Best Shooter Games That Get Better As You Play

Summary

• Shooters have evolved throughout the years, with increasingly more unique concepts out there.
• Games like Returnal reward players who stick it out with exceptional gameplay and storytelling.
• TF2 offers depth through different classes, weapons, and gameplay mechanics, making it a compelling hero shooter.

Shooters are a staple in the video game world and have been since the earliest days of gaming. Over time, the genre has evolved in a whole manner of ways and directions, spawning different perspectives and environments and creating some of the best and most memorable experiences out there. There really seems to be no limit on the number of unique shooter games, and every year, there are plenty of standout hits that revolutionize the genre or excel at building on existing techniques and mechanics in new and exciting ways.

Sometimes, a game can be quite difficult to get into and start out rather slow, not showing too much off initially and potentially losing the player’s interest before the real fun has truly begun. There are plenty of examples like this where a game might have a fairly high barrier to entry or has an overwhelming amount of content that is difficult to absorb for new players and hence acts as a hurdle they must overcome that many choose to avoid. However, if they can stick it out, they will be rewarded with exceptional gameplay, storytelling, and satisfaction like no other and will quite quickly realize that the early game was just the starter and the main course was waiting to come out all this time.

8

Returnal

Bullet Hell Mayhem

Roguelikes and shooters have begun to cross paths more and more over the past few years, spawning some amazing games exactly like Returnal. Combining the fast bullet hell gameplay found in more simplistic titles with a graphically gorgeous world full of otherworldly beings to take down, the game has so much to offer right from the start, but things only get better with each upgrade and stage, giving the player something to look forward to after a death that is normally annoying and disappointing.

Similar to the learning elements found in a Soulslike game, Returnal really rewards players for understanding how certain enemies and bosses work, figuring out when to shoot and when to dodge, and exactly what each attack does in the long list of foes that the player encounters. The combat is fluid and addictive, and after getting the hang of shooting down the alien creatures that litter the stages, players find so much joy in traversing the map and uncovering the mysterious story that unfolds with each passing moment. It’s great for roguelike fans and even better for shooter lovers, getting better with each play session and continuing to impress at every step of the way.

7

Team Fortress 2

Unimaginable Depth

Class-based shooters are a mixed bag of successes and failures that date back to the dawn of multiplayer gaming, and there have been many attempts to create a compelling and immensely rewarding hero shooter by a countless number of devs and companies. But all the while, TF2 has sat on its throne as the king of them all, even without having a single major content update in many years. The barrier to entry is pretty low, as every class is available from the start and offers a distinctive role in the team environment, and the maps and modes are simplistic and easy to understand, letting players jump in with little to no trouble.

Where the fun really begins is with understanding the nuance and complexity that every single class offers, ranging from incredible movement tech to flashy attack patterns that can only be learned and used once the player has a good grasp of the fundamentals. A large part of this depth comes from the wide array of weapon choices available to the player, which are split into specific types but provide completely different play styles that keep adding depth and fun to the gameplay. A player picking up Soldier for the first time will enjoy spamming rockets at chokes and smacking people with a shovel, but they will soon realize the absurd number of gameplay mechanics and different approaches available like rocket jumping, Market Gardening, and more to keep them entertained and gripped long after they load up the game for the first time.

6

The Division 2

Tactical Intensity Like No Other

Tactical gameplay is often reserved for PvP titles like CS2, where the main interest in the gameplay comes from rewarding gunplay and strategically outsmarting the enemy players. But sometimes, that depth and mental aspect of the genre can actually translate pretty well into PvE worlds, and The Division 2 is the perfect example of that. Set in the US capital in the aftermath of a viral outbreak, players must traverse across the world in search of resources and individuals, fighting back against groups of scrappy enemies and leveling up their power with every mission and excursion into the city.

The combat feels amazing, far less run-and-gun-based than other shooter titles, and offers players the chance to play slower and think more about every engagement as a group or even solo. Some of the best content in the game sits in the late game, where players can venture out into Dark Zones full of high-value loot and enemies, as well as enemy players looking to steal that loot and take out anyone in their way. It is a great mix of extraction and tactical shooting, and the game just keeps getting better with better guns and better abilities, with a whole city to explore and uncover.

5

Doom Eternal

Demon Killing Goodness

Boomer shooters always deliver in satisfaction and brutality, letting the player bounce around the map at great speeds and annihilating anything in their path with a powerful set of weapons and abilities. Doom Eternal is the genre at its finest, incorporating all the gore and aggression of the previous entries in the series and cranking it up to 11, adding in a boatload of incredible and terrifying demons to take down and a long list of weapons that just keeps growing with every mission and play session.

