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For newcomers with varying tastes, do any of these aforementioned games help them get more acquainted with the FPS genre? New FPS players looking for a great introduction to the hardcore world of multiplayer FPS might want to try out certain games to test their reflexes and engage in gun-toting fun against other teams.
Updated on 21 March, 2022 by Rhenn Taguiam: With Savathun, the Witch Queen, finally making her move as one of the most cunning villains of Bungie’s Destiny 2, players can evidently feel a bit burnt out fully exploring the sci-fi shooter’s rather deep lore. And for newcomers tomultiplayer FPS games, keeping up with both the demands of the story mode and the skill-based gameplay of Destiny 2 PVP can make the genre quite overwhelming for them. Thankfully, FPS genre novices can rely on some multiplayer titles to make the genre more appealing to them.
14 Quake Champions
Platforms: PC
It’s thanks to Quake Champions that fans of this iconic franchise can rejoice in the hit shooter’s return to the gaming scene. After all, before Quake Champions’ 2017 release, the last installment in the franchise was Quake 4 in 2005. With this in mind, Quake Champions marks not just a return to form to the arena shooter, but the introduction of additional elements that make it just as exciting an experience for modern fans.
Compared to other multiplayer FPS, Quake Champions is extremely similar to the core Quake that puts a huge emphasis on fast-paced gameplay. Thanks in part to its accessible and straightforward gameplay, newcomers to the genre will find themselves developing essential skills needed to play most other FPS titles in the market. Newcomers can barely feel the demand in skill and reflexes Quake Champions imposes as matches get crazy fun quickly, helping beginners grow their “gamer sense” and instincts much faster.
13 CrossFire
Platforms: PC , Android
Think of CrossFire as Counter-Strike but with less emphasis on repetitive maps and technical gameplay, and this time with a lot of emphasis on action and sheer speed. Despite its 2007 release, CrossFire retains quite a large fanbase today, which is testament to its replayable content. Given its age, it evidently has dated graphics. However, the game does shine in terms of character and gun customization, as well as speed-oriented gameplay reminiscent of classic FPS.
Players who want to experience the sheer thrill of multiplayer FPS on their heyday will want to give CrossFire a shot. Aside from fast-paced gameplay teaching players mechanics such as strafing and listening closely to minute sounds and details, the multiple game modes in CrossFire means there’s always a new way to play everyday.
12 Black Squad
Platforms: PC
Players who want a decent alternative to Counter-Strike would want to look at Black Squad, a free-to-play multiplayer FPS. Released in 2017, Black Squad seems reminiscent of other F2P FPS titles, with its own share of items in the cash shop. However, while players can whale real money buying guns, skins, and other cosmetics, they can also use in-game currency into buying the same items.
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Gameplay-wise, Black Squad certainly boasts decent graphics and sounds for a free title. Despite its graphical strength, the small maps do mean players get into action much faster than in other games, much to the chagrin of some FPS fans. Regardless, the game remains reminiscent of Counter-Strikegameplay, where fast-paced combat is replaced by tactical approaches. This game is a good option for fans who want to get more strategic with their FPS experience.
11 Destiny 2
Platforms: PC , PS5, PS4 , Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One
Despite the sheer depth in terms of lore and mechanics, Destiny 2 remains quite a friendly choice when it comes to newcomer accessibility. Since its release, recent Destiny 2 changes finally gave players a free-to-play option, allowing newcomers to give the game a shot while locking its deeper features, content, stages, and stories behind purchases of DLCs and Expansions.
With this in mind, Destiny 2 remains a decent F2P option for newcomers to try a triple-A experience. Unlike other FPS games, Destiny 2 features a Class system that provides unique abilities, jump options, and even grenade options for players. Not only that, but different weapons and customizable attachments allow players to approach sci-fi combat with a wide variety of freedom quite unlike other FPS titles.
10 Rainbow Six: Siege
Platforms: PC , Steam
Newcomers getting into the FPS genre might feel overwhelmed at first at the idea of Rainbow Six: Siege. Due to the tactical nature of Rainbow Six Siege, players need to rely on careful planning, reconnaissance with drones and cameras, and even reinforcing (or breaking through) walls and doors. On top of these mechanics are a wide array of Attackers and Defenders that, with their unique abilities, augment a team’s already-expansive toolkit.
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While all of these seem a bit overwhelming, Siege does help genre newcomers get familiar with skills only pros often learn over time. Due to Siege’s mechanics, newcomers can train on precision aiming, listening to odd sounds around them, and the value of quick thinking in high-stress situations.
9 Warface
Platforms: PC , PS4 , Xbox One , Nintendo Switch
Players who want an alternate take to the Call of Duty experience will love the F2P value that Warface offers. In Warface, players get to experience an assortment of game modes akin to a typical multiplayer FPS. They also get to choose among a variety of combat roles, each with unique abilities - such as healing, or replenishing ammo or shields.
Unlike other FPS titles, Warface also lets players customize their characters with a wide variety of unlockable equipment. Some of this equipment also have stat upgrades, giving their characters slight boosts to augment their combat roles. Weapons also contain customizable attachments, all of which have unique effects. In turn, players enter a game mode with a toolkit that perfectly fits their game style.
