Six Siege, each classified either as an Attacker or a Defender operator. The operators have unique skills and gadgets that are specialized for their respective position in the squad. All operators have access to primary weapons, secondary weapons, and two gadgets, although each weapon is unique to specific operators. The types of weapons and sidearms are common across both types of operators. Attackers have gadgets focused on, well, attacking, such as breach charges, frag grenades, smoke grenades, and stun grenades. Defenders, on the other hand, have gadgets such as barricades, barbed wire, shields, nitro cells, cameras, and blockers. The class system in the game provides for tactical, strategic gunplay within a small contained environment, making this a unique title in the genre.

1 Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Create Your Own Class

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 set the gold standard for FPS games back when it was released in 2009. It is one of the franchise's highest-rated games to date, with a memorable campaign, polished graphics, and a fun, exhilarating multiplayer mode. The multiplayer learning curve was steep but highly addictive, requiring quick reflexes and sharp tactical thinking to win rounds. The multiplayer mode had five standard preset classes, each with weapons and perks that the player may have not yet unlocked: grenadier, first recon, overwatch, scout sniper, and riot control. They all function as their names suggest, but there was one more system that became available at level 4: create-a-class.

Modern Warfare 2 was not the first Call of Duty game to feature the create-a-class feature in multiplayer modes. It is notable, however, for being the first one to contain some drastic differences from Call of Duty 4 and Call of Duty: World At War, where it was featured previously. Players in Modern Warfare 2 could choose two special grenades instead of one, along with three perks that could be upgraded if certain tasks were completed during the game.

The game also included deathstreaks, which helped the player if the round became too hard. The create-a-class system meant that the player could have a lot of flexibility if they could not adjust to the preset classes in the game. Leveling up and unlocking guns and perks was more rewarding than ever. Modern Warfare 2 is praised for all the right reasons, but this feature flies under the radar when talking about how it enhanced the FPS multiplayer genre.

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