We’re a generation that grew up in the Counter-Strike 1.6 era. This game was so influential that it created an entire genre out of itself. The competitive shooter genre has always kept gamers engaged, whether with their tactical gameplay or team coordination. So, we decided to put together a list of the best competitive FPS games that you could play right now!

Apex Legends

Apex Legends is a battle royale game by the developers of Titanfall. Heck, the game is even based in the same universe as Titanfall. Apex brings a twist to the battle royale format by making itself a hero shooter. This means that Apex has a large cast of characters to choose from. Which character suits you is for you to figure out, play the hit and run the game as the Wraith or chase your enemies down as Bloodhound. The game has three different maps at the moment along with a game mode that lets you play a 3 versus 3 tactical match.

Paladins

Paladins is a first-person shooter at first, but it’s a multiplayer online battle arena at heart. The game features a traditional 5 versus 5 gameplay, however, the twist is the hero shooter aspect of it where you can choose characters that are different classes and have different and unique play styles, abilities, and weapons. The game’s got a huge variety of maps and it lets you choose your own way of playing. You can pick up a hero that can tank a lot of damage, or choose a fast hero that will be great for flanking and backstabbing. There’s just so much variation in this game that it’s impossible to ever get bored!

Valorant

At first glance, Valorant is a Counter-Strike clone. Why wouldn’t it feel like that, from the movement to the recoil mechanics in the guns; everything feels borrowed. However, Valorant has a spin on the traditional Counter-Strike gameplay and that is the operators. Riot games’ excellent work on designing each character carefully led to Valorant having a cast of characters that are all unique in their own right yet they’re still not broken over overpowered. The game was created for eSports so its well-balanced state is always a pleasure to play in, not to mention Valorant has the best servers out of any game on this list.

Escape from Tarkov

Escape from Tarkov is an odd game, to say the least. It’s a realistic military shooter yet it also feels like it’s based in a dystopian setting. The game launches you and several other people on the map where you scavenge for supplies and try to survive until extraction. This means that you have to run around completing tasks with your team, taking out any opponents in your way, and successfully leaving. I will be honest, Escape from Tarkov is not an easy game, it has a very low time to kill and the supplies are scarce, weapons are hard to control too but the reward of it all is exceptional…

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege is one of my most played games, I have over two thousand hours invested in it and I keep playing to this day! Siege might look like a traditional shooter at first glance but it’s more of a strategy game. Attackers and Defenders are to create different strategies through which they will hold the map and the bomb sites so that they can successfully do their job. Siege has over 50 different operators to pick from, each coming with their own gadget and load out. Every operator that you pick can influence the round drastically and change the entire match. The constant updates with new operators and maps keep the game refreshing to dive into every season.

Hunt: Showdown

Hunt Showdown is a multiplayer, battle royale, survival shooter, and zombie/monster hunting game. Yep, that’s a lot of terms I know. The game is like Tarkov however instead of just other players, there are NPC enemies that are also there to bother you such as the random zombies, the fire zombies, the large explorers, and more! You have to hunt down several targets and then escape the map while all the other players are trying to do the same thing. It’s a survival game where you are always fighting for your life despite there being monsters to hunt.

Overwatch

Simply put, Overwatch is the most popular game on this list and one with the highest player counts too. Overwatch is a hardcore, team-based multiplayer online battle arena game which has a HUGE list of characters to choose from. These characters come in three different classes, TANK, DPS, and HEALER. The Tanks are your heavy hitters and front-line characters, who can take a ton of damage and still keep standing. Your DPS is your main damage doer, they flank and attack your opponents head-on and deal as much damage as possible. The healers stay on the back lines, providing their team with support and joining the combat parts only when necessary. The game has a huge focus on gameplay that combines strategy, aim, and cooperation between teams. Communication is highly important in Overwatch, being vocal about what you’re doing and where you are on the map is the key to success. Overwatch is by far one of the best games in the competitive shooter market!

CALL OF DUTY: WARZONE

Call of Duty Warzone is a battle royale game, and it is a GOOD battle royale game. It brings the Call of Duty shooting mechanics to the genre, making it fast and fluid in terms of gameplay but still realistic with its low time to kill and realistic mechanics. The game was plagued by cheaters for a long while, but it got much better recently after thousands of cheaters were completely banned. The best thing about Warzone is that it is completely free to play, irrespective of if you have Call of Duty or not. It’s also different from other Call of Duty games, as it explores the mythos surrounding its maps and brings in new elements such as Zombies, new guns, new characters every single season! The game is consistently evolving and it manages to be just as unique and engaging as it was on day 1!

This was our list of the ten best competitive first-person shooter games, if you want to see any other games on this list then make sure to let us know and please read our other articles, we post semi-regularly!

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Gustavo

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I'm a software developer who has a passion for gaming and writing. I'm a PC gamer and a VR enthusiast!

3 Comments

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