The third-person shooter genre of video games is home to some of the most beloved games of all time that feature innovative gameplay, memorable storylines, and plenty more. That’s why we’re going to be taking a look at some of the best third-person shooters ever made according to gamers worldwide in today’s post. And we’re going to get right into the action and kick things off with…
#20: Sniper Elite 5
(PC/PS4/PS5/Xbox One/Xbox Series X-S)
2022’s Sniper Elite 5 takes us back to World War 2 France where you’ll take on the role of Karl Fairburne, a solo operative who goes far behind German lines to uncover the secrets of something called Project Kraken. To succeed in your mission, you’ll have to utilize a mixture of stealth combat and full-on assaults as you maneuver through numerous areas in a WW2-era France occupied by Nazi forces. And, of course, your most valuable tool on your mission will be your trusty sniper rifle, which you can use to take down enemy targets from hundreds of meters away.
Sniper Elite 5 gives you plenty of choice when it comes to how to progress through the game, ranging from the extensive customization options that allow you to modify your rifle and other weapons however you like best, to which way you’ll explore the map for differing pathways to your objectives. The game captures many real-world locations in stunning graphical detail, a level of detail that also extends to the game’s trademark X-Ray kill cam, which has been updated to make those brutal kills even more detailed than ever before. Sniper Elite 5 can be played alone, or you can play in co-op with a friend to help each other through the campaign, along with the game’s small but surprisingly fun multiplayer PvP modes.
#19: Tom Clancy's The Division 2
(PC/PS4/Xbox One)
In a world where the United States of America is on the brink of total collapse following a global pandemic, a group of civilian sleeper agents belonging to the top-secret government organization known as The Division has been activated to help preserve order and keep the American Dream alive. You are one of those agents, and you soon find yourself fighting to reclaim control of Washington D.C. after the disappearance of the President has led it to become a lawless city full of warring factions. Whether you fight by yourself or alongside others in co-op, it falls on you to save the nation’s capital in this time of crisis.
The Division 2 is a cover-based third-person shooter with RPG elements that will see you and your squad of fellow agents travel across a ruined Washington D.C. to combat five main marauder factions seeking to take control of the capital, and in doing so, the entire nation. On top of using more regular weapons like assault rifles, shotguns, grenades, and so forth, you’ll also be able to unlock new character skills that unlock special weapons like automated turrets, combat drones, and more. D.C. is an explorable open world, so you’ll be able to venture through the game however you see fit as you increase your skills and gather materials to upgrade your main base of operations, the White House. Because where else would it be?
#18: World War Z
(PC/PS4/PS5/Xbox One/Xbox Series X-S/Nintendo Switch)
Set in the same world as the 2013 action/horror film of the same name, World War Z is a co-op shooter game that pits 4 players together to fight impossible odds against an endless, unrelenting army of the undead. From New York to Moscow to Jerusalem, humanity is on the brink of extinction, and it’s up to you and your team to fight this undead apocalypse with everything you’ve got, to ensure that humanity outlives the dead.
In many ways, World War Z is a spiritual successor to other all-time great zombie shooters like the Left 4 Dead series, as the game's main story takes place in different ‘episodes’ set around the world. You’ll be able to choose from 8 distinct character classes, such as the melee-focused Slasher, the turret-building Fixer, and more as you fight your way right through endless waves of the undead. Thanks to the unique design of the game’s Swarm Engine, hundreds of individual zombies can be rendered on screen at the same time, immersing you in the terror that comes with fighting such overwhelming odds in all the best ways as you fight through the main missions, the Player-v-Player-v-Zombies multiplayer mode, and a few others to boot.
