There’s no doubt about it, first-person shooter (FPS) games have been one of the biggest parts of the PlayStation console lineup since the very beginning, and that’s not likely to change in the future, either. FPS games have come a long way since the days of DOOM, Quake, and Wolfenstein, but one basic factor links them all — it’s just a lot of fun to shoot stuff.
When you sit down to play a good first-person shooter game, you expect it to be a bit more fun than your normal games. They give players a chance to use their imagination and effectively let them destroy anything and everything.
The game gets even better when there are multiple ways players can use their weapons, as well as different settings in which they can make use of these weapons. From the true-to-life realism of Hell Let Loose to the bombastic lunacy of Far Cry 6, there’s a wide spectrum of experiences to be enjoyed.
Many FPS games combine genres. For example, games like Destiny 2 and Borderlands 3 combine action with RPG aspects. While most shooters are geared toward an adult audience by definition, there is a lot of variability within the genre. Here are our top 10 picks for the best PlayStation 5 FPS games of all time.
#10: Call of Duty: Vanguard
- WWII combat gameplay on a global scale
- Engage in a dogfight over the Pacific or in ground combat in France, Stalingrad, and North Africa
- Play a single-player campaign or enjoy multiplayer action
- Includes a new Zombies experience
- New multiplayer maps, modes, and events
- Call of Duty Warzone integration post-launch
Call of Duty is one of the most well-known first-person shooters on the market. It’s a great game that combines lots of action and strategy. It was developed by Sledgehammer Games and published by Activision in 2021.
The game takes place during World War II, and it follows a group of soldiers fighting against the Nazi regime. It features a single-player campaign with you playing as one of these soldiers as they fight through several levels on their way to victory.
The game also has a multiplayer element that allows players to compete with each other on different maps and modes, such as Champion Hill or Arms Race. You’ll have to make strategic decisions about how you use your team and what weapons you should use against the enemies because they might destroy your base if you don’t do it right.
Vanguard is one of the best first-person shooters for PS5. It’s not just about guns; it’s also about teamwork and strategy. The game has a co-op mode that lets you play through levels with your friends and an online multiplayer mode.
You can choose to play as a spy or a sniper during missions. Multiplayer allows players to face off against one another online in teams of four or more people (or solo), while zombie mode is exactly what it sounds like; playing as an enemy and trying to escape from being killed by another player.
#9: Deep Rock Galactic
Deep Rock Galactic is a first-person shooter (FPS) game developed by Ghost Ship Games and published by Coffee Stain Publishing. The game is set in a procedurally generated environment, where players are tasked with exploring a dangerous planet while fighting off monsters and other aliens. Because the game focuses on PvE combat, killing other players serves no purpose.
Players assume the role of one of four space dwarves assigned to missions that include mining certain minerals, snatching alien eggs, eliminating targets, and collecting lost equipment. These are often the primary goals required to execute the mission.
It is also possible to achieve a secondary objective. This typically means gathering other materials or artifacts, and it’s done to get extra credits which are then used to improve the player’s weaponry, class abilities, and experience points.
Setting
The game is set in an underground setting on a dangerous planet where humans have colonized the galaxy and are working to build a new home for humanity. They discover a planet rich with minerals and other resources.
The miners begin to explore the planet looking for more resources but quickly discover that it is not as simple as they thought. They must fight against an unknown enemy who wants nothing but to destroy them.
Each player class has unique weapons and skills that perfectly complement the others, making simple objectives a joy as you all work it out and shoot aliens together. Throw in procedurally generated stages, and you’ve got a recipe for an enjoyable, endlessly replayable game.
#8: Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
- Direct sequel to the original Call of Duty: Black Ops
- Set during the Cold War in the early 1980s
- Experience unique locations like East Berlin, Vietnam, Turkey, and the KGB headquarters
- Features a new cast of operatives trying to stop a plot to destabilize the balance of power
- Cold War-era arsenal of weapons and equipment
This game is a worthy contender for the top spot on this list because it offers a cool take on classic Call of Duty gameplay. It’s a game that truly captures the tension and activity of the Cold War, with its tense setting in Berlin and dark sense of humor.
The player controls “Bell” in the campaign, who CIA officer Russell Adler recruits into a multinational task force formed to track down Perseus—a Soviet Union spy. It’s an engaging game with lots of replay value and tons of fun weapons and equipment for you to use (like grappling hooks).
The multiplayer portion of the game introduced new game modes, map dynamics, and elements, bringing over several design choices from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. It has a seasonal content system similar to Modern Warfare, with a battle pass, free maps, and weaponry introduced each season.
