Best First-Person Shooters According To Metacritic

First-person shooters have been a staple of the gaming scene since the '90s. Initially exploding on PC due to the accuracy provided by a keyboard and mouse set-up, the genre eventually made its way to consoles through the Nintendo 64. Nowadays, each year produces at least a couple of huge FPS games, including new entries in franchises that have been running for more than a decade.

What are the best first-person shooter games according to Metacritic? Which titles garnered almost nothing but praise upon release? Even though the last few years have produced plenty of great shooters like Doom Eternal and Borderlands 3, none of these releases crack the top spots on the aggregate site.

Updated May 21, 2022 by Mark Sammut: Over the last year, Back 4 Blood, Battlefield 2042, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, Deathloop, and Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 were all released. Sure, not each one of these games lived up to their hype, but they go to show that the first-person shooter genre is still as popular as ever. This article has been expanded to include even more of the best FPS games ever released, at least according to Metacritic.

13 Medal Of Honor (92)

Medal of Honor is one of the most influential World War 2 shooters of all time, if not the most influential. Released for the PS1, the FPS prioritized realism above anything else, and it did a great job of accomplishing its goal.

The game has aged rather poorly and is not particularly enjoyable to play nowadays, especially when compared to some subsequent entries in the franchise. That said, this does not take anything away from Medal of Honor's importance.

12 Team Fortress 2 (92)

Even after all these years, Team Fortress 2 still ranks comfortably among the most active games on Steam, outdoing more recent multiplayer releases like Destiny 2 and Battlefield 5. Valve crafted a team-based shooter with a well-balanced roster of characters, timeless visuals, and gameplay that is accessible while also having enough depth to keep people glued forever.

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Offering a wide range of game modes and boasting an extremely intense competitive scene, Team Fortress 2 is perfectly crafted to ensure wide appeal and longevity. As Valve is allergic to the number "3," this 2007 release is probably not going to disappear anytime soon.

Check it out on Steam here!

11 Fallout 3 (93)

Admittedly, this entry comes with an asterisk as Fallout 3 is generally regarded as an RPG rather than a first-person shooter, mostly because it excels at the former but not the latter. Underwhelming gunplay aside, Bethesda's game is something special, and that is before taking into the count the active PC modding scene that has indefinitely extended the RPG's shelf life.

Fallout 3 drops players into an immersive post-apocalyptic landscape and gives them quite a lot of freedom in how they interact with this world. Engaging quests, memorable NPCs, and fascinating lore are a few things this game offers.

Check it out on Amazon here!

10 Unreal Tournament 2004 (93)

Epic Games has become mostly known for Fortnite, but prior to that, the company made a big splash on the multiplayer market with the first Unreal Tournament. That’s what the Unreal Engine they create and distribute is named after.

Unreal Tournament 2004 for the PC was sort of a sequel and an expansion, and it is regarded as one of the best in the series. More importantly, it is one of the best multiplayer shooters of all time.

Check it out on Steam here!

9 Quake (94)

Quake is another legendary multiplayer shooter. Although the series lost some steam after Quake 4, Quake Champions and 1996's Quake coming to modern consoles have helped bring the property back into the limelight.

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The first three games in the franchise are all classics. Personal preference and nostalgia will likely influence which entry is considered the best, but the original Quake was groundbreaking for its era. The 2021 port has also proven that the game is still as awesome nowadays as it was in 1996.

Check it out on Steam here!

8 Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (94)

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and its sequel both have averages of 94 on Metacritic, but the latter made the cut as it is ranked higher on the site. That said, there is very little separating these two games.

Do not be influenced by the fact that Call of Duty has been overexposed during the last decade; at its peak, Activision's franchise was producing the best FPS games on the market. Modern Warfare 2 has a stellar single-player campaign that blends blockbuster action with decent storytelling, along with a multiplayer that has very few peers.

Check it out on Amazon here!

7 Portal 2 (95)

Calling Portal 2 a first-person shooter is disingenuous to what this game is actually about, although it technically still qualifies. Valve's release is more of a first-person puzzle game than a traditional shooter, and it is a great one at that.

Even though players do not spend their time shooting enemies, Portal 2's gunplay is nevertheless a blast. The Portal Gun is also one of the most iconic weapons in gaming history. Those who disagree will be launched into space with Wheatley.

Check it out on Steam here!

6 GoldenEye 007 (96)

One of the earliest multiplayer console phenomenons was GoldenEye 007 on the N64. The campaign was good and highlighted great moments from the film, but everyone was more infatuated with playing with friends. It had the same dedication as Super Smash Bros. Players.

GoldenEye 007 must be recognized for what it did for first-person shooter games on consoles back then, even if it hasn’t aged well both graphically and in terms of the controls. Be that as it may, the memories of playing GoldenEye 007 live on.

5 BioShock (96)

BioShock blended the haunting vibes of Resident Evil with the shooting mayhem of something like Halo, all in a unique setting that was nothing short of spectacular in 2007. Rapture is worth the price of admission on its own – it just happens to be accompanied by brilliant writing, solid gunplay, fun powers, and fantastic characters.

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While not necessarily for the same reasons, all the BioShock games are highly regarded. However, BioShock 2 and BioShock Infinite arguably failed to reach the same dizzying heights as the original game.

Check out The BioShock Collection on Amazon here!

4 Half-Life 2 (96)

Half-Life 2 first debuted on PC before it was eventually ported to other consoles. Although the latter releases are perfectly fine, the PC version will always be the definitive way to play Valve's shooter.

Half-Life 2 is one of those games that altered the trajectory of first-person shooters and gaming for the better. Valve also wrote the blueprint for how to craft the pitch-perfect sequel, one that builds on the ideas of its predecessor while improving upon nearly every area. Fans are still hungry for this series to continue.

Check it out on Steam here!