Too many great games exist. If somebody spends every waking minute of their life playing video games, they might experience about 15% of the worthwhile projects released over the decades, and that’s an optimistic figure. Simply put, everyone misses out on a couple of masterpieces that fly under their radar or get buried in their endless backlog. Don’t let these brilliant FPS games be among them.
Especially on PC, first-person shooters are so plentiful that only a couple of titles per year manage to stick their heads out of the crowd to announce their presence. A couple of classics aside, older mid-tier titles quickly become forgotten, replaced by the latest hotness that will eventually suffer the same fate. As somebody with a soft spot for AA releases, I love revisiting forgotten gems from the late 2000s, and FPS games from that era have aged better than most other genres. Love a good shooter? Play these games.
I want to cover an assortment of reasons why a game might be overlooked nowadays. Mainly, they fall into three categories:
No One Lives Forever Games
The Curse Of Publisher Hell
Let’s get the most famous delisted FPS games out of the way immediately. Frankly, it genuinely feels criminal that The Operative: No One Lives Forever and its sequel, No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.’s Way, have now been delisted for longer than when they were available to buy. Stuck terminally in ownership limbo, this franchise supposedly belongs to multiple publishers, none of which seem capable of definitively proving their case.
Big FPS Game Franchises That Are Officially Done
There was a time when the FPS reigned supreme and these franchises were at the top of the world, but today, they’re all but dead and buried.
Consequently, two of the greatest FPS titles of the 2000s are basically wiped out of existence except for some PS2 physical copies (the sequel never even got a console release). Even worse, this legal nonsense essentially retired Cate Archer, a character who seemed poised to stand alongside Lara Croft and Samus as one of gaming’s best female protagonists. Although somewhat dated by today’s standards, both games have not lost an ounce of charm, and they are still 100% worth playing.
Black
Absurdly Impressive For A PS2 And Xbox FPS Game
Black
- Released
-
February 28, 2006
You needed to be there, man. When viewed through a 2026 lens, Black cannot be fully appreciated since its strongest selling points – incredible graphics and destructible environments – are not as impressive as they were in 2006. Even back then, Criterion’s game flew under the radar, a consequence of being exclusive to hardware on the verge of becoming obsolete. It also offered no multiplayer and a single-player campaign that lasted maybe 6 hours.
However, make no mistake about it, Black was and still is absolutely jaw-dropping when played on its intended hardware (or through other means… not that I know anything about that). Frankly, the Xbox and especially the PS2 should not be able to run this type of video game blockbuster, particularly one that lets players destroy the entire environment well before Battlefield adopted that concept. Non-stop action from start to finish, Black might not last for a long time, but it makes every single second feel like a set piece.
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Pick two spots to swap before locking in your final ranking.
Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway
A WW2 Masterpiece
Over the last decade, we received one Brothers in Arms game: A pinball spin-off. That’s just depressing.
A couple of decent mobile titles aside, 2008’s Hell’s Highway is the last true entry in the series, and that might continue to be the case for a long time to come since we haven’t heard anything about a proper new game in the last 5 years. The three main games – Road to Hill 30, Earned in Blood, and Hell’s Highway – combine to create a legendary WW2 trilogy that can stand alongside Medal of Honor at its best.
You should play all three games, but Hell’s Highway is the most enjoyable in 2026, and its sim-style approach sets it apart from most modern shooters. Rather than Rambo, players step into the role of a squad leader who relies on authentic military tactics to survive; a run-and-gun approach will just get you killed. Touching upon themes of PTSD and survivor’s guilt, the story hits hard and features some of the best character writing of its era.
All Brothers in Arms main games are readily available on Steam, making them easy to pick up and play.
Singularity
The FPS Miracle
When a publisher delists a game, a reversal basically never happens. Well, apparently, miracles are real, as Singularity went to hell and came back again. Although garnering a positive reception, Singularity never quite became a cult classic on the same level as Bulletstorm or Syndicate, despite arguably being better than both of them. Seriously, Singularity only has 3000 English reviews on Steam. It came out in 2010.
