Top 10 Most Popular Shooter Games to Play in 2025

The shooter game landscape in 2025 showcases unprecedented diversity, blending classic franchises with innovative newcomers across multiple platforms. From tactical multiplayer battles to immersive single-player campaigns, this year’s top shooters push boundaries with advanced AI, cross-platform play, and genre-defining mechanics. Whether you’re seeking competitive intensity, cooperative adventures, or narrative-driven experiences, 2025 delivers standout titles that redefine what shooter games can achieve. This guide highlights the most popular and critically acclaimed shooters, helping you navigate the year’s best releases and find games that match your preferred play style and platform.

Gaming Today News Picks

Gaming Today News evaluated 2025’s shooter landscape using rigorous criteria that prioritize gameplay innovation, active player communities, platform accessibility, technical excellence, and genre influence. Shooter games are action-centered video games where players use ranged weapons to defeat enemies or complete objectives, emphasizing accuracy, reflexes, and tactical thinking. Our selection process balanced community engagement metrics with critical reception, ensuring this list represents both commercially successful titles and those pushing creative boundaries.

The featured games span multiple subgenres—from fast-paced arena shooters to methodical tactical experiences—and include both AAA sequels and ambitious new intellectual properties. Each title demonstrates significant technical advancements in graphics, sound design, or gameplay systems while maintaining strong player retention across PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and, in select cases, Nintendo Switch. This mix of established franchises and fresh concepts reflects the shooter genre’s evolution, with several titles introducing mechanics that will likely influence future releases. For readers exploring platform-specific advantages, our list includes games optimized for various hardware configurations.

Doom: The Dark Ages

Doom: The Dark Ages represents id Software’s boldest evolution of the franchise, delivering a single-player first-person shooter that balances brutal, fast-paced combat with ambitious new gameplay systems. The game maintains the series’ signature visceral action while introducing medieval-inspired weaponry and environments that expand the Doom universe’s mythology. According to PC Gamer, the title features spectacular visual fidelity that leverages current-generation hardware capabilities, creating dynamic battlefields where environmental destruction enhances strategic options.

The most striking innovation involves mounted combat sequences, including rumored dragon-riding segments that add verticality and scale previously unseen in the franchise. These mechanics complement the ground-based “push forward” combat philosophy that rewards aggressive play, maintaining the rhythm that made recent Doom entries critically acclaimed. The game’s soundtrack continues the tradition of heavy metal-infused compositions that synchronize with on-screen carnage, creating an audiovisual experience that defines modern single-player shooters.

Doom: The Dark Ages launches across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, with optimizations for high refresh rate displays and ray-traced lighting. The game’s focus on solo campaign excellence positions it as essential for players seeking narrative-driven shooter experiences without multiplayer components, though its influence on competitive gaming strategies remains significant through its mechanical innovations.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 arrives in November 2025 as the franchise’s latest installment, continuing its dominance in the multiplayer shooter space while refining systems that have defined competitive gaming for nearly two decades. The game builds upon Black Ops series traditions with enhanced progression systems, refined gunplay mechanics, and technical upgrades that leverage current-generation console capabilities. According to PC Gamer, the title introduces improved AI systems that create more dynamic campaign encounters and adaptive multiplayer opponents.

The multiplayer suite expands with new game modes designed for both casual and competitive audiences, featuring refined matchmaking algorithms that better balance skill levels across diverse player populations. Movement mechanics receive subtle adjustments that maintain the series’ accessible feel while increasing the skill ceiling for dedicated players. The Zombies mode returns with expanded cooperative features and narrative connections to the main campaign, addressing fan requests for deeper lore integration.

Black Ops 7’s cross-platform functionality ensures unified player pools across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox ecosystems, reducing queue times and expanding competitive opportunities. The game’s seasonal content model promises regular updates with new maps, weapons, and cosmetics, maintaining player engagement beyond the initial launch window. For players interested in mastering competitive landscapes, Black Ops 7 offers ranked modes with transparent skill-rating systems and seasonal rewards.

Borderlands 4

Borderlands 4 expands the franchise’s signature blend of first-person shooting and action-RPG mechanics, introducing the new planet Kairos as a setting for cooperative mayhem and loot-driven progression. The game features four new vault hunters, each with distinct skill trees and playstyles that encourage team composition experimentation. According to PC Gamer, the title emphasizes increased mobility options, including enhanced movement abilities that make traversal and combat more dynamic than previous entries.

The cel-shaded visual style receives technical upgrades that enhance environmental detail while maintaining the series’ distinctive aesthetic. Weapon generation systems expand the already massive variety of guns, with new manufacturers and firing mechanics that create fresh gameplay possibilities. The humor and irreverent tone that define Borderlands remain intact, with writing that balances absurdist comedy against genuine character development and narrative stakes.

Cooperative play remains central to the Borderlands 4 experience, with scaling difficulty that adjusts to party size and composition. The game supports cross-platform play across PC and consoles, enabling friends to team up regardless of hardware preferences. For solo players, AI companions provide support during main story missions, though the full experience shines in multiplayer sessions where complementary vault hunter abilities create synergistic combat strategies. The loot system’s depth connects to broader resource management principles that reward strategic inventory decisions.

