We all know Call of Duty, Halo, and Half-Life, and most of us know Trepang2, Ultrakill, and Titanfall 2. Sadly, not every FPS game becomes a juggernaut or achieves borderline-mainstream cult status, particularly among modern releases. Nowadays, most first-person shooters are relatively small, with only a couple of annual titles attracting major attention.
If you want to play the best FPS games of the last few years, you need to look beyond the franchises and towards the independent scene. There, you will find shooters that play flawlessly, take risks, have personality, and look even more stylish than AAA games. Let’s get shooting.
To qualify, a game cannot have more than 5K English reviews on Steam. That might sound like a lot, but Trepang2 is at 11K, DUSK has nearly 17K, and ULTRAKILL is just shy of 150K.
Severed Steel Turns You Into John Wick And Max Payne
A Shooter Oozing In Style And Slo-mo
- Stunt shooter with short-burst levels and no weapon loading.
- Regularly goes on sale for less than $3.
- It is quite challenging, especially on consoles with a controller.
Greylock Studio might be the most underappreciated FPS studio of the last decade. Severed Steel and Echo Point Nova comfortably rank among the best shooters of the 2020s, and they manage to scratch the same itch while still offering different experiences. If you want a sandbox-style shooter, go with Echo Point Nova; if you prefer a linear level-based FPS game, Severed Steel will become one of your favorites.
In this 2021 game, movement is everything. Levels are short, packed with enemies, destructible environments, and designed to accommodate stunts. Severed Steel casts you as a one-armed protagonist who cannot reload, which is perfectly fine as you will be constantly pulling off kills and picking up weapons. More importantly, players do all this while pulling slides, wall-runs, and dives in slow-motion, and you are invulnerable while performing stunts (and extremely vulnerable at every other moment).
Although you have additional modes that are worth playing, the campaign only lasts a couple of hours and never stumbles.
Selaco Is The New F.E.A.R.
An Intense FPS Game With Tactical Gunfights
- Early Access game, but episode 1 is already about 10 hours of content. Chapter 2 is approaching, too.
- Spiritual successor to F.E.A.R.
- GZDoom engine.
Trepang2 is the most famous modern successor to F.E.A.R, but Selaco might challenge that once it’s available in its entirety. Unlike the fast-paced, frantic shooters that dominate the modern FPS scene, Altered Orbit’s game emphasizes heavier, methodical gunplay, where intelligent play beats perfect reflexes. Despite being built on the classic DOOM engine, Selaco looks fantastic, especially if you have a fondness for 2000s sci-fi shooters (like I do).
While the sci-fi setting might not scream “F.E.A.R.,” the real inspiration comes from the aggressive squad AI, which might be among the smartest in modern gaming. Enemies flank, flush you out, destroy environments, and coordinate suppressive fire, turning each encounter into an intense tactical battle. You are forced to make the most of your punchy weapons and available cover, but you will never feel too comfortable.
Turbo Overkill Lives Up To Its Name
A Cyberpunk FPS Game That Makes You Feel Powerful
- You have a chainsaw leg.
- Movement-centric progression.
- Regularly goes on sale for less than $7.
Another movement shooter, Turbo Overkill is on the cusp of being a modern staple of the genre, but it doesn’t quite hold the same name value as DUSK or Trepang2. In a sea of boomer shooters, Turbo Overkill distinguishes itself by emphasizing movement tech and absurdity above bigger guns (although the guns are pretty good too!). You start wall-running and sliding all over the place, and then progress to grappling hooks, air-dashes, and rides on flying hovercars.
With a cyberpunk setting and an impressive sense of scale, Turbo Overkill blends modern DOOM with Blade Runner, including chainsaw legs and arms that drench neon lights in blood. Besides a solid arsenal of weapons that emphasizes alternative fire modes, players also unlock an array of augments that let them truly become the killer of their dreams.
At about 10 hours, Turbo Overkill is fairly long for a shooter, but the constant sense of progression helps keep things interesting throughout the three episodes.
Mullet Madjack Is One Heck Of An Adrenaline Shot
The Definition Of A Relentless FPS Game
- Awesome cel-shaded visuals.
- Nonstop action.
- Goes on sale for less than $12.
- Available on Game Pass.
Mullet Madjack has the perfect hook: You only have 10 seconds to live. To extend that time, you need to kill, execute, and destroy, while speedrunning your way through a level that might last 30 seconds. This premise and a combo meter inject an arcade-style feel to the gameplay, where hesitation means death and style means points. I know roguelites are oversaturated nowadays, but Mullet Madjack makes this structure work well, and it’s all tied through a silly but charming storyline.
While the gunplay feels extraordinary, the FPS game extends the player’s arsenal well beyond bullets. You kick robots into vending machines, throw enemies through windows, and slide all over the place, creating a symphony of chaos that allows for no dull moments. Roguelites can overstay their welcome, but Mullet Madjack should be easy to complete within a couple of hours, and it will leave you wanting more (which you can get through a few other modes).
Fashion Police Squad Is A Different Type Of FPS Game
Make The World Look Good While You Look Great
- Lighthearted, hilarious tone.
- Nice pixel aesthetic.
- Regularly goes on sale for less than $5.
Hey, nobody said an FPS game needs to be a bloody gore fest set in a grim cyberpunk hellscape. Fashion Police Squad is all about style, and I don’t mean action. You go around fixing baggy suits, adding color to dull outfits, and shrinking oversized clothes. The premise is unapologetically silly, and it works because the game commits completely to the concept.
Although quick reflexes matter, Fashion Police Squad moves at a slower pace than all the other shooters in this article, and most situations are almost like puzzles rather than just standard gunfights. You need to constantly swap weapons that match an enemy’s needs, and you also get to play with a fun grappling mechanic called the Belt of Justice. At about 6 hours, Fashion Police Squad hits the mark from beginning to end.