#17: Aliens: Fireteam Elite
(PC/PS4/PS5/Xbox One/Xbox Series X-S/Nintendo Switch)
This next game on our list shares a lot in common with the previous one funny enough, in that they’re both based on major motion pictures, they’ve both been compared to the Left 4 Dead duology, and, most importantly, they’re both incredibly intense co-op shooters where you have to rely on teamwork if you want to beat the overwhelming enemy force trying to kill you. Aliens: Fireteam Elite is set 23 years after the original film trilogy, where you and your squad discover a xenomorph outbreak that’s tied to the mysterious planet LV-895, and it quickly falls to you to eradicate this outbreak before it has the chance to spread beyond the planet. You just have to make sure you don’t get yourself killed first.
Fireteam Elite will pit you and two additional human or AI-controlled teammates against wave after wave of terrifying Xenomorph enemies, which feature over 20 unique enemy types ranging from Facehuggers to Praetorians and beyond, each designed to attack and ambush you in their own unique ways. The aliens will try to overwhelm you using every possible angle, so you and your team will need to watch each other’s backs if you want to survive. The game features 7 different character class kits that can be leveled up, over 130 unique perks to help shake things up a bit, and a nice selection of weapons that you can choose from, including basic assault rifles to the fan-favorite flamethrowers.
#16: HITMAN World of Assassination
(PC/PS4/PS5/Xbox One/Xbox Series X-S/Nintendo Switch)
Taking a break from the horde shooters now, we’ll instead shift our focus to the latest game in a series about one of gaming’s most well-known killers, HITMAN World of Assassination. Formerly known simply as HITMAN 3, this title has since merged with the two previous games to put the entire ‘World of Assassination’ storyline that began in 2016 together in one massive bundle. This overarching story of the genetically engineered assassin only known as Agent 47 will take you around the world, from Paris to Colorado, Berlin to Dubai, and many other exotic locations where your primary goal is to find and eliminate your targets by any means necessary.
In World of Assassination, the deadliest weapon in your arsenal is how creative you can be when thinking of ways to take down your target. You can use basic approaches like silenced pistols or strangling them with piano wire along with various other gadgets, or you utilize the world around you to kill your targets through outlandish means that look just like ordinary accidents, with much more variety still to be discovered. In the living, breathing world of HITMAN, you’ll be able to endlessly replay every level across the campaign or other playable game modes, as there are hundreds of different objective possibilities to be discovered as you play.
#15: Control
(PC/PS4/PS5/Xbox One/Xbox Series X-S/Nintendo Switch)
From the same minds behind the critically acclaimed Alan Wake, Control is centered around the Federal Bureau of Control, a clandestine U.S. government agency that investigates supernatural events from around the world and tries to understand and, if necessary, contain them. You’ll take on the role of Jesse Faden, who is chosen to be the new director of the FBC by the mysterious entity from the Astral Plane known only as “The Board” to help put a stop to the corruptive presence that has invaded the FBC headquarters and killed nearly everyone inside. Using paranaturally unique items known as Objects of Power, you’ll be able to fight off the malicious entities inside of the Bureau as you seek to uncover the truth of the many mysteries lying within, including where the Bureau has taken your brother.
This action-adventure title feels heavily reminiscent of popular internet horror stories like the SCP Foundation, where you’ll be thrown head-first into a world of the unknown that wants to kill you at every turn. As you explore the Oldest House, the FBC’s main headquarters that’s bigger on the inside and is constantly shifting its architecture around, you’ll collect new Objects of Power and weapon upgrades that will further increase your unnatural skills and abilities as you fight “the Hiss”, the entities trying to take control of the Bureau. If you’re a fan of unraveling deep mysteries, or if you just want to shoot a bunch of demonic ghosts to re-death, then Control is what you’re looking for.
#14: Mafia: Definitive Edition
(PC/PS4/Xbox One)
Step back in time to the late 1930s, where in the city of Lost Heaven, Illinois, the life of cab driver Tommy Angelo is irreversibly changed forever when he brushes shoulders with members of the Salieri crime family. Throughout this gripping crime family story, you’ll control Tommy and live the life of a mob-movie gangster during the height of the American prohibition era. But crime doesn’t pay forever, and every step you take through the game will let you experience Tommy’s rise to the top of the Salieri family, and his inevitable fall to rock bottom.