Cold War also has narrative ties to Modern Warfare through the campaign and multiplayer, forming a connected universe spanning several Call of Duty sub-series.
It’s an intense and action-packed game that will keep you on the edge of your seat, whether you are playing alone or with your friends. The game has a great story, with characters you can get attached to and a history that makes sense in context.
The gameplay is simple but effective, with fast-paced gunplay and plenty of weapons to choose from. The graphics are also amazing — you’ll feel like you’re right in the middle of the action!
#7: Borderlands 3
The Borderlands franchise has been a mainstay of the FPS genre for years, offering up a stunning array of weapons and customizable characters. With its release on the PS5, it’s been even more popular with fans who have been waiting to get their hands on this highly-anticipated sequel.
It has a rich, compelling story and is full of trademark humor and snark that you’d expect from Gearbox Software. Borderlands 3 is set on the planet Pandora, which has long been thought to possess Vaults containing massive quantities of gold and technology left behind by a mystery extraterrestrial society known as the Eridians.
Several corporations have laid siege to Pandora in the past to try to uncover the Vaults, but the constant conflict and violence have left the planet and its people damaged and insane. However, there are still Vault Hunters that search for the Vaults on their own (the player characters).
Players create a character from one of the four classes offered and take on a number of missions given out by non-playable characters, also known as NPCs. These missions are also given out at bounty boards to allow players to collect in-game monetary rewards, gain experience, in-game monetary rewards, and reward goods, either alone or in groups of up to four people.
These things can also be obtained by fighting adversaries throughout the game. As the player’s level rises, they acquire skill points across a skill tree.
#6: Far Cry 6
- Play as Dani Rojas, a local Yaran, as you fight alongside a modern-day guerrilla revolution to liberate Yara
- Fight against Castillo’s regime in the most expansive Far Cry to date, through jungles, beaches, and Esperanza, the capital city of Yara
- Employ an arsenal of resolver weapons, backpacks, and vehicles to take down Castillo’s ruthless regime.
Created by Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft Toronto, Far Cry 6 is an open-world first-person shooter set on a fictional Caribbean island called Yara. Players take on the role of a local rebel called Dani Rojas. This is a former military conscript turned guerrilla warrior whose gender the player can choose at the start of the game.
The world is divided into seven major sections with a variety of topography ranging from metropolitan areas and dense jungles to mountain ranges and vast oceans. Players can employ a variety of conventional weaponry, such as sidearms, assault rifles, submachine guns, shotguns, light machine guns, sniper rifles, and grenade launchers.
Materials from all across the world can be used to customize firearms. The combat system is also unique compared to other shooters, as it emphasizes stealth rather than gunplay or melee attacks.
Instead of having guns permanently equipped on your character’s personality, like in other FPS games, all weapons must be found throughout the world before they become available for use.
#5: Quake
Quake is an old-school shooter game that’s still being played by millions across the globe today. It’s got an incredibly cool graphics engine that lets you feel like you’re in a real video game and an amazing sci-fi setting that enables you to battle against hordes of demon-like creatures while blasting away at various kinds of bots.
Following in the footsteps of id Software’s DOOM, this game is regarded as one of the progenitors of the modern FPS. It was highly sophisticated at its initial release. It’s now completely playable on the PS5, with improved graphics, local and internet multiplayer, and even some brand-new content.
Horde mode is exactly what it sounds like, and Dimension of the Machine is a new chapter in the game’s single-player narrative. The gameplay is simple enough for anyone to pick up but challenging enough for those who want more depth in their gaming experience.
#4: Deathloop
- DEATHLOOP is a next-gen first person shooter from Arkane Lyon, the award-winning studio behind Dishonored
- In DEATHLOOP, two rival assassins are trapped in a mysterious timeloop on the island of Blackreef, doomed to repeat the same day for eternity
- As Colt, the only chance for escape is to end the cycle by assassinating eight key targets before the day resets
- Learn from each cycle - try new paths, gather intel, and find new weapons and abilities, and do whatever it takes to break the loop
- Do whatever it takes to break the loop
Deathloop is a first-person shooter game developed by Arkane Lyon. The player controls Colt, an assassin trapped in a time loop entrusted with eliminating eight Visionaries around the island of Blackreef by midnight.
That’s because leaving even one alive will force the time loop to reset and reverse his efforts. If Colt dies before completing the eight targets, he will wake up at the beginning of the loop.
