Shooter games
First- or third-person action built around firearms, aiming and accuracy.
What is the shooter genre?
The core action of a shooter is clear: See the target, aim and hit it. If the camera looks through the character's eyes it is a first-person shooter, and if it looks over the shoulder it is a third-person shooter. Once layers like recoil, bullet drop, cover and team play are added to this simple core, the genre splits in two: Fast games that test reflexes and tactical games that test patience.
Shooters are the busiest arena of online competition. Single-player campaigns are still strong, but the genre's center of gravity today is multiplayer: Competitive arenas, battle royale islands, team-based hero shooters and extraction modes where you go in and try to get out with loot.
What defines it?
The core skill is finding the target fast and keeping the crosshair on it; everything else builds on this.
Recoil pattern, magazine size and rate of fire are the first things that define a shooter's identity.
In competitive play, knowing where enemies come from matters as much as aiming.
Some games throw you into a fight within seconds, others punish a single wrong step with death.
Landmark games
Well-known examples often used to explain the genre. For the list on our site, see the games section below.
At a glance
Shooter games (119)
PCB Defense
Gray Zone Warfare TR
Squad TR
Warhammer 40,000: Darktide TR
Wardogs TR
Active Matter TR
Like or Die TR
The Defiant TR
Serious Sam: Shatterverse TR
Splatoon Raiders TR
The Ascent TR
Cost of Hope TR
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth TR
Gears of War: E-Day TR
Haex TR
Tempus Vitae TR
Gloria Victis TR
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4
Rainbow 6 Siege TR
Empulse TR
Metro 2039 TR
Road to Vostok TR
The Division Resurgence TR
Soulslinger: Envoy of Death TR
Latest stories on shooter games
Frequently asked questions
What do FPS and TPS mean?
FPS is a first-person shooter, where the camera sees through the character's eyes. TPS is a third-person shooter, where the camera sits behind the character and you can see them. The difference is not just the view: In third person you can see around corners, so cover mechanics tend to matter more.
What sets a tactical shooter apart?
Health is low, respawns are often absent and a single hit can end the round. So it is played slowly and as a team that communicates, not by running and gunning.
Do I need a powerful PC to play shooters?
Most competitive shooters are deliberately released with low system requirements, because a high frame rate is an advantage. Big-budget single-player campaigns push the hardware much harder.