Summary

• Half-Life 2 was a technical marvel thanks to innovative physics, animation, and atmosphere.
• Doom pioneered the FPS genre with intense gameplay, gore, and iconic Doom Engine.
• Halo set the standard with its smooth gameplay, controller layout, and variety of weapons.

The FPS genre is one of gaming's biggest and oldest. As a result, there have been many FPS titles throughout the decades, from the id Software giants, which started the genre back in the 90s, to the modern-day behemoths such as Halo and Call of Duty. Like with any genre in gaming, there are those that stand out above the others. In a market as saturated as the FPS genre, they have to or be lost to time as just another shooter with little to offer.

Thanks to how long FPSs have been around, many landmark titles are known to push the genre forward in ways their contemporaries were unable to compete with, whether that be due to presentation, mechanics, or storytelling. Some titles revolutionized the online, competitive scene of FPSs, while others gave gamers an experience so profound that they are talked about to this day. This genre is a gold mine that continues to be dug, even as the games industry leaps forward into a new generation.

10 Half-Life 2: (2004)

Half-Life 2 Reinvented FPS Physics

To this day, many concede that Half-life 2 is one of the greatest games to have ever been made. Although the story telling is superb and the gameplay is polished, the presentation of the game, down to its animations, atmosphere and technical brilliance, placed it far beyond its competition. It even sured its prequel, Half-life, despite it being as revolutionary as its successor.

What made Valve's gem stand out so much was its physics. In 2004, the physics of the Source engine had never been seen before, making it a technical marvel of its time. Its innovation pushed the entire games industry forward to the point where Half-Life 2 is considered a legend among gamers. The never-ending wait for Half-life 3, a sequel that may never be, has become an inside joke in the fandom, although if it were ever to be made, it would have impossible standards to live up to.

Half-Life 2 was episodic. Although it was first released in 2004, the last episode was released in 2007. A third episode was canceled by Valve.

9 Doom: (1993)

The Game That Made The FPS Popular

Doom is considered to be the father of the FPS genre. Every similar game released around the same time was compared to id Software's brainchild and given the moniker of "Doom clone," which included some well-known titles such as Duke Nukem 3D. Many of these clones utilized the Doom Engine, and because of the game's immense popularity in the 90s, many FPSs were inspired by elements in the title.

Although not the first FPS, Doom's sheer popularity convinced many that it was, as it dominated the gaming market despite its visceral gore. At the time, the quick, intense gameplay and sense of embodied movement, which became staples of the FPS genre, were rarely seen. This tight gameplay loop was enough to carry a franchise to endure to this day, with their latest release, DOOM Eternal, being a critical and commercial success.

8 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive: (2012)

PC's Biggest FPS

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, better known as CSGO, gripped the FPS player base back in 2012 and has yet to let go. Although simple, CSGO has made waves in the ESports scene thanks to its watchability. Its popularity was also helped by the introduction of skins. These skins alone can be worth hundreds of dollars, which has aided in keeping people hooked for well over a decade.

The gameplay of Valve's competitive shooter has aged remarkably well, helping it endure longer than any of its competitors. Even though titles like Valorant were released almost a decade later, they are still compared to CSGO, thanks to its satisfying gunplay. With the recent release of its sequel, Counter-Strike 2, Value continues the monumental legacy of the king of the FPS on PC, ensuring its continued success.

7 Overwatch: (2016)

Blizzard's GOTY

Overwatch made waves when it was released in 2016. Although Team Fortress 2 started the team-based hero shooter genre, Blizzard's entry brought it into the mainstream, so much so that it won Game of the Year and The Game Awards. With a colorful cast, a strong art style, and fun, fast-paced gameplay that gave those who didn't normally enjoy shooters the opportunity to get involved, it was no wonder it became so popular.

Many other hero shooters were released in the wake of Overwatch, yet none matched its popularity. It could be argued that Blizzard's FPS killed TF2, but there is no arguing that it had at least outshone it. With constant additions and updates during its first couple of years, Blizzard's gem wore the crown of the hero shooter and, despite the controversy Overwatch often finds itself in now, there was no denying its supremacy back in 2016.

6 Borderlands 2: (2012)

The King Of The Shooter Looter

The Borderlands series has always defined itself by four things: its humor, its cel-shaded art style, its many, many guns and its bombastic gameplay. Borderlands 2 has mastered all of this. Despite its predecessor being the first game in the series, Borderlands 2 drew eyes to the looter shooter genre in droves, winning several VGX awards (the precursor to the Game Awards).

