Best FPS games to play right now 2026

2026 has brought so many great FPS games, updates and DLCs, and it feels like every other week another banger hits the market. The first half of the year has seen players treated to some pretty big content drops, as well as some brand new experiences, and now is the perfect time to jump in and see what all the hype is about.

The beauty of the FPS space is the fact that despite the focus being on guns and action, there are still so many different types of games that all offer a slightly different experience. So whether players are looking for a 100+ hour open world masterpiece or a cool extraction game, there will definitely be a great game waiting for them just around the corner.

MUS: PI for rent

A blast from the past

Details:

• Noir style rubber hose images

• Satisfying shooting and movement

MOUSE: PI is a bombastic, cartoony boomer shooter that feels like a callback to just about every fiction imaginable. Playing as a cheese-loving detective, players run and shoot their way through a variety of noir-style locations, from haunted mansions to underground labs, all covered in rubber tubing that makes the action feel light and fun.

Once they're done blasting through criminals, they're free to go back to the office and play some card games or upgrade their weapons, with each job completed adding more detail to the wider mystery of the world. A welcome addition to the boomer shooter space and a must have for fans of old school cartoons and for those who want to test their aiming skills in a completely new environment.

Ready or not

Excitement on another level

Details:

• Carefully coordinated infiltrations

• Tactical co-op element that makes each map feel unique

Ready or not is a much more grounded counterpoint experience compared to other modern shooters, which emphasize precision, communication and restraint above all else. Every encounter is built around uncertainty, as suspects can give up or panic in an instant, forcing players to constantly be on their toes and ready to use any tool they can to successfully complete the mission.

Now with the release of the Boiling Point DLC, players have even more locations to tackle, each with their own unique set of challenges that will require a tremendous amount of teamwork to overcome. It's hard to find another tactical PvE shooter with this level of polish and with this much content right out of the gate. Players will have a hard time saying no when their friends ask them to play.

Metro Exodus

Get ready for the sequel

Details:

• Announcement of Subway 2039

• Gritty open world exploration

FPS games have always transitioned to the open world, and Metro Exodus represents one of the best examples of how to combine the two. The world is deliberately hostile, reflecting the decaying nature of the environment and the remnants of society within it, meaning players must carefully plan their movements and approach each obstacle with as much care as possible.

From a narrative perspective, the human element plays a crucial role in driving the story forward, and no matter how dark it gets, the player's actions always carry some kind of meaning behind them. The franchise guarantees a playthrough on its own merits, but now with the announcement of METRO 2039players will want to get up to speed on the world and be ready to explore the underworld again when it launches.

Marathon

Details:

• New content is added frequently

• Lots of new mechanics to learn

It feels like only yesterday that the term extraction shooter was first coined, but now players get to experience a whole range of different games in the genre. In the case of Marathonthe gameplay has been further refined, along with a distinct visual style that allows it to stand out from the crowd of more grounded, military shooters that otherwise dominate the space.

Bungie has already laid out a roadmap for the next year or so of content, which includes new maps, weapons, and systems to keep the game fresh long after its initial launch. And with an extensive playoff loop already in place, there's no reason why players can't jump in right now and get grinding, especially when the game is still riding the wave.

Borderlands 4

More loot, more ways to shoot

Details:

• Addition of story and character

• Great looter shooter gameplay loop

Borderlands 4 feels like a return to form for the franchise, giving players a huge open world filled to the brim with content, quests and, of course, loot. The mission structure will feel very familiar to longtime fans of the franchise, but even after beating the main campaign, there are many more ways to continue playing and much better weapons out there to grind and uncover.

The reason players should jump in right now is because of how much extra content is being added to the game in just a short amount of time. The first story pack has just been released, with another on the way later in the summer, and there are a few more endgame additions to tide players over, so if that looter hasn't been scratched in a while, then Borderlands 4 might be the perfect way to scratch it.

No Man's Sky

Must catch them all

Details:

• New creature collector update

• Constant free add-ons

If there's one game that shows the power of updates and DLC, this is it No Man's Skyas after one of the worst launches in gaming history, the experience that exists now is beyond industry leading. Interplanetary travel, base building, PvP, and so much more are all possible without any additional purchases, which is something people value so much about the game, as it's constantly dropping free content and no paid DLCs.

As if the game wasn't good enough, players can now battle on the tabletop in the Xeno Arena, a creature-collecting mini-game that unlocks a whole new level of depth to an already extensive game. It's about as close as it gets to an all-encompassing experience, and with many more updates on the way, there's no reason not to take a galactic space flight today.

The road to Vostok

No other players nearby

Details:

• Intense single player survival loop

• Perma kill zone for extra efforts

The road to Vostok takes the genre back to its most unforgiving elements, sending players into a desolate border zone where the player must do everything in their power to survive. It's a single-player-only experience that grounds its action in realism, taking into account medical systems, weapon degradation, and removing many UI elements that would normally reduce player immersion.

Now in early access, the game has a proven track record of active updates and feedback, and in the coming months, many more updates will definitely be added to keep the intensity from ever going down. It may be a long way from a full launch, but the product that exists now positions it as one of the most ambitious emerging shooters in the genre.