The 30 best first-person shooter games of all time

First-person shooters come in many packages. Whether you want something team-based or endless action in tight spaces, there’s an FPS game for everyone. Let’s look back over the years and show you our top 30 best FPS games of all time.

Look, this list is bound to have you shaking your head at some point, but let us explain ourselves. The order of this list has been under a microscope from the moment it was pitched. I’ve rocked back and forth, curled up in a corner for days straight, trying to come up with the perfect list. This list wasn’t written with bias (aside from my love for TimeSplitters), so we have been as objective as possible in our ranking.

Debates have occurred amongst the Dot team; stones were thrown, strong words were said—somehow we got onto World of Warcraft—but none of that matters. What was originally a top 20 list has transformed into something greater. So here it is. Here is our 30 best FPS games ever made, ordered from 30th to first.

No sequels were allowed in the making of this list.

Top 30 first-person shooter games of all time

30) Serious Sam 2

• Release date: Oct. 11, 2005
• Platform(s): Windows / Xbox
• Developer: Croteam

The cartoon version and wacky brother of DOOM and Quake, there aren’t many words that come to mind to explain Serious Sam. A truly bizarre experience, Serious Sam 2 had all the fundamentals of a retro FPS game, but without any movement mechanics. Serious Sam 2 threw perpetual enemy waves at you. Similar to Wolfenstein 3D, you can lure them into a bottleneck position, and let your weapons and explosives do the talking.

Serious Sam offered large arena, giving you more than enough time and space to react to hordes of enemies. Compared to other retro FPS games, there isn’t so much of a focus on reflexes. This created a more relaxing experience that wasn’t as demanding as other entries.

29) Red Faction

• Release date: May 21, 2001
• Platform(s): PlayStation 2 / Windows
• Copies sold: One million
• Developer: Volition

Red Faction makes the list for its destruction alone. Its physics made it memorable as the game’s landscape altered by your actions. An extreme showcase of deforestation, Red Faction gave you pure freedom to destroy anything you wanted. You weren’t restricted by locked gates or doors. Enemies hidden behind cover weren’t safe either. The explosive capabilities of Red Faction were ridiculous, but this is as far as our praise for the game goes.

28) Resistance 2

• Release date: Nov. 8, 2008
• Platform(s): PlayStation 3
• Copies sold: 2.83 million
• Developer: Insomniac Games

Resistance 2 offered a co-op mode like no other. It released the same year as Gears of War 2, but their couch co-op couldn’t compare to the eight-player lobbies for Resistance 2‘s campaign. The downside to this installment is the choice to limit your weapon picks to two weapons only. Now, this isn’t a surprise for Call of Duty players, but following the first entry in the Resistance series, this limitation was a massive downgrade.

Resistance 2 isn’t a particularly special game, nor does it do anything differently to our other entries. However, its co-op feature alone puts it on this list.

27) S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl

• Release date: Mar. 20, 2007
• Platform(s): Windows / Xbox One / PlayStation 4
• Copies sold: Two million
• Developer: GSC Game World

S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl mixed classic tactical FPS with RPG elements, creating a unique and immersive experience that felt believable. Your reputation determined which factions you’d join, giving you different NPCs to join arms with. S.T.A.L.K.E.R shined in its gritty atmosphere and intense gunfights. Unlike Call of Duty, you couldn’t go into the fight guns blazing as you had limited ammunition and healing items. This provided a layer of strategy, while slowing down the fight, and created a more realistic setting.

Shadow of Chernobyl upped the challenge with its Master difficulty and vision-obstructing iron sights, making it difficulty to come out of the fight on top and unscathed. Looking back, it’s clear where Escape from Tarkov got its inspiration from.

26) Killzone 2

• Release date: Feb. 26, 2009
• Platform(s): PlayStation 3
• Copies sold: One million
• Developer: Guerilla Games

Reminiscing on 10-plus year old FPS games, Killzone 2 still looks fantastic. Granted, Killzone 2‘s gameplay feels incredibly slow compared to the current high-octane shooters, but that only adds to Killzone‘s realism. After all, who doesn’t enjoy participating in an all-out war against aliens?