Battlefield 6

Battlefield 6 reclaims the franchise’s position as the premier large-scale tactical multiplayer shooter, delivering refined gunplay, improved class systems, and map design that encourages strategic teamwork. A tactical shooter emphasizes team coordination, strategic movement, and realistic weapon mechanics rather than pure reflex-based gameplay. According to TechRadar, the game features revamped class systems that better define player roles while maintaining flexibility in loadout customization.

The vehicle combat receives particular praise, with tank gameplay achieving a balance between power and vulnerability that creates meaningful tactical decisions. Maps span diverse environments and scales, from intimate urban battlefields to expansive rural theaters that accommodate 128-player matches on current-generation hardware. The destruction system expands upon previous entries, allowing players to reshape environments in ways that affect sightlines, cover availability, and movement routes throughout matches.

Battlefield 6 launched with mixed community reception regarding certain design choices, but post-launch support has addressed balance concerns and technical issues. The game’s commitment to seasonal content and live-service updates demonstrates publisher dedication to long-term player retention. Cross-play functionality unites PC and console communities, creating robust player populations across all modes. For those exploring competitive gaming approaches, Battlefield 6’s emphasis on map control and objective play offers deep strategic possibilities.

Half-Life: Alyx

Half-Life: Alyx stands as virtual reality’s most accomplished shooter experience, combining Valve’s legendary design philosophy with VR-exclusive mechanics that redefine immersion and interaction. The game requires VR hardware but rewards that investment with environmental storytelling, puzzle design, and combat encounters that leverage spatial awareness in ways impossible for traditional shooters. According to GamesRadar, Alyx delivers atmosphere and interactive storytelling that set benchmarks for the medium.

The narrative takes place between Half-Life and Half-Life 2, following Alyx Vance’s resistance efforts against the Combine occupation. Gameplay balances combat, exploration, and puzzle-solving, with weapon handling that emphasizes deliberate aiming and resource management. The gravity gloves introduce a signature mechanic for manipulating objects at distance, creating fluid interactions with the environment that feel natural in VR space.

Hardware requirements remain significant, demanding capable PCs and compatible VR headsets, but the game supports multiple platforms including Valve Index, Oculus Rift, and HTC Vive systems. For VR enthusiasts, Half-Life: Alyx represents essential gaming that demonstrates the technology’s potential beyond novelty experiences. The game’s influence extends to traditional shooter design, with its environmental interaction systems and spatial audio implementation inspiring developers across the industry. Players interested in emerging gaming technologies will find Alyx’s innovations particularly relevant.

Titanfall 3

Titanfall 3 returns to deliver the franchise’s signature blend of pilot mobility and mech combat, building upon mechanics that GamesRadar describes as standout achievements even a decade after the series’ debut. The game expands wall-running, double-jumping, and grappling hook systems that create three-dimensional battlefields where vertical movement equals horizontal positioning in tactical importance. Titan gameplay receives refinements that deepen the relationship between pilots and their mechanized suits, with new titan classes offering distinct playstyles and strategic roles.

The single-player campaign promises narrative depth that matches or exceeds Titanfall 2’s acclaimed story mode, which successfully balanced character development against spectacular set-piece moments. Multiplayer modes expand to include new objective-based formats alongside classic team deathmatch and attrition modes, with map design that accommodates both pilot-scale combat and titan engagements. The game’s movement system creates a skill ceiling that rewards practice while remaining accessible to newcomers through intelligent matchmaking.

Titanfall 3 launches across PC and current-generation consoles with cross-play support, ensuring healthy player populations across all platforms. The game’s fast-paced combat and mobility mechanics appeal to players seeking alternatives to slower tactical shooters, while the titan combat provides strategic depth that prevents matches from devolving into pure reflex contests. For those exploring unit composition strategies, Titanfall 3’s class systems offer valuable lessons in role specialization.

Gears of War: E-Day

Gears of War: E-Day returns the franchise to its roots with cover-based shooting mechanics that defined the subgenre, combining strategic positioning with cooperative gameplay and gritty storytelling. A cover-based shooter emphasizes strategic use of environmental cover as vital for survival and combat success, requiring players to move between positions while suppressing enemies. The game explores Emergence Day, the catastrophic event when Locust forces first attacked humanity, providing narrative context for longtime fans while serving as an accessible entry point for newcomers.

The cover system receives mechanical refinements that smooth transitions between positions while maintaining the deliberate pacing that distinguishes Gears from faster shooters. Cooperative features expand with improved AI partner behavior for solo players and enhanced coordination mechanics for multiplayer campaigns. The signature chainsaw bayonet returns alongside new weapons that expand tactical options without diluting the franchise’s focus on weighty, impactful gunplay.