With a strong script, loveable characters, brilliant voice performances and addictive gameplay, its no wonder that even its own sequels have struggled to match the quality of Borderlands 2. Its many Vault Hunters offer amazing replayability and the co-op functionality has aided in its image as an endlessly fun FPS. The vibrancy and charm of its world have stuck with players to this day, allowing for spin-offs like Tales from the Borderlands and DLC to keep the vault-hunting experience going.

5 GoldenEye 007: (1997)

The Greatest Movie Tie-in Game

Despite being a movie tie-in game, GoldenEye 007 is genuinely exceptional. It introduced concepts that became staples, like damage scaling depending on where an enemy was shot. It pioneered features such as stealth elements in an FPS, atmospheric single-player missions, and multiplayer death matches. The James Bond theme also aided in its popularity, given that the film franchise was firing on all cylinders in the 90s.

No FPS could compete with GoldenEye around its release, given all its innovations and its viability on home consoles, such as the N64, which introduced it to a whole new market. Whereas Doom was somewhat cartoonish in its violence, 007 introduced greater realism into the FPS genre. That was until the notorious cheats, which have become legendary since the game's release.

4 Perfect Dark: (2000)

GoldenEye's Spiritual Sequel

Being developed by the same studio as GoldenEye, Perfect Dark was Rare's opportunity to expand upon the innovations they made with their movie tie-in title, and it more than delivered. It has co-op, something rarely featured in FPS games around that time, and Rare continued to pioneer, adding the ability to shoot a weapon out of an enemy's hand. Much like their last title, Perfect Dark was far ahead of its time mechanically, providing a foundation that many FPS still use.

Outside of the combat, Perfect Dark added an HQ the player could explore between missions. This was used as a training area to improve a player's aim in lieu of a tutorial, making the learning of the game more hands-on and fun than other titles of the time. These skills could be tested in split-screen multiplayer modes, where PvP was introduced. Having so many features in a 2000s FPS title was unprecedented and is what makes Perfect Dark a cult classic.

3 Bioshock (2007)

Welcome To Rapture

When people think Bioshock, they think of Rapture. Of all the FPS titles to be released, very few have an atmosphere and setting as strong as 2K's subterranean shooter, combining the horror of an underwater city on the brink of collapse with the wonder of an Art Deco marvel. It is also aided by a brilliant story with diverging paths and a famous plot twist that is heralded as one of the best in gaming.

Bioshock's gameplay, although a little dated now, is deliberate and unique. The introduction of plasmids, granting the player elemental powers, was a fresh idea that set it apart from other FPS titles, which added even more variety to a myriad of different weapons that the player could use. Other similar titles, like We Happy Few and Atomic Heart, have yet to set the world alight as Bioshock had, and a remaster of the original game means that players can experience it all over again on newer consoles.

Although the series hasn't had a sequel since Bioshock: Infinite, the creator of the series is working on a spiritual sequel coming in 2024. It is titled Judas and is set to be released in 2025.

2 Quake (1996)

Where FPS Movement Began

Quake's status as a legend in the FPS genre is so profound that id Software named their yearly convention, Quakecon, after this title and that's for good reason. The movement of Quake was completely unique at the time, allowing for bunny hopping, jump strafing and rocket jumping. In a time period filled with "Doom clones", it's easy to see why id Software's title stood head and shoulders above the rest, innovating while others copied.

Their innovation came mainly on the multiplayer front. Quake was one of the first games to feature online multiplayer, making it more popular than it ever had been before. Without Quake and the features it introduced to the FPS genre, they would look very different today. It could be argued that all FPS titles released after id Software's shooter use its foundations, so its no wonder that none compete at the time.

1 Halo: Combat Evolved (2001)

The Standard For The FPS On Controller

Halo is quite simply iconic. It has been Xbox's flagship title for decades, and Master Chief, the face of the series, is one of gaming's most recognizable icons. From a gameplay standpoint, Halo standardized the controller layout of an FPS, which is still used in titles being released today, aiding the Xbox to become a juggernaut. The core gameplay was helped by the sheer variety of weapons that players could take online for competitive PvP.

Outside its influence on the FPS genre, Halo featured a well-written story, compelling characters and incredible graphics for the time. The world was intriguing and well-built, serving as a scaffolding for an entire franchise filled with games, books and adaptations. Now, very few would be unable to recognize the key characters of Halo, whether that be the stoic Master Chief or his AI companion, Cortana.