Mafia: Definitive Edition is a 2020 remake of the original 2002 Mafia game, completely rebuilt from the ground up for an improved gameplay experience that brings back the original story while adding onto and expanding it. You’ll get to experience an authentically recreated 1930s American setting, where every detail will further immerse you in the same dark underworld that’s tempted Tommy into a life of crime. The remake also features new additional activities, such as new taxi driving and racing mini-games, along with other new additions, like the introduction of motorcycles to the series. Do you have what it takes to become the biggest name in organized crime?
#13: The First Descendant
(PC/PS4/PS5/Xbox One/Xbox Series X-S)
Released in June of this year, The First Descendant is a free-to-play looter shooter with RPG elements that will see you and three of your friends take to the frontlines to defend humanity against a hostile alien invasion on the planet Ingris. Players will take control of various Descendants and set out to defeat the hostile Vulgus using massive, high-powered weapons and various character skills that will change the course of the dynamic and exciting battles you’ll find yourself in.
On top of having their own backstories and personalities, each Descendant comes with their own set of skills and gameplay styles that will affect how you choose to decimate your enemies. On top of that, you’ll also be able to utilize fast-paced movement options that utilize grappling hooks and plenty of other selectable tools, which means you have full control of where you want to be and how you want to get there. As you fight to defeat the Vulgus threat, you’ll encounter massive boss monsters that can reward you with powerful new items and upgrades, which will further improve the power of your Descendant as you unravel the secrets of the Descendant organization throughout the game’s main story.
#12: PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS
(PC/PS4/PS5/Xbox One/Xbox Series X-S/iOS/Android)
The Battle Royale game that popularized the genre with its late 2017 release, PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS is the ‘original Battle Royale’ experience that pits you head to head with 99 other players who are all looking to come out as the sole survivor by any means necessary. This free-to-play title will have you fight for survival on a gritty island where brutal warfare is the only language that matters. Play alone or squad up with your friends as you fight to prove yourself king of the battlegrounds. That, or just have fun blowing people up and see where the winds of fate take you.
Up to 100 players will dive from a cargo plane and land across an island scattered with strategic locations, where you’ll quickly need to gather weapons and other survival gear if you want to have a chance at surviving for more than a couple minutes. Using anything that you can get your hands on, from guns to grenades and even vehicles, you’ll have to fight through waves of enemies however you see fit to ensure that you’re the last man standing. If you have what it takes to stand out as the best of the best in the game that made the genre a household name, then don’t hesitate and dive straight in to claim the battlegrounds for yourself.
#11: Alan Wake 2
(PC/PS5/Xbox Series X-S)
Set 13 years after the events of the original award-winning 2010 title, Alan Wake 2 is a survival-horror game that takes us to the next chapter in the story of the titular Alan Wake, a best-selling novelist who has been trapped in the Dark Place, a world where his nightmares, his fears, and even his own stories are brought to life to torment him ever since he went missing 13 years ago. While back in the real world we also see the story of Saga Anderson, an FBI agent sent to investigate a string of ritualistic murders in the small town of Bright Falls in the Pacific Northwest, whose case soon spirals into a nightmare when she discovers pages of a horror story are coming true around her, suggesting disturbing connections to Alan Wake, a writer who went missing in this same area over a decade ago.
Players will control both Wake and Anderson as they fight in two desperate journeys for survival across two different realities, which are connected in more ways than either of them understands. What begins as just a small-town murder soon spirals into much more, and it's up to you to lead both heroes through their own spiraling nightmares to uncover the source behind the supernatural darkness threatening to end them both. You will have to endure the terrors waiting for you in the dark in this psychological horror story filled with suspense, unexpected twists, and probably a couple more dance numbers than you were anticipating. Do you think you have what it takes?