Killzone 2 offered a challenge with its campaign, alongside a decent multiplayer mode to accompany it. The only downside is that Killzone definitely isn’t for everyone due to its slower pace. This has aged Killzone quite drastically, especially as everything is so fast-paced now.

25) Crysis

• Release date: Nov. 13, 2007
• Platform(s): Xbox 360 / PlayStation 3 (remastered on Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch)
• Copies sold: Three million
• Developer: Crytek and Saber Interactive

I won’t lie to you, Crysis had me sold from the moment I saw its front cover and graphics. While many single-player FPS games chose between stealth or action, Crysis gave you the agency to pick between the two. Similar to Bad Company and Half-Life, completing an objective came down to your personal preference. You weren’t restricted to a particular path.

Crysis is a much more serious version of dialogue-based, narrative-rich FPS games (unlike many others on this list). At the time, it was far more experimental with the environment and physics, while leaving things like narrative out of the picture to focus on pure gunplay and exciting graphics.

24) BLACK

• Release date: Feb. 23, 2006
• Platform(s): PlayStation 2 / Xbox / Xbox One / Xbox 360
• Copies sold: 1.5 million
• Developer: Criterion Software

A game I played purely because of its front cover, BLACK is a challenging first-person shooter with a dark atmosphere. BLACK is grungy and strong, every reload packs an absolute punch, and every bullet you released from the chamber mattered. It was chaotic, gritty, and the fate of the world felt like it rested solely in your hands.

Back at a time where gun meta didn’t exist, BLACK encouraged you to use whatever weapon you had on you. There was an added layer of realism to the game with the slow reload, the checking of your magazine, and the sound of doors in the distance slamming against the frame as more enemies spawn in. You cannot tell me that lobbing a grenade at a cracked concrete wall to bring it down wasn’t satisfying.

23) Medal of Honor: Frontline

• Release date: May 29, 2002
• Platform(s): GameCube / PlayStation 2 / PlayStation 3 / Xbox
• Copies sold: 2.5 million
• Developer: Danger Close

Frontline threw you into the action from the start. Storming the gates of Normandy, appearing from the water, you dodged the incoming mortar strikes that attempted to rock the boat. The darkness of war is shown from the get-go; as your comrades sink into the ocean, being pummelled by bullets from German soldiers. It was a start as memorable as Call of Duty‘s No Russian.

Frontline added an extra layer of realism with its lack of checkpoints. You’d be put back to the start if you died mid-mission, upping the difficulty to complete the game without starting a war yourself. Similar to Call of Duty, Frontline included stealth missions, providing different mission types to keep you engaged from start to finish. Fact is, Medal of Honor walked so that Call of Duty could run.

22) Left 4 Dead 2

• Release date: Nov. 17, 2009
• Platform(s): Xbox 360 / Windows
• Copies sold: Three million
• Developer: Valve

If you want to learn the power of comradery and teamwork, then look no further than Left 4 Dead 2. The perfect training for an apocalypse, Left 4 Dead remains the best co-op zombie game. Simplicity is key when it comes to FPS games. While I love a good narrative, sometimes it’s nice to wind down with an entertaining co-op game that gives you one objective: Survive.

It isn’t unique, nor does it do anything different to other FPS games at the time of its release. But, Left 4 Dead 2 is such an easy game to pick up and consume—requiring little thought, strategy, or time to master—making it a co-op staple.

21) Metroid Prime

• Release date: Nov. 17, 2002
• Platform(s): GameCube / Wii (remastered on Nintendo Switch)
• Copies sold: 2.84 million
• Developer: Retro Studios

Beautiful scenery, unique enemy designs with Sci-Fi elements mixed in, Metroid Prime somehow manages to remain a great game regardless of its genre. Unlike other FPS games that are significantly more fast-paced, Metroid Prime slows everything down and demands that you take in its otherworldly landscape in its entirety. Metroid Prime is incredibly easy to pick up and play. It’s more impactful with its slowed-down boss fights. This means you cannot miss a thing it has to offer, which I really appreciate in than FPS game.

