Top 10 shooters to play right now

Splitgate went unnoticed for a long time until it gained ground after a record 10 million open beta downloads. The energized Halo-Portal hybrid is a true Cinderella story. Developer 1047 Games began its gradual rise to prominence in the relative safety of a Stanford University dormitory. We spoke and played with CEO Ian Proulx in 2019, who expressed his goal of creating an accessible game that was difficult to master. Three years later, Splitgate’s nuanced mechanics and arcade aesthetic have piqued the interest of casual gamers and professional esports athletes alike. Season 0 was just announced at Gamescom in light of 1047’s previous decision to extend Splitgate’s open beta period indefinitely. Once the backend has been ordered, expect the full launch of the game to follow. | Our impressions

As our own Dan Tack wonderfully put it, “Returnal is a relentless nightmare that is a dream to play.” A sci-fi horror roguelike, Housemarque’s first third-person shooter drips with eerie tension. The stormy, hallucinogenic planet of Atropos is home to meandering foliage, ancient architecture, and misshapen species. You are Selene, an intergalactic explorer abandoned in a dangerous world. With a bevy of weapons and abilities discoverable through the myriad environments of Atropos, you will trek through forests and unforgiving wastelands to discover the true meaning behind Selene’s farm reappearance and the astronaut who haunts her most thoughts. intimate. In Returnal, death is rebirth. What will you do with each new life? | Our review

Modern Warfare fans enjoyed the unconventionally fast gunplay of the first Titanfall – wall run, slide, rappel. Titanfall 2 introduced a single player story mode that exposed the marginalized rhythms of the first game. You will be the protagonist of the rebellious amateur pilot Cooper as he fights his way through the imperial-style IMC army alongside BT, his upright titan. A catalog of new equipment and throwable items on the multiplayer front introduced more PVP playstyles that appealed to various levels of player. Titanfall 2 is a beloved title that still boasts a dedicated player base now. Its unrivaled gameplay feel and epic titan-destroying visuals are still felt and remembered today. You can see this perfectly demonstrated in the next title on this list. | Our review

Apex Legends may not have been what Titanfall 3 fans were looking for, but it proudly sports the lore of the series on its manga. Many battle royales have been fighting for Twitch supremacy, and Apex is not easy to convince. 18 legends, constant event / cosmetic updates, fluid physics, and tight shootouts have put the popular FPS in a league of its own. In addition, revolutionary mechanics such as the ping system and the respawn beacon have influenced the classic and future titles of the genre. In its 10th season, Apex Legends continues to grow with additional characters and detailed map changes. A new game mode called Arenas turns large-scale action into tense bite-sized 3v3 duels, echoing Creative Director Chad Grenier’s goals to expand beyond the battle royale formula. | Our review

Sure, Plunder, a cash-stacking game mode with immediate comebacks, is a nice addition to Warzone, but the Battle Royale experience really steals the show. Simply put, Warzone is bigger than its contemporaries. With 150 players in a given match (sometimes even 200), death-defying countermeasures with the implementation of Gulag duels and acquirable respawns, and secondary objectives in the game as rewards, you are guaranteed long bouts of action despite the maps. big. A large number of playlists from different players (solos, duos, trios, and quads) means you can enter the battlefield with or without a dedicated squad whenever you want. Like other live service shooters on this list, content releases will likely keep you planted in your seat for hundreds of hours. | Our review

As a partially remastered culmination of Xbox’s most iconic space opera adventure, Halo: The Master Chief Collection is a must-have. Whether you’re an existing fan or a newcomer, Chief’s extensive odyssey is highly accessible due to its streamlined mechanics (even Combat Evolved looks and feels solid!), Unforgettable music, and continuous narrative. Bungie passed the baton to 343 Industries many years ago. Critical reception hasn’t been consistent since the stellar Halo 4. Still, Infinite seeks to push the classic franchise in a new direction with a massive open world and evolving multiplayer-based storyline. The Master Chief Collection, then, is the perfect base. | Our review

Doom Slayer (or Doomguy) and Master Chief are pretty much synonymous … except that the former has a penchant for tearing apart demons and bathing in their guts. We loved Doom Eternal’s boundless melee combat – shotgun blasts give way to exposed rib cages and chainsaws will literally gut opponents into blood-covered chunks. The overwhelming number of enemies helps accelerate the action in increasingly frantic ways; you’ll have to keep spinning around each arena to avoid annoying bottlenecks or death. Let’s not forget about that heartwarming soundtrack either. Mick Gordon’s “old, alien” heavy metal soundscape ties the entire high-octane experience together with haunting guitar riffs and evocative bass lines that match Doomguy’s sporadic heartbeats. And for those of you who have next-gen consoles, an upgraded version of Doom Eternal is also available. | Our review

Can’t Bungie do anything wrong? Destiny 2 rises above the successes of its prequel. An impressive number of expansions make the live service’s blockbuster infinitely playable, and the intricate lore lies just below the surface of its central plot. As a hunter, warlock or titan, you will travel to the stars to combat an evil force as old as the universe itself. Hundreds of weapons are at your disposal, and high-difficulty strike / nightfall missions can reward you with high-powered gear. But for now, let’s move on to the raids – Destiny’s quintessential co-op PVE mode. Raids test your mechanical, communication and reasoning skills. Failure waits beyond every checkpoint; every seemingly small-scale shooting. The mysterious Lightfall expansion, scheduled for 2022, is set to usher in a new era for loot. | Our review

The Latest Rainbow Six is ​​a callback to methodical FPS titles like Counter-Strike and SOCOM. Claustrophobic maps laden with assassination holes, time-to-kill punishment ratios, and intuitive sound effects add to the tension of every match. Sure, you can run to a point of defense, firing weapons, as if Siege is your average twitch shooter, but consistent success comes from unwavering patience and holding angles. An ever-growing list of playable operators, each equipped with skill kits and preferred firearms, means that the meta is constantly fluctuating. However, if you prefer the frenzy of Warzone or Apex shootouts, Siege may not be for you. Still, he’s still one of the most consistent competitive shooters out there. Extraction, Siege’s alien-infested story mode counterpart, is slated for a 2022 release and will likely show the same mechanical polish as its predecessor. | Our review

Alyx Vance and her alien-infested quest cannot be ignored. The prequel to Half-Life 2 showed the potential of virtual reality technology. Literally dodging incoming bullets and other dangerous projectiles or performing simple actions like reloading or interacting with environmental objects built an immersion in ways that the controller or mouse and keyboard cannot emulate. It’s unfortunate that Half-Life: Alyx can only be played with VR equipment, making it one of the most unique games on this list. However, Valve’s new commitment to its most beloved franchise could mean more Half-Life games are on the horizon. It’s only a matter of time before the enigmatic G-Man graces our screens once again. | Our review