#10: Mass Effect 2
(PC/PS3/Xbox 360)
Are you prepared to lose everything to save the galaxy? That’s the question that you’ll have to answer in Mass Effect 2, the award-winning second installment in the Mass Effect series that puts players back in control of Commander Shepard as he seeks to gather a team of the galaxy’s elite fighters for a mission to stop the invasion the alien menace known as the Reapers. Praised for its cinematic presentation and cast of diverse and complex characters, Mass Effect 2 also introduced a number of gameplay improvements that, from a gameplay standpoint alone, make it an incredibly entertaining third-person shooter experience.
Once you customize Shepard to your liking, being able to make the character either male or female along with further cosmetic customization, you’ll then set out on an adventure that will take you across the galaxy as you fight off various hostile factions using various new weapons, which are quicker to equip than the previous Mass Effect as one such example of the sequel’s improved combat gameplay. But the combat is only one part of the game, as you’ll also be tasked with getting involved in intergalactic diplomacy where your words alone can have drastic effects on the galaxy at large. This also applies to your crewmates, whom you can interact with however you like to turn them into friends, enemies, or even lovers. The fate of the galaxy rests on your shoulders, Commander, so make sure you choose your path with care.
#9: Resident Evil 3 (Remake)
(PC/PS4/PS5/Xbox One/Xbox Series X-S/Nintendo Switch)
Among the many, many gaming remakes that we’ve been seeing these past few years, one of the few ‘remakes’ that actually live up to its name by creating an entirely new experience with a pre-existing story is 2020’s Resident Evil 3. In this remake, longtime fans and new fans alike will rejoin Jill Valentine as she fights to escape the zombie-infested ruins of Racoon City, where she has to evade the intelligent bioweapon known as Nemesis that’s hunting her down every step of the way so she can’t reveal the truth behind this incident.
While this remake shares the same premise as the original, it’s been shaken up with a stronger focus on the story and new third-person controls that give you a whole new perspective on Jill Valentine’s story. This revamped action-adventure focus on top of the survival-horror experience further adds to the intensity of the undead nightmare that Racoon City has become. In this new spin on the classic Resident Evil formula, you’re the only person who can help Jill escape this outbreak and expose the truth behind it. Do you think you have what it takes to survive?
#8: Gears of War 4
(PC/Xbox One/Xbox Series X-S)
Set 25 years after the events of the previous game, Gears of War 4 centers on the story of J.D. Fenix, the son of the legendary Marcus Fenix, who is forced to step up and deal with a new threat to humanity alongside his friends. The game features much of what longtime series fans have come to expect from a Gears game, such as the quick-snap cover-focused combat that always keeps you moving, while introducing new mechanics and weapons, including the new Buzzkill weapon that fires ricocheting sawblades at your enemies.
The Locust War has been over for two and a half decades now, so you’ll be put up against a variety of new enemies as you stand up against the authoritarian Coalition of Ordered Governments and its ruthless new laws. From the COG’s new robotic soldiers to the new monstrous enemies known as the Swarm, you’ll have plenty of foes waiting to be torn apart as you play through the campaign alone or in co-op with a friend. And if you thought fighting through unfeeling monsters and machines alike was bad enough, the planet will also be actively working against you in the form of unpredictable weather changes, some as bad as category 3 windstorms which will affect combat and your weapons. Because where’s the fun in a fight if it’s easy, right?
#7: Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
(PC/PS5/Xbox Series X-S)
Step into the grimdark far-future of the Warhammer 40,000 universe and embody the nearly unstoppable, superhuman skill and brutality of humanity’s greatest defenders in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. With the strength and rigorous training that has made you one of the universe’s greatest killing machines, you will don the armor of a Space Marine as you set out to eradicate Tyranid swarms in a war of galactic proportions, either alone or alongside two other co-op teammates. It's up to you to defend the Imperium of Man, and even a horrific death would be preferable to letting our beloved Emperor down.