8 Paladins
Platforms: PC , PS4 , Xbox One , Nintendo Switch
Newcomers to the genre who don’t want to shell out money to try out Overwatch may appreciate Paladins. This fantasy-sci-fi shooter will have players tear each other apart in separate teams with game modes that tackle various objectives. Similar to Overwatch, Paladins will have players choose from a wide variety of heroes, each with unique loadouts.
Unlike Overwatch, Paladins boasts a deck-building system that lets players customize other aspects of their heroes. These range from adding stats bonuses to incorporating additional effects to their abilities, all geared towards helping players build unique takes to their character’s preset strategies.
7 Valorant
Platforms: PC
Players familiar with the classic Counter-Strike formula will appreciate Valorant for its unique hero shooter spin. Valorant pins squads of heroes against each other in a futuristic narrative where the light itself becomes weaponized - alongside a wide variety of technological advancements.
Center to the experience is the “Spike,” the equivalent of a high-yield bomb that a team either has to deploy and protect or defuse. Players can become various powered Agents like Jett (Duelist) who navigates the battlefield faster with her high-altitude jumps, or Sage (Sentinel) who can heal allies and block enemies with her ice abilities. With the game’s physics-defying mechanics, players will have to get creative maximizing their team synergies.
6 Splitgate
Platforms: PC , PS4 , Xbox One
Newcomers to the FPS genre who want to get bamboozled with a new experience will want to try Splitgate. This FPS takes players to the classic arena shooter format, with its own share of futuristic weapons and a diverse set of maps that make each match a visual feast. However, unique to Splitgate is its portal mechanics, where players can set portals on specific surfaces. In turn, players get a whole different experience when it comes to positioning - arguably one of the most important elements in FPS games.
Thanks to this portal mechanic, Splitgate easily makes each match unforgettable for players. Newcomers can go gung-ho and play with portals all throughout a match. Meanwhile, those who get the hang of the game can become more strategic with their portal placements, transforming themselves into assassins that tear through spacetime.
5 Apex Legends
Platforms: PC , PS4 , Xbox One , Nintendo Switch
Newcomers who want the Overwatch hero shooter experience interlaced with the sheer havoc of battle royale will likely appreciate Apex Legends. This spinoff of the Titanfall series takes place hundreds of years into the future, where the Apex Legends Tournament gathers warriors of various callings for a futuristic battle to the death. Akin to a typical battle royale, Apex Legends groups players in squads (or solo!) to search for loot and fight on a massive map. Unlike other battle royales, each player chooses a character with unique abilities.
In turn, players can become the likes of Bloodhound (Recon Legend) who can detect enemies at a distance. Likewise, they can become the stealthy Wraith (Offensive Legend) who can teleport around the battlefield. Alongside each Legend are an assortment of weapons with different types and capabilities, which ensures a new experience in every match.
4 Call Of Duty: Warzone
Platforms: PC
Call Of Duty: Warzone is the much-awaited Call Of Duty take on the battle royale genre. A completely free game for Call Of Duty newcomers and savants alike, Call Of Duty: Warzone is a very grounded approach to the battle royale genre with unique takes on mechanics. Exclusive to Warzone is the Gulag, or a post-death zone where players have to fight to the death to earn the “right” to be respawned back into the battlefield.
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Unlike other battle royales, environments in Warzone are based on real-life conflict areas. Weapon caches and ammo stashes are scattered all across the region, with high-rise buildings and houses serving as perfect hiding spots or sniping zones. Players in teams or solo need to keep their eyes peeled in this realistic iteration of the battle royale experience.
3 PUBG Mobile
Platforms: Android , iOS
Players new to the FPS scene would likely have heard of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, especially with how it spearheaded the popularity of battle royale games out there. However, newcomers lacking the fidelity needed for PUBG might not be able to enjoy the full experience. Thankfully, devs at Tencent make this possible with PUBG Mobile.
Essentially the same PUBG experience, PUBG Mobiledrops players in squads throughout a remote island. Once on the ground, squads need to find weapons and armor as they eliminate enemies they meet along the way. With a game map increasingly getting smaller with each passing minute, players will need to remain on the move in order to survive.
2 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Platforms: PC
Nothing beats the classics, especially for newcomers to the FPS genre. Fans could argue that Counter-Strike popularized FPS gaming to the mainstream, with Counter-Strike: Global Offensive being an improved version of the original Counter-Strike. In Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, players have to either deploy and protect a bomb (Terrorists) or defuse it (Counterterrorists).
Unlike other more futuristic games, CS: GO has a more grounded approach to its gameplay, relying on firearms based on real-world weapons. With no hero abilities, players need to trust their wit and quick fingers - getting weapons only via a Buy Menu before a match or picking them up from downed opponents. This straightforward approach makes CS: GO matches much faster and more accessible fun for newcomers.
1 Team Fortress
Platforms: PC, Linux , macOS
Arguably the parent of Overwatch and its unique game modes, Team Fortress is a team shooter that remains popular to genre newcomers and pros years after its initial release. Players in a squad choose one out of nine classes, each with predetermined abilities and toolkits that can help achieve the mode’s objectives. Matches can involve mechanics such as moving carts, protecting locations, or even stealing briefcases.
Thanks to the game’s extremely straightforward mechanics, Team Fortressremains one of the easiest FPS titles to get into. Its class-based system makes it easy for players to get into sub-genres such as hero shooters, whereas its combat paves the way for more fast-paced titles.
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