Acclaimed Video Games

The top 1,400 most recommended games across 920 critic lists from 146 publications.

Updated: October 16, 2026

Most Acclaimed Shooter Games of All Time

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100 of 229

#1 Half-Life 2 (2004) (#5)

Valve | WIN | First-Person Shooter | ~13h | 90 lists

#2 Resident Evil 4 (2005) (#8)

Capcom Production Studio 4 | PS2, GC, Wii | Horror / Third-Person Shooter | ~16h | 98 lists

#3 BioShock (2007) (#13)

2K Australia, 2K Boston | WIN, X360, PS3 | First-Person Shooter | ~12h | 92 lists

#4 Doom (1993) (#17)

id Software | DOS | First-Person Shooter | ~5h | 82 lists

#5 Mass Effect 2 (2010) (#18)

BioWare Edmonton | WIN, X360, PS3 | Action RPG / Third-Person Shooter | ~25h | 109 lists

#6 Halo: Combat Evolved (2001) (#26)

Bungie | MAC, WIN, Xbox | First-Person Shooter | ~10h | 75 lists

#7 Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007) (#27)

Infinity Ward | MAC, WIN, X360, PS3 | First-Person Shooter | ~7h | 80 lists

#8 Half-Life (1998) (#30)

Valve | WIN | First-Person Shooter | ~12h | 61 lists

#9 GoldenEye 007 (1997) (#34)

Rare | N64 | First-Person Shooter | ~8h | 83 lists

#10 Deus Ex (2000) (#35)

Ion Storm | MAC, WIN | Action RPG / First-Person Shooter / Stealth | ~23h | 71 lists

#11 Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (2009) (#39)

Naughty Dog | PS3 | Action-Adventure / Third-Person Shooter | ~10h | 77 lists

#12 Fallout 3 (2008) (#57)

Bethesda Game Studios | WIN, X360, PS3 | Action RPG / First-Person Shooter | ~22h | 63 lists

#13 Overwatch (2016) (#63)

Blizzard Entertainment | WIN, XB1, PS4 | First-Person Shooter | ~93h | 77 lists

#14 Counter-Strike / Counter-Strike 1.6 (2000) (#71)

Valve | WIN | Tactical Shooter | ~25h | 51 lists

#15 Halo 3 (2007) (#80)

Bungie | X360 | First-Person Shooter | ~8h | 38 lists

#16 System Shock 2 (1999) (#87)

Irrational Games, Looking Glass Studios | WIN | Horror / Action RPG / First-Person Shooter | ~13h | 36 lists

#17 Doom (2016) (#128)

id Software | WIN, XB1, PS4 | First-Person Shooter | ~12h | 52 lists

#18 Team Fortress 2 (2007) (#131)

Valve | WIN, X360, PS3 | First-Person Shooter | ~287h | 38 lists

#19 Quake (1996) (#132)

id Software | 4 | First-Person Shooter | ~5h | 31 lists

#20 Left 4 Dead (2008) (#134)

Certain Affinity, Turtle Rock Studios, Valve | WIN, X360 | First-Person Shooter | ~7h | 34 lists

#21 Quake III: Arena (1999) (#135)

id Software | 3, DC, PS2 | First-Person Shooter | ~5h | 28 lists

#22 Left 4 Dead 2 (2009) (#140)

Turtle Rock Studios, Valve | MAC, WIN, X360 | Horror / First-Person Shooter | ~10h | 34 lists

#23 BioShock Infinite (2013) (#142)

Irrational Games | MAC, WIN, X360, PS3 | First-Person Shooter | ~12h | 53 lists

#24 Half-Life: Alyx (2020) (#145)

Valve | VR | First-Person Shooter | ~12h | 21 lists

#25 Titanfall 2 (2016) (#148)

Respawn Entertainment | WIN, XB1, PS4 | First-Person Shooter | ~6h | 48 lists

#26 Battlefield 1942 (2002) (#152)

Digital Illusions CE | WIN | First-Person Shooter | ~8h | 29 lists

#27 Rez / Rez HD / Rez Infinite (2001) (#156)

