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The Best Shooter Games Of 2024 According To Metacritic
Throughout the year, we've seen fascinating games that put novel twists on genres, but sometimes, you just want to sit back and enjoy some action. Shooters remain a popular choice for blowing off some steam, and in 2024, we got a healthy mix of new first- and third-person shooter games entering the scene.
According to GameSpot sister site Metacritic, new IPs were plentiful in this genre. Sure, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 was a shoe-in, but according to the list below, we also got brand-new titles like I Am Your Beast, Anger Foot, and Children of the Sun to introduce some gung-go gunplay to their audiences. We've gathered up all of the best-reviewed games that feature shooting as a key mechanic (as of December 5) and listed them below, and you can scroll down to see which games filled that primal urge to go loud in these action-packed adventures.
More Best Of 2024:
- Our Favorite Games That Didn't Make The Top 10
- Best PS5-Exclusive Games Of 2024
- Best Switch-Exclusive Games Of 2024
- Best PC-Exclusive Games Of 2024
- Best Xbox Games Of 2024
- Best-Reviewed Games Of 2024
- Best Of 2024 hub
Kill Knight
Kill Knight is one of the purest action games of the year, an old-school journey into hell that is unrelenting and incredibly challenging to play. Its core gameplay loop isn't for the faint of heart as it seldom takes its foot off the gas pedal, throwing hordes of demons at you in your quest to reduce the underworld population to single-digit numbers. With its Brutalist art style, pulse-pounding soundtrack, and an arsenal of weapons that adds to its replayability, you can bank on having a hell of a good time.
Destiny 2: The Final Shape
The culmination of a decade's worth of storytelling, fine-tuning, and experimentation, Destiny 2: The Final Shape made players feel like apex predators as they brought the Light and Darkness Saga to a close. Mechanically, Destiny 2 has never felt better as its slick gunplay was enhanced by a suite of new powers and abilities that turned players into sci-fi gunslingers who could topple would-be gods. It's that marriage of traditional first-person action with a polished power fantasy, challenging showdowns, and some of the best weapons around that made for a fitting finale to one of gaming's longest-running storylines.
Metascore: 89 | Read our Destiny 2: The Final Shape review
Mullet Madjack
A gauntlet of corridor shootouts, robotic overlords leeching dopamine from a captive audience, and a countdown to carnage makes for a memorable blast of fun in Mullet Madjack. The kind of game that's at its best when you soak up its stylish and dystopian destruction in short bursts, Mullet Madjack keeps you on your toes with its premise of only having a few seconds to live between kills and its satirical take on streamer culture.
Minishoot Adventures
What happens when you mix the 360-degree firepower of Geometry Wars with Zelda-like exploration? You get Minishoot Adventures, a charming adventure that feels consistently satisfying to play. It's not a complex game, but there's beauty in simplicity with this twin-stick shooter, elements that feel amplified by its polished gameplay, and fast-paced action.
Forgive Me Father 2
Like the best boomer-shooters, Forgive Me Father 2 offers everything that fans expect from this growing genre: hordes of enemies to mow down with brutally satisfying gunplay, a relentless pace that'll leave your armpits soaked with concentration-perspiration, and challenging foes that'll require you to evolve your tactics. A Lovecraftian horror experience brought to life with a beautifully illustrated sense of style, it's also got one of the best soundtracks of the year that you can headbang to while you take on Cthulu's minions.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Call of Duty's gunplay evolved this year, as the new omnimovement system gave every player the potential to unleash their inner John Wick. Combined with a single-player campaign that channels Cold War-era energy into an action-flick experience, a multiplayer mode that makes the usual refinements, and a Zombies campaign that feels more exciting than ever, and there's enough gung-ho content here to keep you entertained for hours on end.
Metascore: 83: Read our Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 campaign, multiplayer, and Zombies reviews.
V Rising
There's a caveat here with V Rising, as the open-world vampire game doesn't explicitly focus on shooting. Instead, it's an option that you can choose to invest in, a possible path that is surprisingly fun if you choose it, making the survival-focused gameplay feel great as you specialize in long-distance offense. The rest of the game is bloody good as well, especially if you're looking to become a vampire lord of legend now that V Rising is out of early access.
Sorry We're Closed
Sorry We're Closed has solid arcade-influenced shooting, but the main draw with this adventure is its story. It has a delightfully nostalgic aesthetic that harkens back to PlayStation-era survival-horror games, a fascinating storyline with multiple entries, and unsettling monsters to try out some cool demonic weapons on.
Helldivers 2
Imagine Starship Troopers meets Warhammer 40K, and you'd have a pretty good idea of what to expect from Helldivers 2. One of the biggest surprises of 2024, Helldivers 2 has been an adrenaline rush of chaotic co-op fun and gung-ho action. Best experienced with friends, the Arrowhead-developed game has been praised for its consistent cadence of content and over-the-top firepower that turns every battle into a highlight reel of memes and explosions.
Metascore: 82 | Read our Helldivers 2 review
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
From the opening level, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 lets you know exactly what you've signed up for: unrelenting and brutally satisfying action featuring the burliest of Ultramarines as they send heretical scum back to the foul warp that spawned them. It's a game that doesn't try to rewrite the grimdark book on action, instead focusing on what made the original Space Marine game so beloved in the first place. Not only does it nail the fundamentals of in-your-face action and enhance it with some delicious ultraviolence and indulgent finishers, but it looks amazing and feels consistently satisfying to play across its meaty campaign.