Metroid Prime‘s narrative is intriguing, but you can skip it if you don’t like the concept of learning the story through note-collecting. It’s another reason to slow down and enjoy the experience.

20) ULTRAKILL

• Release date: Sept. 3, 2020
• Platform(s): Windows
• Copies sold: 1.5 million
• Developer: Hakita

ULTRAKILL pays homage to many entries on this list, being a throwback to retro FPS games from the ’90s. Quick missions, chaotic enemies, brutal difficulties, and fun weapon varieties are just a few reasons why ULTRAKILL is the perfect FPS entry game. Effortlessly cool, ULTRAKILL has great level design, distinct enemies, and wicked weapon animations.

Paying its respects to DOOM, Wolfenstein, and Quake; ULTRAKILL includes secret weapons and levels, giving you an incentive to replay.

19) Return to Castle Wolfenstein

• Release date: Nov. 19, 2001
• Platform(s): PlayStation 2 / Windows / Xbox
• Copies sold: Two million
• Developer: Grey Matter Software

My introduction to Wolfenstein was The New Order. Out of all the FPS game series I’d played, I found Wolfenstein to be the most challenging and demanding. Inspiring DOOM with its 3D entry, Wolfenstein threw players into the most cutthroat version of World War II I’d ever experienced. Guards shot through the wooden floorboards you stood on, zombies would jumpscare you after fending off German soldiers, and Lopers that wanted nothing more than to give you a deadly embrace.

Return to Castle Wolfenstein had a great campaign and multiplayer, making it a well-balanced game that any FPS fan could enjoy.

18) Borderlands 2

• Release date: Sept. 18, 2012
• Platform(s): PlayStation 3 / PlayStation 4 / Xbox 360 / Xbox One / Windows / Nintendo Switch
• Copies sold: 29 million
• Developer: Gearbox Software

Borderlands 2‘s iconic comic-style look isn’t the only thing that sets this franchise apart from other FPS titles. It’s simplicity is where it truly shines; as an FPS game that provides all-out action and is digestible for all players, regardless of the type of game you’re used to playing. In other words, it’s the furthest thing away from a Souls game.

If we were to pick a top co-op FPS game, we’d likely hand it to Borderlands 2. This game has a lot of attitude and humor. If you’re looking for an action-packed RPG without any complicated characters, level design, or narrative, then Borderlands 2 is the one for you.

17) Far Cry 3

• Release date: Nov. 28, 2012
• Platform(s): PlayStation 3 / PlayStation 4 / Xbox 360 / Xbox One / Windows
• Copies sold: 10 million
• Developer: Ubisoft

One of the first games I ever owned on Xbox and my introduction to the open world, Far Cry 3 perfectly encapsulated my love for narrative with an incredibly rich world, full to the brim of memorable characters. The FPS aspect was only one part of Far Cry 3, as surrounding landscape it took place in was both beautiful and ruthless at the same time.

Around this time I’d dived into more open world games like Assassin’s Creed so my appreciation for climbing to a vantage point and exploring whatever I wanted (while attacking people in the process) had skyrocketed. Taking a somewhat innocent man and turning him into just another pawn of the island—stripped of his humanity—Far Cry 3 captured me with Jason’s development from man to beast. It also taught me how to play poker, so 10/10.

16) F.E.A.R

• Release date: Oct. 17, 2005
• Platform(s): PlayStation 3 / Xbox 360 / Windows
• Copies sold: Three million
• Developer: Monolith Productions

F.E.A.R is still one of the few tactical FPS games that combined themes of horror. F.E.A.R is a unique concoction of FPS gunplay, Max Payne slow motion reflex kills, and jumpscares that hit you the unpredictable moments. It was an incredibly isolation experience and one that demanded to be consumed slowly due to the perpetual feeling of being stalked throughout.