10 Best Linear FPS Games For Players Exhausted Of Open-Worlds
If another open-world game sounds like an exhausting proposal, these linear FPS campaigns are short, sweet, and immensely satisfying.
Coming out at a time when FPS mechanics were already codified, the game controls incredibly well and still feels awesome to play. More importantly, its main gimmick, time manipulation, continues to set it apart from the crowd, especially when it comes to triple-A shooters. Using the TMD device, you can cause a Soviet soldier to age decades or freeze bullets in midair. Just a great concept executed well.
Resistance 3
The Forgotten PS3 Blockbuster
As an IP, Resistance isn’t necessarily slept on, but Fall of Man seems to hog most of the retrospective love. Rightfully so, as Insomniac put together one of the best shooters of the PS3 generation. The sequel offered more of the same but slightly worse, and it launched into a far more competitive scene. By the time of Resistance 3, it was obvious that the franchise would not be replicating or replacing Halo anytime soon, a perspective that proved true when Sony hit the brakes after 2012.
Unlike its predecessor, Resistance 3 attempted to evolve the series from a military epic to a gritty road-trip shooter, moving it away from Halo‘s blueprint. At times, it kind of feels like a first-person The Last of Us, as you travel through post-apocalyptic America on a desperate last-gasp mission to change humanity’s fate. Although not quite horror, the atmospheric levels are downright haunting at times, and the game relies far more on awesome set pieces.
PS Plus Premium has Resistance 3, if you don’t mind streaming.
Aliens vs. Predator (2010)
Three For The Price Of One
“Overlooked” might be a bit of a stretch, but 2010 Aliens vs. Predator exists in the shadow of the 1999 release, one of the greatest licensed games of all time. As Rebellion Developments handled both projects, the 2010 title very much feels like an updated version of its ancestor, even going as far as to incorporate three campaigns that let you play as either a Marine, Predator, or Xenomorph. Although not quite as groundbreaking as its spiritual predecessor, Aliens vs. Predator is phenomenal, essentially offering a three-in-one epic that comes together pretty seamlessly at times.
- The Marine campaign is a pure horror shooter.
- The Predator campaign leans into stealth action.
- The Alien campaign focuses way more on fast-paced movement.
The game captures the cinematic tone of both franchises flawlessly. It doesn’t shy away from the jaw-ripping, chest-bursting, spine-pulling violence the movies are known for. Even if the controls can be a touch finicky at times, Aliens vs. Predator succeeds at making you feel like its iconic monsters.
Aliens vs. Predator is still easy to buy on Steam.
Legendary
Look, I Just Like It
Here it is: The “bad” game. Legendary has a 47 on Metacritic and a 56% on Steam. All evidence suggests an underwhelming shooter that should be left in 2008. A few months ago, I went through a phase of playing just maligned games from the late 2000s, with Legendary being one of them. I went in fully prepared to drop the game if I couldn’t find any joy. Instead, I played it non-stop for about 6 hours, completing it in a single day.
Legendary is the definition of “dumb fun,” and it is basically a B-movie schlock fest with the presentation of a triple-A shooter. After Pandora’s Box opens, the world becomes overrun with mythological monsters, including a skyscraper-sized entity that makes the opening segment chaotic AND epic. Except for maybe including a bit too many werewolves, the roster of monsters is more than varied and creative enough to keep the campaign feeling fresh throughout. Although not amazing, the gunplay feels fine, and it shouldn’t be hard to pick up and play nowadays.
We just don’t really get games like Legendary anymore; you know, mid-budget single-player releases that swing for the fences. Is it really a masterpiece? Probably not, but it almost lives up to its name.
If you are like me and have been hoarding bundles for about 15 years, you might already own a copy of Legendary. If not, it is available on Steam and occasionally goes on sale for less than $1.
Best FPS Game From Every Year In The 2000s And Their 2026 Spiritual Successors
The 2000s are considered by many to be the peak era of the FPS, with these classic games representing the best of each year in the decade.
