Extraction Shooter game with better gunplay than Arc Raiders

The extraction shooter genre has gone from a fairly niche space in the gaming world to a hugely popular phenomenon, thanks in large part to the success of ARC Raiders. The game has brought so many new players into a world they may have never even considered before, with much praise surrounding the gameplay and, most importantly, the gunplay. For many long-time extraction fans, it provides one of the best and most comprehensive experiences out there, with every bullet feeling heavy and every weapon having something new for players to use and enjoy during a raid. That being said, the genre still has plenty of other exceptional games that manage to nail the gunplay side of things a little better, giving players an even more satisfying gameplay experience than Embark's revolutionary masterpiece.

These games accomplish this through interesting mechanics and polished gunfights that ensure players feel in full control of their weapons at all times, without ever feeling too much like a traditional shooter. There's a fine line between planning and action, as too much intensity can turn the game into an arcadian mess, while a heavy focus on strategy pushes it further into tactical shooter territory.

Hunt: Showdown

Horror in the Wild West

Details:

• Satisfying and heavy weapons

• Slower, more deliberate combat

Hunt: Showdown delivers some of the most rewarding and satisfying gunplay in the extraction shooting space. Every weapon feels heavy, slow and deadly, forcing players to treat each shot as a full engagement rather than just blindly spraying ammo until their enemies die. Also, due to how long some of the reloads are and how punishing the recoil is, missing a single shot can be all it takes to cost an otherwise winning fight, creating many scenarios where positioning and timing become far more important than raw sight.

What really lifts Hunt is how deeply sound design is tied to gun games. In a similar way as ARC Raidersshots echo across the map, revealing player positions and turning small encounters into server-wide battles. At first, players may think they can get away with firing a few shots at some nearby enemies, but they'll quickly realize that those bullets become cues for action, and if they're not ready for it, they can easily be taken down by another group looking to get out alive. The reason this concept is executed better here is because of how the horror elements are fed into the game. The battles don't play out as arcade-style duels across a modern landscape, but instead become tense fights for survival in a dark and gloomy world that pits the player against the player right from the start.

The escape from Tarkov

Groundbreaking for the entire genre

Details:

• Extreme mechanical depth in both weapons and world

• Realistic recoil and aim

The escape from Tarkov remains the gold standard for realistic gunplay in the extraction shooter genre. Each firearm is modeled with compulsive detail, from recoil patterns and ergonomics to ammo types and weapon durability, meaning players aren't just running around with a random firearm, but wielding an expertly crafted weapon that feels about as powerful as it really is. The gunfights are deadly and brutally unforgiving, often ending in seconds if the player's positioning or awareness deteriorates, forcing them to think carefully about when to engage and what types of escape routes they have if things go south.

Where Tarkov really pulls ahead is with the level of depth in many of the mechanics that are often quite basic elsewhere in the genre. Recoil management becomes a much more active system that players need to learn and master, ammo selection becomes a huge difference in those close encounters, and however well-equipped they may be, there are still chances for anyone to gain the upper hand and succeed in a fight through skill and aggression alone.

Arena Breakout: Infinite

Accurate shooting from the moment the game starts

Details:

• Responsive controls and weapon feel

• Tactical strategy for more engaging fights

Arena Breakout: Infinite is clearly heavily inspired by the previous games that truly innovated the genre, but it manages to refine those mechanics into a smoother, more accessible experience without sacrificing depth. The weapons feel responsive and grounded, with aiming patterns that reward controlled shots and disciplined shooting rather than spray-and-pray tactics that can often make gunfights feel a little more sloppy than thoughtful combat. This also results in far fewer run-and-gun moments, which can actually retain much more of the tension that makes the extraction genre far more compelling for players tired of the traditional COD style shooters.

The game excels at clarity during firefights as well, something like ARC Raiders sometimes struggle with, especially in much busier meetings. The feedback from each weapon is also significantly more enjoyable, giving players a visually distinct but also satisfying response for every well-placed bullet they manage to land. It may not have the same levels of realism as something similar Tarkovbut it still manages to strike an effective balance between authenticity and playability, making long range fights feel rewarding and engaging at all times.

Witch fire

Bring your darkest fantasies to life

Details:

• Distinct weapon styles and roles that feed into each other

• Fast action despite solo play

Witch fire may not follow the traditional extraction shooter formula, but its gunplay stands tall among the genre's best because of how instantly satisfying and mechanically sharp it feels. Being single-player only may turn off many fans immediately, but once it gets going, the lack of real players is a non-factor, given how engaging the enemies are and how fun the actual gameplay is. There's no sluggishness or excessive animation to contend with, as the game prioritizes control and momentum, allowing players to be fully engaged in combat rather than grappling with systems that would otherwise take away from the experience.

Unlike slower, more methodical extraction shooters, Witch fire thrives on rhythm and tempo. Players will find themselves constantly shooting forward, chaining shots, abilities, and moves into a seamless set of inputs that all serve a distinct purpose within each expedition. This shift in focus to aggression has allowed it to carve out a unique space within an otherwise crowded genre often dominated by hyper-realism or grounded gunplay that relies far more on precise positioning and timing than sustained action. In terms of pure mechanical satisfaction, the game overall provides a much sharper, more refined shooting experience than ARC Raiderslike many other games in the extraction space, proving that even without PvP combat, it's still possible to create an engaging shooter that can keep players engaged for hours on end.

Delta Force

Large-scale military conflicts

Details:

• Exceptional readability even in the messiest of fights

• Heavy emphasis on controlled fire and calculated interventions

The modern revival of Delta Force leans heavily towards realistic, military-focused shooter gameplay that emphasizes tactical decision-making and control in each match. The weapon lineup isn't packed to the brim with ugly weapons that struggle to take down other players; rather, the game is packed with rewarding weapons that all come with their own learning curves and use cases, creating a much more engaging shooting experience than many other titles in the space. Where this idea really takes off is how well the gunplay flows in all sorts of environments. It doesn't matter if players engage enemies from afar or slowly clear interior spaces; the weapons always feel good to use, and their strengths really shine where they should.

The game also benefits from clean visual and sound design that keeps firefights free even in chaotic situations that would otherwise make enemies difficult to pick out of the action. And since the scale of some engagements can reach pretty staggering heights, the emphasis on clarity means players never have to worry about their vision being too obscured or not being able to reliably track targets in the middle of a fight. Compared to more stylized extraction shooters, such as ARC Raidersthe gunplay is designed in a much more thoughtful way that results in much more consistent encounters and controlled firefights that never end in frustration, even when things go badly.