F.E.A.R distracted you with the all-out chaos of battle of versing unpredictable AI, while keeping your mind off the horror until it hits you right in the face. It was an incredibly unique FPS entry for pre 2010 and one that has aged incredibly well throughout the years.

15) Battlefield: Bad Company

• Release date: June 23, 2008
• Platform(s): PlayStation 3 / Xbox 360
• Copies sold: 1.6 million
• Developer: DICE

Just one year after CoD 4‘s release, Battlefield: Bad Company continued the tradition of great military shooters that mixed ambition gameplay with entertaining dialogue. Characters were brought to life in this installment by their chemistry and interaction with one another. This makes the setting more believable and in turn (similar to CoD), made us care about our small band of soldiers.

While the story is linear, you are given the opportunity to play it at your own pace, and decide what you’re going to do to complete the objective. It’s kind of like what MWIII (2023) tried and failed to do with their Open Combat missions.

14) Titanfall 2

• Release date: Oct. 28, 2016
• Platform(s): PlayStation 4 / Xbox One / Windows
• Copies sold: Four million
• Developer: Respawn Entertainment

Titanfall 2 saw Halo and raised them extreme mechanics. Years spent doing 360 no-scopes with throwing knives and tac insertions on Call of Duty were nothing compared to what you could achieve as a Pilot on Titanfall 2. The best futuristic movement ever created in a video game, Titanfall 2 had the highest skill ceiling known to man. The complete opposite to Counter-Strike; Titanfall 2 was all about movement, mechanics, and speed.

You weren’t limited to a particular playstyle either. In fact, so long as you learnt the fundamentals of positioning, you could do whatever you wanted to get a kill (and look cool doing it). Fans are still waiting for Titanfall 3‘s announcement, but with so many Titanfall and Apex Legends developers leaving Respawn Entertainment, it’s a wonder if this beloved series will ever get a complete trilogy.

13) Condemned: Criminal Origins

• Release date: Nov. 15, 2005
• Platform(s): Xbox 360 / Windows
• Copies sold: 270,000
• Developer: Monolith Productions

We’re very much aware that this isn’t classified as a true FPS game. But, the game does offer a firearm, therefore I’m allowing it because it’s my list and I want this absolute banger in here. The bleak atmosphere is palpable and strengthened further by its soundtrack. Condemned introduced me to the dangers of other people (a tad dark to realise as an adolescent), and it forever changed what horror meant to me.

Condemned: Criminal Origin had excellent combat that separated it from other horror entries. From kicking and staggering enemies to stealing their weapon, Condemned liked to scare you with its realistic setting, and satisfy you with its combat mechanics. With limited resources, it was down to your reflexes and precision to take out an enemy with whatever was left loaded into your firearm or shotgun. Time your fights correctly and you could force your enemies to fight each another.

12) GoldenEye 007

• Release date: Aug. 23, 1997
• Platform(s): Nintendo 64 / Nintendo Switch / Xbox One / Xbox Series X/S
• Copies sold: Eight million
• Developer: Rare

GoldenEye 007 and TimeSplitters were similar in that they had uncanny arcade-like feel that made them incredibly easy to digest. Missions were short, sweet, and repeatable. While for the time this isn’t particularly unique, but its shorter, entertaining experiences makes us feel more reminiscent for a time that was much simpler (and honestly, better).

Outside of community-based games that perfected multiplayer modes like the golden era of CoD, Halo 3, and Unreal Tournament; GoldenEye 007‘s strength lied in its simplicity. You could enjoy short missions with multiple objectives, and not be forced to complete each one. Replayability was at the forefront also, as the many cheat codes gave you another reason to head back in and experience the same level a different way.