Part of what keeps players coming back time after time is the fact that after each level, they will normally have access to a whole new way to play the game and the added variety from being able to swap between shotguns, snipers, pistols, and more keeps the game feeling fresh from start to finish. Every upgrade feels meaningful, and there is never a dull moment of downtime, aside from certain sections of traversal, which still feel gripping thanks to the fluid movement. The size and scale of the demons keep growing with every encounter, and by the end of the game, players will be eager for more and can hop into immensely entertaining multiplayer modes to keep the fun going against some fellow demon slayers.

4

Remnant 2

A Soulslike Shooter Unlike Any Other

Soulslikes have always been known for their rewarding gameplay and difficulty that really gives players a lot of agency over how they play the game and brings success to those who use their skills the best. In Remnant 2, the Soulslike elements are very much present, with tricky boss battles and dungeon-like exploration that feels as challenging as it does horrifying. With each adventure into a new world, the player gains access to a whole new set of abilities and weaponry that can completely change how the game feels and plays, and with several different classes to choose from and an abundant set of skills and upgrades to unlock, every moment makes the player excited for the next one and the game never slows down in its action and aggression.

Each world feels different, and the settings the game provides are completely different from one another, providing new challenges and hurdles that the player has to overcome and giving them plenty of opportunities to shoot, explode, and smash their way through the countless enemies however they choose. Weapon variety is immense, and the fact that each level is procedurally generated adds an extra level of replayability and an incentive to return to certain areas in search of better loot and more battles that keep the player hooked time and time again.

3

Escape From Tarkov

Extraction shooters have exploded in the past few years, and it isn’t hard to see why. Cross-map gunfights and tension that rises with every passing moment, there are few genres that capture the intensity and level of excitement as the extraction shooter. Escape from Tarkov stands apart from the rest by combining unforgiving realism with deeply layered systems that reward knowledge, patience, and precision. In an immensely realistic world, players must navigate complex environments while managing limited resources, complex weapon mechanics, and unpredictable enemy encounters against equally scared and ruthless players. Every raid is a high-stakes risk, with death meaning the permanent loss of all carried gear, adding a level of caution and care that is rarely found in other shooters.

The real strength of Tarkov lies in how mastery transforms the experience. The first hours may feel brutal, but persistence reveals an incredibly rewarding game loop that keeps on giving with every session. Becoming familiar the with weapon modding, ballistics, and scavenging routes immerses the player in the experience and changes how they play every run with the added knowledge from their previous failures. It is a brutal, uncompromising experience that rewards those willing to learn its systems and adapt, and it gets exponentially more engaging as that mastery develops, providing gameplay that feels closer to a real war zone than a video game.

2

Risk Of Rain 2

A Loop That Never Fails To Impress

With an original title that was a breakout success in the roguelike genre, Risk of Rain 2 builds on everything that made the first game amazing and brings that title over to a third-person shooter perspective that feels fluid and rewarding right from the start. Players load into a random world full of loot and enemies waiting to attack and have to use their character’s movement abilities and combat tools to survive and take down the stage boss before moving on to the next encounter. With each stage comes new items and combinations that can drastically alter the feel and gameplay, and with plenty of characters to unlock, there is no shortage of playstyles and weapon types to appeal to any and all players.

Where the game really shines is in the additional content found outside of the regular path. There are so many secret areas and tasks that can be completed, and while at first the player may struggle to make it all the way to the end, by learning and playing over and over, they will soon see the joy and satisfaction that comes from finally beating the final boss. The game has so many techniques and abilities that help with optimizing a run, and with experience comes the skills and knowledge to take down certain enemies in effective ways and the foresight to understand how the world is laid out and how best to build their character for the challenges that await them later on.

1

Destiny 2

Looter Shooter Perfection

Looter-shooters are notorious for being highly addicting and involve traversing through countless stages and areas before getting to the real nitty-gritty beyond the base game. Destiny 2 shows that the game doesn’t have to get boring once it’s done and also that if players are willing to put in the time, they will be rewarded with gameplay that is unmatched in its excitement, thrills, and excellency. Jumping into a mission with a group of friends and shooting through hordes of robotic enemies and aliens of all kinds, the gunplay is where the game really shines, and with some expertly crafted level design, every mission feels like a whole campaign in of itself.

And after leveling up enough and acquiring enough god-tier loot to take down entire galaxies, players can party up to take down the incredibly difficult raids that offer complex puzzles, coordination, and some of the best boss fights in all of gaming. The content train just keeps coming the more the player engages with the game, and it feels like the depth and complexity of the world and the characters just keep growing with every single session. The chapter may have closed the saga for now, but it is still an experience unlike any other that is well worth visiting and keeps impressing over and over long after the story begins.