This third-person co-op swarm shooter lets you step into the genetically modified boots of the titular Space Marines as you take the fight to the Tyranids, a race of hideous, insect-like aliens. You’ll be able to customize both the appearance of your Marine’s armor as well as choose from 1 of 6 unique character classes that each possess different strengths, along with being able to unlock up to 25 different perks that can modify you and your weapons. You can choose to play in the standard co-op multiplayer missions, fight other players in the game’s PvP mode, or take control of Lieutenant Demetrian Titus in the game’s single-player campaign. However you want to play, one thing remains the same: You fight in the name of humanity, and you’ll be damned if you let some disgusting xenos defeat you and your fellow Space Marines!
#6: Resident Evil 2 (Remake)
(PC/Mac/PS4/PS5/Xbox One/Xbox Series X-S/Nintendo Switch/iOS)
Since we already talked about the completely revamped experience that was the remake of Resident Evil 3, it’s only fair that we do the same thing for the 2019 remake of Resident Evil 2, which is arguably the most popular modern remake to release in the past 10 years. Where we earlier talked about Jill Valentine surviving during the thick of an outbreak, Resident Evil 2 focuses on the stories of rookie police officer Leon Kennedy and college student Claire Redfield, who are thrust together by the nightmarish situation they both inexplicably find themselves in. Now stuck inside a police station that’s far stranger than it first seemed, both Claire and Leon will need to keep their wits about them if they want to survive in Racoon City, where they will soon find that zombies are the least of their worries.
Rebuilt from the ground up alongside the previously mentioned RE:3, the Resident Evil 2 remake takes the narrative from the original 1998 game and gives it some extra kicked with revamped third-person controls, new additions to the game’s overall story, and most importantly, it creates an entirely new, entirely terrifying experience for you to enjoy. You’ll still need to keep your wits sharp to solve the many confusing puzzles waiting for you inside Racoon City of course, as you’ll need to be able to think as well as fight if you want to get to the bottom of this outbreak and still live to talk about it. In short, you can’t have Resident Evil 3 without Resident Evil 2, so you should definitely play both of these games if you ever get the chance. They were remade for a reason after all!
#5: Risk of Rain 2
(PC/PS4/PS5/Xbox One/Xbox Series X-S/Nintendo Switch)
Coming to our top 5 games on this list, we’re heading to a chaotic alien planet full of creatures wanting to eat you alive, or worse, with plenty of valuable loot to collect. In Risk of Rain 2, you can either go alone or alongside up to 3 teammates as you explore over a dozen handcrafted locations across an alien world filled with frenzied monsters of all shapes and sizes, from lowly little bugs to towering final bosses hiding valuable upgrades that are just waiting to be taken. And thanks to the game’s action roguelike systems, no two runs will ever be quite the same as one another.
As you play Risk of Rain you’ll unlock a crew of eleven playable survivors that each have their own unique combat styles and skillsets, such as the well-rounded Commando, the swift and sneaky Bandit, and the highly mobile but fragile Huntress. There are over 110 different items to collect throughout a mission, and the more items you collect, the more their effects combine to create some pretty surprising combinations. The game’s unique scaling system will ensure that the enemies in a run will appropriately scale alongside you and your team, so there will always be a sense of challenge to overcome whenever you try your hand at surviving Risk of Rain 2.
#4: Warframe
(PC/PS4/PS5/Xbox One/Xbox Series X-S/Nintendo Switch/iOS)
After spending centuries in cryosleep, a race of ancient warriors known as the Tenno have awoken in Earth’s far future to find themselves at war with various factions vying for power in the Origin System. Though they have awoken without any memories, they are assisted by their mysterious guide known as the Lotus, who helps them relearn not only their mastery of the sword and the gun but also of their Warframes, bio-metal suits of untold power that grant them superhuman abilities. In Warframe, you will take control of a vast array of Warframes and set out across the stars to fight off deadly foes using an arsenal of destructive firepower and seamless parkour abilities.
