The Most Satisfying First-Person Shooters

The first-person shooter is a broad and varied genre, not to mention saturated. From the fast and frenetic pace of old-school shooters such as DOOM, to the slower pace of Call of Duty, there’s something for all kinds of FPS fans.

Of all the qualities, good gunplay is perhaps the most important when it comes to first-person shooters. This, too, plays a pivotal role in making an FPS satisfying. However, other elements can make an FPS more gratifying to play, such as finely tuned hit responses and smooth player feedback.

8 Neon White

A Unique, Fast-Paced Title That Twists FPS Conventions

Far from being a straight shooter, Neon White is a truly unique title that emphasizes speed and quick-thinking. In the game, players blast through a variety of short levels in which they’re tasked with defeating every enemy and reaching the end as fast as they can.

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What makes Neon White so satisfying is its expressive movement and responsive weapons (represented by simple cards), which also double as special traversal abilities when they’re discarded. Many of these abilities are also satisfying to use thanks to responsive controls and lightning-fast animations.

7 Post Void

A Frenetic Action Roguelike With Expressive Movement

Fast-paced, frenetic, and borderline psychedelic, Post Void is an action Roguelike with a kinetic personality. In the game, players barrel through labyrinthine levels while battling against various enemies and their constantly draining health.

The ephemeral nature of the player’s health also helps to encourage speed and maintains the game’s pace. Players can also refill their health by killing enemies, discouraging them from simply running past every adversary. This elegant design is elevated by the game’s expressive movement controls and satisfying headshots. As a result, blasting through the many close-quarters environments of Post Void is a frequently gratifying experience.

6 Maximum Action

A Responsive Action Sandbox With An Emphasis On Style

• Platform(s): PC
• Released: 2018
• Developer(s): George Mandell
• Genre: FPS

Though it features little in the way of challenge, Maximum Action excels with its action-sandbox gameplay, emphasizing style over mechanical depth. This is no surprise, given that Maximum Action takes heavy inspiration from the action cinema of the 80s and 90s.

The diverse arsenal of weaponry available includes a variety of firearms that are brought to life through snappy animations and punchy sound effects, resulting in satisfying gunplay. The fast pace, lack of stakes, and complete focus on action keep Maximum Action a tight and rewarding experience despite a lack of narrative and progression.

5 ULTRAKILL

Weighty Gunplay Is Elevated By Skill-Based Scoring

Ultrakill

Systems

Released

September 3, 2020

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Developer(s)

Arsi “Hakita” Patala

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ULTRAKILL is a fast-paced and intuitive first-person shooter with a focus on creative weaponry and pixelated gore. What’s unique and ultimately satisfying about ULTRAKILL is the game’s distinctive blend of old-school shooters and character action games.

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In ULTRAKILL, players are rewarded for their skill with a classic score-based grading system, drawing satisfaction from the most basic of actions. This is only furthered by fluid animations, snappy gunplay, and hit feedback that elicits buckets of pixelated blood.

4 Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun

Weighty Movement And Punchy Hit Feedback

Set in the rich, grim-dark world of Warhammer 40,000 and taking inspiration from both modern and retro boomer shooters, Boltgun is an excessively violent romp that puts players in the heavy shoes of an Ultramarine. This title makes every effort to make players feel like a Space Marine, emphasizing the weight of the suit with a heavy gait and stomping footsteps.

The movement alone is satisfying, but it’s complemented by the addition of a classic Warhammer 40,000 chainsword and the ability to charge enemies. The chunky sound effects and impactful animations ensure that player feedback is both obvious and satisfying.

3 Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege

Slick, Smooth Gunplay With Weighty Animations

This competitive shooter features a heavy focus on tactics and teamwork, but gunplay remains a core part of its gameplay loop. The variety of weapons and attachments keeps Rainbow Six Siege a strategic experience, but each firearm is satisfying to use in its own way thanks to punchy sound effects and weighty animations.

Hit response and player feedback are also fast and smooth, allowing this title to feel tremendously responsive. As with many competitive shooters, Rainbow Six Siege has its fair share of problems, but the satisfying gunplay makes up for most of it.

2 DOOM (2016)

Exaggerated Gunplay And Expressive Combat Arenas

Reviving fast-paced combat and arena-shooter gameplay with its relentless attitude and unabashed focus on action, 2016’s DOOM is a tremendously unhinged FPS. The exaggerated animations and the weight applied to each of them give each action an impactful response, resulting in thoroughly satisfying gunplay.

The hectic combat arenas that make up most of DOOM are the perfect playgrounds for its arsenal of punchy firearms, further elevated by expressive movement and violent glory kills. These arenas are broken up by short passages of lower intensity, giving players a welcome palette cleanse between bloodbaths.

1 CULTIC

Crunchy Retro Sound Design And Buckets Of Pixelated Gore

Cultic

Systems

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Released

October 13, 2022

OpenCritic Rating

Strong

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Taking equal inspiration from old-school shooters such as Blood and survival-horror games such as Resident Evil 4, CULTIC is a unique blend of satisfying gunplay, creative weaponry, and dense atmosphere. The horror elements are light, but certainly present, giving CULTIC a distinctive flavor.

Excessive, pixelated gore and crunchy, retro-styled sound effects ensure that the moment-to-moment gameplay of CULTIC is weighty, bolstered by an arsenal of punchy weapons. All this results in truly heavy, impactful gameplay that’s tremendously satisfying.

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