FPS gaming has had a great year in 2025, thanks mostly to the massive popularity of standout titles like Battlefield 6. We also saw the release of Escape From Tarkov 1.0, the consistently brilliant Doom: The Dark Ages, and yet another iteration of Call of Duty, with Black Ops 7.
I don't think anything has outclassed Battlefield 6 in terms of pure FPS mayhem this year, and it's been great to see the series return to its former popularity. Arc Raiders may have won the battle in terms of popularity on Twitch and Steam, but unfortunately it's a third-person shooter, so I guess I can only give it an honorable mention here.
Updated May 24, 2026 by Jerel Levy: Looking back at 2025, there were some great shooter titles launched throughout the year. While of course not all shooters were first-person shooters, there were still a few that stood above the rest of the FPS titles launched during the year. We've updated this list to match our current standards and added even more of the best FPS games of 2025.
11
Splitage: Arena reloads
Although it may have had a rather rough start, Splitgate 2 was relaunched as Spligate: Arena Reloaded and was well worth at least giving it a shot in 2025. This time, the game brought back classics from the original Splitgate and remade them to great appeal, trying to prove that it wasn't like the other shooters in its genre.
Whether it was the most successful is up for debate, but it was a good enough effort after being Arena Reloaded to earn a spot here.
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10
Rainbow Six Siege X
Although Rainbow Six Siege did not launch in 2025, the massive update to revamp the game, known as Rainbow Six Siege X, was launched in 2025. This update is a tenth anniversary update and brought new modes, updated graphics and sound, and several more improvements that you will notice while playing.
The sound design should be praised for how much it has improved the game. Dual Front Mode is a bit hit or miss, but overall this update made Siege well worth playing in 2025, even after more than ten years.
9
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
Launching in late 2025 doesn't mean Metroid Prime 4: Beyond should be ignored. This fresh step into Samus' shoes gave us a Switch first-person title of the year that's well worth checking out.
The Metroid Prime series is known for its first-person gameplay, and Beyond continued the trend with Samus exploring new regions and interesting locations and solving puzzles. Not your typical FPS, thanks to some unique game mechanics, it still sits as a great FPS for 2025.
8
System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster
The System Shock 2 remaster is the definitive version of a game widely considered one of the foundational games of the genre, mixing both FPS and RPG elements. Whether you played the original or not (it was released last century, after all), System Shock 2 runs perfectly on modern hardware without having to fiddle around with mods.
The game is still as clunky as it was back then, but then I guess there's a certain charm to it. You can't beat the atmosphere, the music, and the feeling that you're playing one of the classic FPS games.
7
Wizordum
Wizordum is a great little indie game from Emberheart Games that combines classic 90s boomer shooters with modern twists. Its art style and music are real standouts here, but blasting your way through maps with an arsenal of different spells also just feels great.
This is a game that is both nostalgic and innovative. I've had a great time hunting for secrets as I slowly unraveled the world of Terrabruma.
Metal Eden is a slick sci-fi FPS from studio Reikon Games, and it's been a bit undersung this year. If you think you recognize the name Reikon Games, it's because they developed the excellent Ruiner, 2017's twin-stick shooter that was critically acclaimed upon launch.
Metal Eden is fast-paced, visually beautiful, and has satisfying moment-to-moment gunplay that reminds me of Doom. It's also a pretty succinct experience: you finish the campaign, and that's it. I thought that was a bit of a blessing, as 2025 has been packed with games, and it was nice to have something that was just considered an in-and-out experience. My colleague George Foster called it a mix of Doom and Ghostrunner, which fits perfectly.
5
Borderlands 4
Borderlands 4 was the hotly anticipated sequel to 2019's Borderlands 3, but it hasn't been very well received. This has mostly been to do with the game's poor performance on PC and several issues with crashes, multiplayer desynchronization, and the game occasionally wiping several hours of saves.
For those who have been able to run the game, the consensus is that it's a pretty good shooter, with upgraded UI, movement and gunplay mechanics that make it feel like a truly modern entry in the long-running series.
4
Call Of Duty: Black Ops 7
Black Ops 7, often referred to with the disgusting-sounding portmanteau Blops 7, is widely regarded as the best multiplayer post the series has had for a while. Treyarch famously removed skill-based matchmaking and everyone seems to like it, and the camo grind is still as compulsive as ever.
However, its campaign has been the butt of many jokes in 2025, mostly because it's just a bot shooting gallery with some truly off-the-wall moments, including fighting a giant head, having massive machetes fall from the sky, and failing to tell any kind of coherent story at all. Our reviewer, Charles Burgar, called the game “too big for innovation.” Oh, how the mighty have fallen – I still remember the original Black Ops campaign, and sometimes it pops into my head on a random Tuesday. The numbers, Mason.
3
Doom: The Dark Ages
Doom: The Dark Ages is a prequel to the successful 2016 reboot of the series, DOOM, and the later, and equally well received, Doom Eternal. The Dark Ages takes the genre in a slightly different direction, giving you more freedom with your weapon choices and a parrying mechanic that adds more depth to your demon slaying.
It's been generally very well received, but the consensus is that it doesn't quite measure up to Doom Eternal, mostly due to Mick Gordon's outstanding soundtrack for Eternal, as our reviewer Jade King pointed out here. This one is available on Game Pass though, so it's well worth checking out if you're a fan of the series or want to spend some time splitting demon skulls.
2
The escape from Tarkov
The 1.0 release of Escape From Tarkov may have come with more of a whimper than a bang thanks to the stunning success of Arc Raiders, but the long-running early access shooter (considered by many to be the granddaddy of the genre) finally got its full release in 2025 after nine years of development.
As part of the 1.0 release, Escape From Tarkov has received new overarching story content that tells the story of the world of Tarkov, and, for the first time since its launch in early 2016, actually allows players to escape from Tarkov. There were also quite a few new attachments added, along with new weapons and a new map.