Metascore: 82 | Read our Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 review
Robobeat
We've seen quite a few games mix bullets and beats, and this little gem is a fine example of EDM: electronic dance murder. A killer soundtrack coupled with a rich variety of guns and a core gameplay loop that offers solid gunplay makes Robobeat a rhythmic thrill, although the game can be unforgiving until you find your groove.
Children of the Sun
The best sniper games build up to the moment where you squeeze a trigger and deposit a bullet into a poor sap's cranium, but Children of the Sun takes that idea further by turning that pivotal moment into a violent puzzle game. It's a stylish puzzle-shooter that shoots to thrill with its supernatural themes and digestible runtime.
Metascore: 81 | Read our Children of the Sun review
Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2
It turns out that Helldivers 2 isn't the only game with solid gameplay and legions of insect-themed enemies to use for target practice, as Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2 is a fun--and weird--new entry in the series. The spin-off is EDF at a more approachable level, while also reveling in its absurd premise by giving you strange characters to play as, a bug-filled toybox to play in, and plenty of cool weapons to keep things entertaining.
Deadlink
The roguelike and first-person shooter genres aren't strangers to each other, and while we've seen a fair number of fusions between these two over the years, Deadlink puts a clever spin on this formula. While it nails the roguelike fundamentals within its FPS design, the emphasis on player skill within meat-grinder levels and harmonizing that frantic action with special skills that complement the Doom-inspired gunplay makes for a thrilling game.
Zero Sievert
Another novel fusion of genres, Zero Sievert blends the sweat-inducing tension of an extraction shooter with roguelike themes and a top-down perspective. Death is a constant companion in this game as you attempt to complete quests and make it home with some sweet loot, and don't be too surprised if this humble-looking indie game keeps you awake until the early hours of the morning thanks to its engaging and deep design.
Vertigo 2
The PlayStation VR 2 library has been steadily increasing with quality first-person shooters lately, and you can add Vertigo 2 to that list. It's surprisingly big, the gunplay feels fulfilling, and it has a wonderfully cheeky sense of humor. Throw in secret-filled levels that you'll want to revisit so that you can sharpen your skills, and you've got a terrific VR game to spend a few afternoons with.
I Am Your Beast
Speed, reflexes, and on-the-fly improvisation are the highlights of I Am Your Beast, a fast-paced revenge-thriller from the makers of El Paso, Nowhere. The cel-shaded action game is delightfully violent, giving players well-crafted gauntlets to work their merciless magic through. Powered by one of the best soundtracks of the year, it's a short and rewarding game to spend an afternoon with.
MechWarrior 5: Clans
Not to be confused with the other MechWarrior 5 game that released several years ago, MechWarrior 5: Clans is a nostalgic back-to-basics return for the series. There's a strong single-player campaign on offer, hulking mechs to master, and a vast selection of customization options that you can easily spend hours playing around with in this new highpoint for the franchise.
Anger Foot
Violently putting a boot to the ass of crime, Anger Foot doesn't mess around as it throws you into a world of cartoonish carnage. Essentially the danger of Hotline Miami mixed with the exhilarating speed and first-person perspective of Neon White, Anger Foot is brutally challenging but also incredibly satisfying when you nail a perfect run through its well-constructed levels. With a solid grasp of the fundamentals and a chunky arsenal of weapons to master, you'll get a kick out of this game.
Megaton Musashi W: Wired
Mechwarrior 5: Clans isn't the only shooter game featuring mechs, as Megaton Musashi W: Wired is another dive into giant robot fun. The difference here? An anime-inspired approach, full of flashy attacks, imaginative mecha designs, and big boss fights. Throw in a few guest appearances from classic mecha anime like Mazinger Z, Getter Robo, Combattler V, and Voltes V, and you've got a stylish action game to enjoy.
Splatoon 3: Side Order
A massive departure from Splatoon 3's PvP-focused fun, Side Order is an experimental detour into roguelike territory for the series. While there's room for improvement, this single-player DLC is still a ton of fun thanks to its imaginative new enemy designs and exciting abilities as you work to bring color back to the Splatlands.
Metascore: 78 | Read our Splatoon 3 review
Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster
A long, long time ago, Star Wars: Dark Forces was all the rage thanks to its Doom-inspired gunplay and an original story that took you behind the scenes of the Original Trilogy. Nightdive has done a fine job in giving this 1995 classic the glow-up it deserves and working in multiple nuanced tweaks under the hood of this aging shooter, while also adding revamped cutscenes and plenty of extra content to resurrect this classic Star Wars game for new audiences.
Arizona Sunshine Remake
The original Arizona Sunshine was a very good excuse to invest in a virtual-reality headset almost a decade ago, and this remake is a reminder of just how magical the original zombie-shooting experience was. You've got the original game, enhanced by all the improvements of its sequel and finished off with a combo of grotesquely gorgeous graphics and several gameplay updates, making one of the best VR games around even better.
Redacted
Opinions might vary on whether or not The Callisto Protocol managed to recapture the essence of Dead Space when it was first released, but that game did manage to create a fascinating new galaxy of terror to explore. Redacted also does just that, as developer Striking Distance Studios puts a fresh new spin on the IP with a twin-stick shooter that takes a lot of inspiration from Supergiant's roguelike masterpiece Hades. The end result is a colorful and challenging game, full of gruesome enemies, intense action, and several interesting twists on the roguelike formula.
Metascore: 77 | Read our Redacted review