11) Deus Ex

• Release date: June 22, 2000
• Platform(s): PlayStation 2 / PlayStation 3 / Windows
• Copies sold: 1.1 million
• Developer: Ion Storm

What made Deus Ex impressive and incredibly unique is that your choices in the game matter. While they aren’t impacting the story, they do dictate what you can and can’t do later on in the game. You won’t be able to backtrack or correct your mistake if you missed a door or forgot to save someone. The game instead, continues without you and it’s down to your playstyle to determine how much of Deus Ex you get to see and experience.

There is nothing stopping you from playing Deus Ex how you’d like. The conclusion is inevitable, but your gameplay and dialogue choices will alter how characters view you and in the end—if they get to live. This makes Deus Ex the ultimate player agency game.

10) Counter-Strike

• Release date: Nov. 9, 2000
• Platform(s): Windows
• Copies sold: 4.2 million
• Developer: Valve

Counter-Strike was an absolute gamechanger for the tactical multiplayer FPS subgenre. No longer was there an indisputable need for gameplay mechanics that would outshine previous FPS entries. Counter-Strike stripped it back to the basics; with recoil control, angle holding, and strategy as its pillars you must master if you want to stand a chance at winning.

This game heavily influenced VALORANT, adding legend-style abilities to gameplay that mimicked the fundaments of Counter-Strike. What started as a Half-Life mod transformed into a polished, competitive experience that would truly test your gunplay skill and combat intelligence. Small maps and slower paced combat focused on strategy, rather than constant adrenaline on a match of Nuke Town because you can spawn back in a second later.

9) BioShock

• Release date: Aug. 21, 2007
• Platform(s): PlayStation 3 / PlayStation 4 / Xbox 360 / Xbox One / Windows / Nintendo Switch
• Copies sold: Four million
• Developer: 2K Games

The best thing about BioShock is that it isn’t a classic FPS game. BioShock has excellent story-telling and pacing, offering unique enemies and puzzles to defeat, and includes RPG elements with the Plasmid upgrades. Immersive from the moment you submerge into Rapture, BioShock hooks you with its narrative, rather than being another game where you just run into enemy hordes, guns blazing.

Yes BioShock isn’t sold as an FPS game, but it perfectly mixed gunfights with elemental damage from the Plasmid. You had to swap between the two modes of combat, adding some strategy to the game which was only polished further in later entries. If this was a list about the best story, BioShock would surely take the top spot.

8) Team Fortress 2

• Release date: Oct. 2007
• Platform(s): Windows / Xbox 360 / PlayStation 3
• Copies sold: 80 million
• Developer: Valve

The clear inspiration for Overwatch, Concord, Paladins, and other hero-shooters (or more appropriately character-shooters) was Team Fortress. With a cast of quirky characters and a class system, Team Fortress 2 continues to stand out long after its release in 2007. What is so obviously missing from all other team-based shooters is the ability to make fun of itself. Most video games taken themselves too seriously, but Team Fortress 2 just wants you to enjoy yourself.

7) Unreal Tournament 2004

• Release date: Mar. 16, 2004
• Platform(s): Windows
• Developer: Epic Games

Nothing has come close to this early noughties era of FPS games that provided gamers with so much content that they wouldn’t ever think to need another video game to play. Unreal Tournament 2004 still holds up to this day—being flawless in its gameplay, weapons, modes, and best of all—you could make your own maps.

6) DOOM

• Release date: Dec. 10, 1993
• Platform(s): Windows / PlayStation 4 / PlayStation 5 / Xbox One / Xbox Series X/S / Nintendo Switch
• Copies sold: 3.5 million
• Developer: id Software

While DOOM remains somewhat simple in its design and gameplay, it’s what makes the franchise so special. It’s quite hard to pick the best in the franchise as it really comes down to how much complexity and choice you want with movement and weapons. DOOM strips everything back to pure gunplay, exploration, and offers a treasure trove of secrets.