Warframe features various procedurally generated open-world levels for you to explore as you travel across the star system completing quests and leveling up the abilities of your titular Warframe suits. Along with hundreds of customization options for cosmetics alone, you’ll be able to unlock and upgrade things like new guns and swords, as well as new vehicles like hoverboards to help you zip around the world faster, and you can even discover companions as well. If you were a fan of games like Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, then you’ll immediately fall in love with this game about exploring the stars as a bunch of space ninjas. I mean, really, what else do you need in a game?
#3: Helldivers 2
(PC/PS5)
With the galaxy under threat from all sides, and your very Super Earth-born freedoms being threatened, it’s time to enlist for the galaxy’s Last Line of Offence, the Helldivers. As one of the many valuable soldiers of the greatest military force the galaxy has ever seen, you will travel to different planets and fight with everything you have to liberate them from the freedom-hating clutches of our enemies. Our very way of life is being threatened, so it falls to you and your fellow Helldivers to rain freedom and Managed Democracy down upon anything that would dare stand against Super Earth.
In Helldivers 2, you are just one of Super Earth’s millions upon millions of Helldiver soldiers, the galaxy’s finest soldiers, who is sent from planet to planet with the sole purpose of wiping the enemies of Super Earth off the map using as many high-powered explosives as possible. You’ll play alongside up to 3 other teammates as you travel across alien worlds, fighting off either the fascist Terminid Horde, a race of giant insectoid creatures infesting their way across the galaxy, or the socialist Automatons, a race of highly weaponized robots who seek their own disgusting form of “independence”. You will take on these threats head-on using a variety of high-powered orbital strikes from your Super Destroyer spaceship that unlocked alongside your firearms, as you fight to spread the word of freedom, peace, and democracy across the galaxy, one bullet at a time.
#2: Grand Theft Auto Online
(PC/PS4/PS5/Xbox One/Xbox Series X-S)
While the standalone single-player mode of GTA V is an award-winning experience for a very good reason, we’re specifically going to be taking a look at its multiplayer counterpart, Grand Theft Auto Online. Having been active for over a decade now, GTA Online has received dozens of major updates over the years that continue to add to the intense and exciting action this series is well-known for, expanding gameplay for both its high-octane racing to its varied third-person shooter gameplay. There are hundreds, maybe even thousands of different minigames to play throughout GTA Online at this point in its life, both officially made by the developers and created by community members as well.
From stunt races that see you zipping through a complex of giant tubes to team-based combat modes where you can transform into a werewolf, and much, much more. And that’s not even getting into the free-roam gameplay where you can do things like buy your own CEO office to sell illegal goods with or buy a nuclear fallout bunker to run guns out of. On top of that, the game even features new storyline missions to complete with friends, which can even include meeting campaign characters like Franklin, along with plenty more that we just don’t have time to go over in a post like this. To keep it short, GTA Online is a third-person shooter like no other game out there, and you’ll just have to play it for yourself if you really want to understand why.
#1: Fortnite
(PC/PS4/PS5/Xbox One/Xbox Series X-S/Nintendo Switch/iOS/Android)
Rounding things up at #1 on this list, I’m sure that just as many people could have seen this coming as there are people surprised to see this game here. But with millions of players from around the world playing every day, and with the constant stream of exciting new game character cosmetics, game modes, and live events coming into the game, I think it’s only fair that Fortnite caps things off for us.
Everyone knows about Fortnite’s definitive battle royale experience, but recently they’ve also given players new game modes to enjoy, from the high-octane Rocket Racing mode and even a Lego-themed open-world survival mode, along with the Rock Band-like Music Festival mode. And we can’t forget about Save the World either! When it comes to third-person shooter games though, Fortnite is one of the most entertaining out there thanks to consistent updates that bring about new missions, new cinematic live events, and new characters that can range from entirely original to fan-favorite crossovers with popular media franchises and real-world people alike. There’s plenty to do in Fortnite already, and there’s always more to come in this ever-shifting battle for survival, making it one of the best third-person shooters to ever pop up on our screens.
