Best Multiplayer FPS Games Of All Time

The first-person shooter genre is perhaps one of the most popular in the gaming industry, with roots in classic 90s shooters like DOOM and Quake. With the popular release of Counter-Strike: Source in 2004, multiplayer first-person shooters became one of the most popular and competitive forms of video games.

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There has been an abundance of multiplayer first-person shooters over the last two decades, from competitive experiences like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, to long-standing co-operative experiences like Left 4 Dead 2. These games represent some of the most timeless, influential, and most-supported multiplayer FPS games of all time.

1 Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - An Influential & Accessible Shooter

Steam User Rating: 93%

This classic entry in the Call Of Duty franchise is arguably responsible for the direction that those games took. Modern Warfare may look like a generic shooter now, and it may have set a precedent for the games that would come after it, but at the time, Modern Warfare was a fresh experience.

Modern Warfare's multiplayer mode managed to be both challenging and yet more accessible than games such as Counter-Strike, featuring a more forgiving time-to-kill. Furthermore, unlike many popular shooters at the time, Modern Warfare didn't feature a strictly class-based system. Instead, pre-made classes determine players' starting weapons, grenades, and perks, but Modern Warfare's progression system quickly lets players make their unique classes. As well as this, Modern Warfare also introduced Call Of Duty's kill-streak system.

2 Borderlands 2 - A Cooperative Looter Shooter

Steam User Rating: 95%

The looter-shooter genre has always lent itself well to multiplayer co-op, and it could be argued that Borderlands is part of the reason why. While not everyone gels with the somewhat grating humor of Borderlands, Borderlands 2 showed enough restraint to prevent itself from overshadowing its excellent gameplay loop.

With an ensemble cast of distinct playable characters, an abundance of weaponry and loot, and fast-paced gameplay, Borderlands 2 is perfect for playing with friends. Furthermore, its extensive amount of content is likely to keep most players engaged for a good chunk of time.

3 Deep Rock Galactic - A Revolutionary Take On Horde Shooters

Steam User Rating: 97%

This stylized cooperative first-person shooter puts players in the role of rowdy dwarven miners, delving into procedural caves in search of loot. Deep Rock Galactic features unique classes, a solid progression system, and gameplay that rewards teamwork.

Deep Rock Galactic can be played alone, but it's ultimately at its best when played with friends. The variety of mission objectives, impressive caverns to explore, and weighty combat make Deep Rock Galactic a multiplayer FPS with massive replay value.

4 Titanfall 2 - A Cult Movement Shooter

Steam User Rating: 95%

Titanfall 2 may have been slept on for years, and many players may have missed out on it, but it's no secret now that it's one of the greatest movement shooters. Titanfall 2's combination of fluid player movement, well-designed maps, and chaotic mech battles makes it a truly unique multiplayer FPS.

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Titanfall 2 is extremely fast-paced, packed with variety, and has a relatively high ceiling for mastery. It won't be for everyone, but those who enjoy Titanfall 2 will find heaps of replay value in mastering its various mechanics.

5 Left 4 Dead 2 - A Cooperative Classic

Steam User Rating: 97%

Cooperative multiplayer horde shooters have become one of the more saturated and popular sub-genres of FPS games, arguably due to the sheer popularity of games like Left 4 Dead 2. Even without its strong community and a heap of custom content, Left 4 Dead 2 is a strong cooperative experience that tasks players with mowing through hordes of zombies in a variety of well-designed maps.

Left 4 Dead 2's gameplay and progression is fairly simplistic, and for that reason, it won't be for everyone, but when played with good friends, Left 4 Dead 2 becomes a chaotic, fun-first experience. Furthermore, it's bereft of over-complicated progression systems, microtransactions, and battle passes.

6 Halo 3 - A Chaotic Arena Shooter

Steam User Rating: 90%

The Halo games were always a good source of multiplayer fun, though never in a competitive sense. Halo 2's multiplayer in particular is beloved by many, but Halo 3 arguably wins out with its extensive Forge mode and custom games.

While Halo 3 is showing its age, and the community is nowhere near as strong as it once was, at its height, Halo 3 was one of the most fun multiplayer experiences at the time. The creativity that Halo 3's Forge mode encouraged, along with its fun-first multiplayer modes, made it a consistently enjoyable experience that wasn't weighed down by a competitive nature.

7 Team Fortress 2 - An Immortal FPS With A Strong Community

Steam User Rating: 93%

Against all odds, Team Fortress 2 has stood the test of time, in part thanks to its strong, tight-knit community, and its strong mechanics and accessibility. Team Fortress 2 is a class-based multiplayer FPS that offers a variety of experiences with custom games and regular multiplayer modes, and one of the oldest multiplayer FPS games to retain such a large player base.

Team Fortress 2, despite its age, is still relatively fun to play. This is in large part due to its variety of well-designed classes, each of which feels distinct and offers unique challenges for players to master.

8 Quake 3 Arena - A Well-Crafted Classic

Steam User Rating: 95%

While some players may favor Unreal Tournament over Quake 3 Arena, it could be said that both games fit the same niche at around the same time. There are arguments for and against both titles, but Quake 3's carefully curated maps, variety of useful (and often situational) weapons, and constant opportunities for skill expression make it one of the most nuanced multiplayer FPS games of all time.

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Quake 3 is heavily focused on fast-paced action and movement shooter gameplay, in which there's little room for error. There's a ridiculously high skill ceiling in Quake 3, thanks to its plethora of movement tech and reliance on map knowledge. While the only remaining players are mostly hardcore fans that newcomers will have no chance against, Quake 3 still stands as a well-crafted classic.

9 Counter-Strike 2 - A Multiplayer FPS Titan

Steam User Rating: 87%

This highly competitive asymmetric multiplayer shooter splits players into two teams of five and often tasks them with defusing/planting a bomb on one of several classic maps. These well-designed maps are the core of Counter-Strike, but its carefully designed gunplay and economics are a close second.

Counter-Strike's history is long and storied, and many an entry in the series could be subbed in here, but Counter-Strike 2 is arguably the most polished title. Furthermore, its modern game feel and large player base make it more accessible for newcomers than other Counter-Strike games.

10 Battlefield: Bad Company 2 - A Revolutionary Battlefield Title

Steam User Rating: 85% (No Longer Available)

• Platform(s): PC, Xbox, PlayStation, Mobile
• Released: 2010
• Developer(s): DICE

Although there's plenty of love to be had for Battlefield 2, many fans of the Battlefield franchise will often go to bat for Bad Company 2. This revolutionary Battlefield title built upon the innovations of the original Bad Company, creating even more destructible environments.

This environmental destruction is what made Bad Company 2 so impressive, along with its strong map design. These maps were often sprawling and packed with destructible buildings, and many of them lent themselves well to Bad Company 2's excellent Rush game mode. Bad Company 2's servers have unfortunately been shut down, but it remains a landmark in multiplayer FPS history.