The ability to strip everything back to pure gunplay, specifically when blasting away aliens and monsters, is more than enough to satisfy the average gaming looking for a great FPS game. Unlike other military shooters, DOOM is a heart-racing, high-octane franchise that has developed over the years with added complexity to its combat.

5) Quake

• Release date: June 22, 1996
• Platform(s): Windows / Nintendo 64 (remastered on PlayStation and Xbox)
• Copies sold: 1.4 million
• Developer: id Software

Three years after DOOM released, Quake reintroduced the world to gory, close-quarters fights with simpler rules that its FPS cousin. Anyone can pick Quake up and give it a go. The foundation of this great game is the simplicity of its gunplay, which makes you enjoy everything else it has to offer. Maze-like level design that makes you feel claustrophobic, limited mechanics that strip it down to your aiming and strafing.

The simplicity is what made Quake so addictive. Its deadly level design, hordes of enemies, and overcrowded corridors only added to the chaos. The enemies are aggressive and have their own unique fighting style that you must adapt to if you want to survive the encounter. It is only placed ever so slightly about DOOM for its fluid movement mechanics.

4) TimeSplitters: Future Perfect

• Release date: Mar. 21, 2005
• Platform(s): PlayStation 2 / GameCube / Xbox / Xbox One
• Copies sold: 480,000
• Developer: Free Radical Design

My favorite game from my childhood, TimeSplitters: Future Perfect had everything you could possibly need from an FPS title. An entertaining campaign, addictive challenges, infinite fun with arcade mode, a cast of diverse and quirky characters, and the ability to make your own map (and imagine you were working for Naughty Dog aged 10).

Hours were spent playing TimeSplitters 2 and Future Perfect for its co-op campaign and challenges alone. Although, Free Radical Design were evil for making Cortez Can’t Jump! Knowing that TimeSplitters couldn’t be remade in this current climate because the dialogue would be deemed too offensive is an absolute shame as this will forever be one of the funniest games I’ve had the privilege to grow up playing.

Side note: TimeSplitters 2 featured the greatest main menu music of all time.

3) Halo 3

• Release date: Sept. 25, 2007
• Platform(s): Xbox 360 / Xbox One / Microsoft Windows
• Copies sold: 14.5 million
• Developer: Bungie Inc.

Unlike other entries, Halo 3‘s strength lies in its multiplayer. Released in 2007 (a year of excellent single-player video games), Halo 3 offered an incredible amount of multiplayer modes for you to sink your teeth into. Boredom simply wasn’t a possibility with Halo 3. If the default modes weren’t enough then the custom games would create endless possibilities for you and your friends.

Similar to TimeSplitters, Halo also handed players the keys to the kingdom with the ability to alter pre-existing maps. Seriously, what more could you want from a multiplayer FPS game?

2) Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

• Release date: Nov. 6, 2007
• Platform(s): Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, Wii, and macOS.
• Copies sold: 15.7 million
• Developer: Infinity Ward

The original CoD: Modern Warfare series stayed with me for years, being the FPS franchise to fall back on whenever my brother visited. The spec ops missions that featured the terrifying Juggernaut music kept the family entertained for many years, while the classic campaigns had me coming back for more. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare gave us the most iconic and remembered soldiers in gaming history.

This focus on single-player campaigns gave us fantastic missions that we’ll never forget. The reimaging of Modern Warfare demonstrated how strong the golden era of CoD was—and that without a great campaign—CoD would become as repetitive as EA FC.

1) Half-Life 2

• Release date: Nov. 16, 2004
• Platform(s): Windows, Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, macOS, and Linux.
• Copies sold: 12 million
• Developer: Valve

Half-Life 2 may seem simple in its design, but this simplicity allows it to focus on what makes it an excellent video game. Immersive from the moment you set off the train, Half-Life 2‘s universe develops as you play, where new information is fed to you continuously.

The focus of Half-Life 2 is far from its FPS elements and gameplay, rather this is just an added touch to a game that takes exploration another level. Everything can be interacted with, creating a level of detail for this totalitarianism world that most cannot match.