Here at PC Gamer, we love FPS games since they were born on the PC, which also happens to be the ideal platform for playing them. First-person combat, which was pioneered by the people at id Software, ruled the 1990s and blossomed into one of the game industry’s most lively and rapidly changing genres. In the realms of competition, cooperation, and even meditation, there is an apparently insatiable desire for innovative head-clicking.
Although the brutality in this genre is well-known, that isn’t usually why we are drawn to it. We applaud the first-person camera’s immersive potential and how that perspective tests our mental and emotional reactions to issues that are thrust in our path. FPSes frequently include demanding reflex tests, but they can serve as the basis for captivating worlds and lifelike simulations of survival, combat, and play. Because we are actually looking at the world through our character’s eyes, we feel a stronger, more genuine connection to it.
Here is a list of the top first-person shooter games available right now. It’s not a list of the most influential FPS games in history; rather, it’s a list of titles we’d suggest to PC players who are interested in the genre now. Because this is a live list, revisions are to be expected in the future.
In order to represent the newer first-person shooters that the PC Gamer staff is actively playing in 2023, we’ve reduced the number of titles we suggest while keeping a few classics that are still outstanding today. For easier reading, categories have been streamlined.
Neon White
Ironically, the most entertaining shooter in recent memory doesn’t really possess firearms. Guns are represented by cards in Neon White, an FPS speedrunning platformer, with supplementary movement skills such a jump, dash, or slam. Underneath its visual novel mission breaks and anime workmanship, Neon White is an unadulterated refining of athletic FPS activity. Levels frequently last under a moment, yet you can undoubtedly endure an hour culminating a course until happy with your spot on the list of competitors. The most splendid plan choice made by Neon White might be the consideration of inherent alternate way markings that propose speedier courses however call for capable utilization of your gear.
Doom Eternal
I had to sit down and think about what Doom would be like in the present day, and I came up with a buttery smooth, highly acrobatic first-person shooter that embraces unrestrained indulgence while enforcing discipline via HP-recovering glory kills. With the help of two excellent DLC expansions, Eternal adds more verticality, more diversity in the enemies, and a captivating campaign that never seems to finish. There is never just run and gun, and cover shooting is never allowed. If the world hadn’t been taken over by current military shooters, the Doom clone would have turned out like this. Let the most recent Doom games serve as a powerful wake-up call for video game executives: singleplayer first-person shooters are better than ever and demand calls for more of them.
Hyper Demon
Hyper Demon was able to run, run, and oh my goodness, keep running because Devil Daggers had walked so they could run. Another extremely difficult wave survival shooter, however this time, surviving is really simpler. However, since your score starts to decline as soon as the game begins, getting a high score is as difficult, if not more so. To raise it, you need to kill devils as productively as could be expected In order to increase your score, you must eliminate them as quickly as possible before more pursue you. Even on a flat, featureless battlefield, there is a vast amount of potential due to special mobility abilities, enemy interactions, attacks (there are lasers), and powerups. According to the developers, there is a conclusion this time. But how many will actually reach it?
Turbo Overkill
Turbo Overkill should be your next visit if you felt that Doom Eternal’s unrestrained aspirations were too restrained. Turbo may have the appearance of a classic retro shooter, but it features contemporary FPS elements like wallrunning, sliding, weapon upgrades, and extremely tall levels. The centrepiece of this game are the weaponry and their multiple firing modes: my favourites are dual magnums that are also Smart weaponry, a minigun that transforms into a flamethrower, and a shotgun that resembles System Shock and may overpump for more damage. This year will see the release of Turbo Overkill’s last section, making now the ideal time to complete the first two-thirds of the campaign.
Black Mesa
Black Mesa drags Half-Life into the shower and rids it of the odour of the 1990s. With updated audio, animations, and a brand-new Xen portion, it is a polished, frequently stunning replica of Half-Life that makes the worst aspect of the original game into maybe the greatest. Black Mesa mostly modifies Xen, however it also remixes some earlier zones and adds whole new problems to others. Since it depends on Half-Life 2, it has more prominent material science collaborations too (yet don’t expect a gravity firearm). Subsequently, it misses the mark concerning being an impeccable substitute for playing the first Half-Life, however it is as yet the best strategy to play the game in 2023.
Borderlands 2
Borderlands 2 had more fun with the looter-shooter than any other game since it was invented by Borderlands. The fact that there are a tonne of guns—a special mention goes to the shotgun that fires swords that explode and the self-healing Grog Nozzle—is not what makes it so awesome. The same more-is-more philosophy that guides weapon creation also applies to the sci-fi world’s vibrant, extravagant scenery and diverse cast of opponents.
Mutated vermin swoop, jump, burrow, and protect their weak places while goliaths defy years of FPS training by going into Hulk Mode when you shoot them. Masked bandits give lectures from sniper positions or yell nonsense while racing directly at you. Borderlands 2, which is still the greatest game in the series, offers a refined, lighthearted counterbalance to military shooters that take themselves too seriously.
Destiny 2
Millions of gamers have really persevered with the FPS MMO that Bungie created. The fact that Destiny 2 gamers cheerfully complete the same objectives repeatedly in order to obtain the greatest items on offer is a credit to the Halo developers’ talent for creating great-feeling weapons. Finally, there are raids, which are lengthy six-player missions that simultaneously test marksmanship, timing, and communication. Although the story of Lightfall was significantly underwhelming, the ‘light and dark’ storyline may yet come to a satisfying conclusion with the release of The Final Shape expansion the following year.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection
Did you know that every Halo game, from Combat Evolved to Reach, is available as a single, massive videogame featuring cross-platform cooperative play, multiplayer, and Forge? Even simply imagining it makes me grin. The Master Chief Collection was formerly viewed as a failure, but in 2023, the majority of its PC games are playable with few glitches. MCC is still a fantastic co-op package, even if you’re not prepared to compete against sweaty Halo 3 gamers who have been practising for 16 years. Running through Halo’s campaigns with a friend is one of the gaming moments I treasure the most.
