Gamereactor's Gamer Guides: Essential Shooter

The shooter genre has grown to become one of the gaming world's most popular, with countless major franchises often coining and being icons recognised in all avenues of entertainment. Whether it's Call of Duty, Battlefield, Halo, Doom, Quake, Counter-Strike, the list goes on. I've picked five games that highlight the best of the shooter scene, with each picked with their current accessibility and overall brilliance in mind.

Don't miss:

• Essential Action


• Essential Adventure


• Essential Platform


• Essential RPG


• Essential Sports


• Essential Puzzle


• Essential Fighting


• Essential Racing

5. Superhot

In a world dominated by arena shooters and fast-paced multiplayer offerings, Superhot is the flashy and truly standout alternative. This game is all about completing a level without being hit. It's a bullet hell where you have to physically avoid slow incoming rounds, all while acquiring weapons to fight back and eliminate threats in a seamless and truly sleek fashion that effortlessly makes the player feel like a modern action movie star. This is one of the greatest examples of FPS gameplay, and it's also the epitome of what virtual reality can and should be when played using that format too.

4. Doom Eternal

To be frank, you could easily stick either Doom (2016) or Doom Eternal on this list and they'd fit right in. The folk over at id Software have been shooter masters for decades and Doom Eternal is just the latest chapter in that story. It's hardcore and action-packed, hugely entertaining, challenging, violent, and thrilling. It's everything you want from an FPS experience and once again proves that id - whether they're working on Doom, Quake, Rage, or even Wolfenstein back in the day - are one of the best in the business.

3. Halo: The Master Chief Collection

It says a lot about the state of Halo as a franchise that The Master Chief Collection makes this list over Infinite, but that's actually for a few reasons. Firstly, this is a behemoth of a video game that will entertain for hours and hours, and secondly it's because its contents are the best that Halo has ever delivered. Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Reach, these are all iconic games that cemented Bungie as one of the greats all before it left the sci-fi series and turned its efforts to Destiny. There's no better way to enjoy Halo.

2. GoldenEye 007

The recent re-release is the reason GoldenEye 007 makes this list. One of the most iconic shooters of all-time, not just for its brilliance and excellent mechanics, but because of the sweeping impact it had on the shooter space in the console department for the years to follow. Friendships were forged and shattered in this game, and all during a time period where online gaming was but a dream. Perfect Dark may have beat it when it comes to refined technicalities, but GoldenEye 007 remains a shining example of shooters at their best.

Honourable mention: Borderlands 2

Perhaps this is my undying love for Gearbox's sequel that has caused me to slot it in here as an honourable mention, but regardless of whether that's the case or not, you cannot deny that Borderlands 2 is one of the finest shooters ever, and arguably the best looter-shooter of all-time. It's hilarious, effortlessly fun, complex and deep, supported with a massive slate of content, and perfect for solo players and groups of friends alike. It's still the pinnacle of the Borderlands series.

Disclaimer: While there have been great Call of Duty titles, as it's an annual franchise I have chosen to avoid selecting games in the series in favour of selecting more timeless alternatives.

Likewise, while Destiny 2 is a fine example of a great shooter, the live aspect and the many years of content that has been and passed means I have decided to avoid that game here too in favour of projects that you can still experience in their entirety.

1. Counter-Strike 2

You couldn't have a shooter list without mentioning what is arguably the king of the genre. The finest example of a competitive shooter title, Valve's Counter-Strike 2 continues to impress as the gold standard of the shooter genre. If anything, this praise is more directed at Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, but that game was phased out in favour of CS2 recently, which is why the pure sequel gets the spot instead. Either way, for a free game, you won't find many better options today.