As in Arkane’s previous games, Dishonored and Prey, the player moves through the game world using a combination of stealth, parkour, attack skills, firearms, gadgets, and powers. They must evade or eliminate guards, study the patterns of Colt’s targets, and choose the best order in which to eliminate these targets using firearms.
Deathloop has a multiplayer mode in which players can participate as Julianna, an agent tasked with eliminating Colt and protecting the time loop. When the player assumes this role, they will enter the game of a random player and may interfere with their play.
The multiplayer mode is optional, and players can block others from playing as Julianna in their game, instead relying on a computer-controlled opponent to try to stop Colt.
The gameplay might not be groundbreaking or innovative, but its unique blend of mechanics makes for an engaging experience that will keep players coming back for more.
#3: Destiny 2
Bungie’s online shooter remains the best in terms of gunplay, though there’s no disputing that Destiny 2 is a difficult nut to crack if you’re unfamiliar with the sci-fi sequel. However, diving deeper, you’ll discover much high-quality stuff to munch on.
There are campaigns, co-op missions, and competitive multiplayer. So, it’s a game that feels ready to explode at times, and the action is the glue that keeps everything together.
Players take on the role of Guardians, protectors of Earth’s last safe city, as they explore the ancient ruins of our solar system and defeat their enemies in competitive multiplayer matches. The game features both competitive multiplayer and co-op modes, in which players can battle against monsters and other players. They can even complete challenges to earn loot for their character.
In addition to these standard gameplay types, Destiny 2 also offers an activity called Crucible, which is essentially an arena where players can face off against one another in different PvP modes. Crucible gameplay varies depending on the mode being played.
Destiny 2 is a game that demands a lot from its players, but the benefits make it one of the greatest PS5 FPS games you can play. It has a lot of narrative missions, as well as more difficult strikes and raids that require more players.
#2: Metro Exodus
- Enhanced for PlayStation 5 - optimized for platform specific features including 60 FPS up to 4K resolution, Ray traced lighting and Dual sense haptic feedback support.
- Experience sandbox survival - flee the shattered ruins of Dead Moscow and follow a gripping story that links together classic Metro gameplay with huge, non-linear levels.
- Deadly combat and stealth - scavenge and craft in the field to customize your arsenal of hand-made weaponry, and engage human and mutant foes in thrilling tactical combat.
- Explore a hostile world - Embark on journey that spans an entire year through Spring, Summer and Autumn to the depths of nuclear Winter. Discover the Russian wilderness, brought to life with day/...
Metro Exodus is a post-apocalyptic FPS game set in the year 2035, two years after the events of Metro: Last Light. In it, you play as Artyom and join a group called Spartan Order on an expedition to the surface.
The game features an immersive world with stunning visuals and sounds, compelling storytelling, and intense combat. The player holds a collection of handcrafted weapons that may be customized using scavenging materials and a crafting system.
The game includes both linear stages and sandbox areas. It also has a dynamic weather system, a day-night cycle, and settings that vary as the tale proceeds with the seasons. It takes place over one entire in-game year.
The gameplay is where Metro Exodus really shines—you have tons of guns at your disposal, from pistols to shotguns to sniper rifles. You can also upgrade your weapons with parts found throughout the world or purchased from merchants who sell their wares at various locations throughout each level.
There are also side quests available for those who want extra challenges or more loot to sell on the black market!
#1: DOOM Eternal
DOOM Eternal is the game to beat if you want a first-person shooter on the PS5. People love DOOM so much because it’s fast-paced, bloody, and fun. It has various weapons and abilities to choose from, including melee weapons such as chainsaws or flamethrowers.
It also has guns like shotguns or pistols, and even a glory kill, which adds extra health. There are also plenty of levels to explore and hours upon hours worth of gameplay to be had!
DOOM Eternal immerses players in the Doomguy’s power armor as he continues his one-man assault against the armies of hell and everything else in his path. The gameplay builds on DOOM (2016), with its fast-paced violence and constant adrenaline infusions.
And yet, the game offers enough depth in terms of skills to push the player to use the full extent of Doomguy’s arsenal. DOOM Eternal is, without a doubt, the best first-person shooter on the PS5.
The game looks great, too. The graphics are crisp but not over-the-top, and the sound effects stay true to their source material (without being too distracting). It’s got everything you could want from a shooter: creative and unique weapons, a sprawling space to explore, and tons of demons to kill!
The image featured at the top of this post is ©SolidMaks/Shutterstock.com.