Visual presentation leverages Unreal Engine 5 capabilities, delivering detailed character models and environmental destruction that enhance both immersion and gameplay readability. The game’s emphasis on cooperative play makes it ideal for friends seeking shared campaign experiences, with difficulty scaling that challenges coordinated teams while remaining approachable for casual sessions. Gears of War: E-Day launches on Xbox Series X|S and PC with cross-platform support, ensuring unified player pools for both campaign and competitive multiplayer modes.

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater reimagines the beloved 2004 classic with modern graphics, refined mechanics, and quality-of-life improvements that preserve the original’s tactical depth while enhancing accessibility. According to Ranker, the remake maintains the hybrid gameplay that balances stealth infiltration with tactical shooting, allowing players to approach situations with violence or subterfuge based on preference and circumstance.

The Cold War-era narrative follows Naked Snake’s mission into Soviet territory, delivering cinematic storytelling that blends espionage thriller elements with philosophical themes about loyalty, warfare, and legacy. Gameplay systems receive modernization without sacrificing the original’s identity, with updated controls that accommodate contemporary expectations while preserving mechanics like camouflage management, CQC combat, and survival elements that defined the original experience.

The remake’s technical enhancements extend beyond visual fidelity to include improved enemy AI that creates more dynamic stealth scenarios and combat encounters. Boss battles retain their memorable designs while incorporating mechanical refinements that reduce frustration without eliminating challenge. For players new to the Metal Gear series, Delta serves as an ideal introduction, while veterans appreciate the faithful recreation of locations, story beats, and gameplay moments that made Snake Eater a landmark title. The game launches on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, bringing this classic to modern platforms.

Judas

Judas represents an ambitious new intellectual property from Ghost Story Games, the studio founded by BioShock creator Ken Levine, promising narrative-driven first-person shooting that blends action with choice-driven storytelling. The game’s pedigree establishes immediate credibility among players seeking shooters that prioritize story and world-building alongside mechanical excellence. According to Ranker, Judas features innovative design approaches that distinguish it from conventional shooters through unusual gameplay mechanics and genre-blending elements.

The narrative explores themes of identity, betrayal, and redemption aboard a massive starship, with environmental storytelling and character interactions that create moral complexity beyond simple good-versus-evil frameworks. Gameplay reportedly combines first-person combat with immersive sim elements, allowing players to approach objectives through multiple paths and methods. The game’s systems encourage experimentation with abilities, weapons, and environmental manipulation, creating emergent gameplay moments where player creativity determines outcomes.

Technical presentation emphasizes atmospheric lighting, detailed environments, and facial animation that support the narrative’s emotional stakes. While specific mechanical details remain limited ahead of release, early previews suggest combat that balances accessibility with depth, appealing to both action-focused players and those prioritizing story exploration. Judas launches on PC and current-generation consoles, with performance optimizations that maintain visual fidelity across platforms. The game’s focus on strategic decision-making extends beyond combat into narrative choices that shape story outcomes.

Arc Raiders

Arc Raiders occupies a unique position as a cooperative third-person shooter that emphasizes teamwork and PvE gameplay against robotic enemies in a post-apocalyptic setting. While not strictly a first-person shooter, according to PC Gamer, the game attracts shooter audiences through its combat mechanics, cooperative focus, and innovative approaches to enemy design and encounter structure. The game’s emphasis on squad-based tactics and resource management creates strategic depth that appeals beyond traditional shooter demographics.

Gameplay revolves around scavenging resources, completing objectives, and surviving against mechanical threats that adapt to player strategies. The cooperative systems encourage role specialization within teams, with character abilities and loadouts that complement each other when coordinated effectively. The persistent progression system rewards continued play with new equipment and abilities, creating long-term engagement hooks beyond individual session outcomes.

Arc Raiders’ setting and aesthetic distinguish it from military shooters and sci-fi epics, offering a grounded post-apocalyptic vision where humanity struggles against automated systems rather than alien invaders or human armies. The game supports cross-platform play across PC and consoles, with matchmaking systems designed to unite players regardless of hardware. For audiences seeking cooperative experiences that blend action with tactical planning, Arc Raiders provides an alternative to competitive multiplayer shooters while maintaining mechanical depth that rewards skill development and team coordination.

Frequently Asked Questions

What platforms are the top shooter games available on in 2025?

Most top shooter games in 2025 release across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, with cross-platform play increasingly standard for multiplayer titles.

Which shooter games offer the best multiplayer experience?

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Battlefield 6, and Titanfall 3 deliver exceptional competitive multiplayer with active communities, regular content updates, and refined matchmaking systems.

What new features and innovations are featured in 2025 shooters?

Advanced AI systems, expanded movement mechanics, cross-play support, and immersive story-driven campaigns distinguish 2025’s shooter releases from previous years.

How do I choose the best shooter game for my play style?

Consider whether you prefer competitive multiplayer, solo campaigns, tactical teamwork, or cooperative PvE experiences when selecting from 2025’s diverse shooter offerings.

Are there any shooter games supporting cross-play in 2025?

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Battlefield 6, Borderlands 4, Titanfall 3, and Arc Raiders all feature cross-platform play, uniting players across PC and console ecosystems.