United Game Artists | DC, PS2 | Shooter / Music | ~2h | 27 lists

#28 Hotline Miami (2012) (#161)

Dennaton Games | MAC, WIN, PS3, PSV | Shooter | ~5h | 38 lists

#29 Galaga (1981) (#163)

Namco Limited | ARC | Shooter | ~48m | 25 lists

#30 Space Invaders (1978) (#165)

Taito | ARC, A26 | Shooter | ~30m | 29 lists

#31 Gears of War (2006) (#172)

Epic Games | WIN, X360 | Third-Person Shooter | ~9h | 32 lists

#32 Halo 2 (2004) (#177)

Bungie | Xbox | First-Person Shooter | ~9h | 23 lists

#33 Contra (1987) (#201)

Konami | ARC, DOS, 3, NES | Run and Gun | ~1h | 29 lists

#34 Max Payne (2001) (#202)

Remedy Entertainment | MAC, WIN, PS2, Xbox | Third-Person Shooter | ~8h | 23 lists

#35 Ikaruga (2001) (#207)

Treasure | ARC, DC, GC | Shooter | ~2h | 18 lists

#36 Destiny (2014) (#209)

Bungie | X360, XB1, PS3, PS4 | First-Person Shooter | ~12h | 39 lists

#37 Duke Nukem 3D (1996) (#215)

3D Realms | DOS, SAT, PS | First-Person Shooter | ~9h | 22 lists

#38 Mass Effect 3 (2012) (#220)

BioWare Edmonton | WIN, X360, PS3 | Action RPG / Third-Person Shooter | ~24h | 38 lists

#39 Gears of War 2 (2008) (#230)

Epic Games | X360 | Third-Person Shooter | ~10h | 25 lists

#40 Borderlands 2 (2012) (#235)

Gearbox Software | MAC, WIN, X360, PS3 | Action RPG / First-Person Shooter | ~30h | 37 lists

#41 Battlefield 2 (2005) (#254)

Digital Illusions CE | WIN | First-Person Shooter | ~8h | 15 lists

#42 Doom II (1994) (#262)

id Software | DOS | First-Person Shooter | ~7h | 17 lists

#43 Defender (1981) (#264)

Shockwave, Williams Electronics | ARC, A26 | Shooter | ~42m | 21 lists

#44 Cuphead (2017) (#267)

Studio MDHR | WIN, XB1 | Run and Gun | ~11h | 36 lists

#45 Returnal (2021) (#268)

Housemarque | PS5 | Shooter / Roguelike / Third-Person Shooter | ~19h | 31 lists

#46 Asteroids (1979) (#271)

Atari | ARC, A26, A8 | Shooter | ~30m | 19 lists

#47 Star Fox 64 / Lylat Wars (1997) (#272)

Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development | N64 | Shooter | ~2h | 25 lists

#48 Far Cry 3 (2012) (#297)

Ubisoft Montreal | WIN, X360, PS3 | First-Person Shooter | ~16h | 37 lists

#49 Contra III: The Alien Wars / Super Probotector: Alien Rebels (1992) (#301)

Konami | SNES | Run and Gun | ~2h | 22 lists

#50 Robotron: 2084 (1982) (#302)

Vid Kidz | ARC, 6, DOS, A52, A78 | Shooter | ~18m | 17 lists

#51 Helldivers 2 (2024) (#311)

Arrowhead Game Studios | WIN, PS5 | Third-Person Shooter | ~32h | 34 lists

#52 Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne (2003) (#312)

Remedy Entertainment | WIN, PS2, Xbox | Third-Person Shooter | ~6h | 16 lists

#53 The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay (2004) (#315)

Starbreeze Studios, Tigon Studios, Virtual Programming | WIN, Xbox | First-Person Shooter / Stealth | ~8h | 17 lists

#54 Unreal Tournament (1999) (#318)

Epic Games | 3, DC, PS2 | First-Person Shooter | ~10h | 15 lists

#55 Wolfenstein 3D (1992) (#323)

id Software | DOS | First-Person Shooter | ~6h | 18 lists

#56 Star Fox / Starwing (1993) (#326)

Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development | SNES | Shooter | ~1h | 20 lists

#57 Deus Ex: Human Revolution (2011) (#327)

Eidos Montréal | WIN, X360, PS3 | Action RPG / First-Person Shooter / Stealth | ~22h | 29 lists

#58 Splatoon (2015) (#329)

Nintendo EAD Software Development Group No.2 | WiiU | Third-Person Shooter | ~5h | 35 lists

#59 Deathloop (2021) (#339)

Arkane Studios | WIN, PS5, XBXS | First-Person Shooter | ~16h | 37 lists

#60 Call of Duty 2 (2005) (#344)

Infinity Ward | WIN, X360 | First-Person Shooter | ~8h | 14 lists

#61 Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved (2005) (#348)

Activision | X360 | Shooter | ~4h | 10 lists

#62 R-Type (1987) (#358)

Irem | ARC, 7, SMS, TG16 | Shooter | ~1h | 17 lists

#63 Destiny 2 (2017) (#365)

Bungie | WIN, XB1, PS4 | Massively Multiplayer / First-Person Shooter | ~12h | 23 lists

#64 Call of Duty (2003) (#367)

Infinity Ward | MAC, WIN | First-Person Shooter | ~7h | 14 lists

#65 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (2012) (#368)

Hidden Path Entertainment, Valve | MAC, WIN, X360, PS3 | First-Person Shooter / Tactical Shooter | ~141h | 15 lists

#66 Perfect Dark (2000) (#374)

Rare | N64 | First-Person Shooter / Stealth | ~8h | 18 lists

#67 Superhot / Superhot VR (2016) (#376)

SUPERHOT Team | 3, XB1, PSVR | First-Person Shooter | ~2h | 20 lists

#68 Gunstar Heroes (1993) (#380)

Treasure | GEN, GG | Run and Gun | ~2h | 11 lists

#69 Quake II (1997) (#385)

Hammerhead, id Software | MAC, WIN | First-Person Shooter | ~7h | 13 lists

#70 Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (2021) (#393)

Insomniac Games | PS5 | Third-Person Shooter / Platform | ~11h | 29 lists

#71 Apex Legends (2019) (#400)

Respawn Entertainment | WIN, XB1, PS4 | First-Person Shooter / Battle Royale | ~33h | 31 lists

#72 Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (2011) (#409)

Naughty Dog | PS3 | Action-Adventure / Third-Person Shooter | ~9h | 26 lists

#73 Missile Command (1980) (#411)

Atari | ARC, A26, A52, A8 | Shooter | ~24m | 16 lists

#74 Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II (1997) (#416)

LucasArts | WIN | First-Person Shooter / Third-Person Shooter | ~9h | 11 lists

#75 Spec Ops: The Line (2012) (#418)

Yager Development | WIN, X360, PS3 | Third-Person Shooter | ~6h | 22 lists

#76 Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (2017) (#422)

MachineGames | WIN, XB1, PS4 | First-Person Shooter | ~11h | 25 lists

#77 Halo Reach (2010) (#428)

Bungie | X360 | First-Person Shooter | ~8h | 24 lists

#78 Star Wars (1983) (#433)

Atari, Atari Games | ARC, 3, 7, DOS, MAC | Shooter | ~30m | 12 lists

#79 Alan Wake (2010) (#464)

Remedy Entertainment | X360 | Action-Adventure / Third-Person Shooter | ~11h | 15 lists

#80 Star Control II: The Ur-Quan Masters (1992) (#471)

Toys for Bob | DOS, 3DO | Adventure / Shooter | 9 lists

#81 Killer7 (2005) (#473)

Engine Software, Grasshopper Manufacture | PS2, GC | Action-Adventure / First-Person Shooter | ~14h | 10 lists

#82 Tempest 2000 (1994) (#486)

Llamasoft LTD | DOS, JAG, SAT, PS | Shooter | ~3h | 9 lists

#83 Neon White (2022) (#490)

Ben Esposito | WIN, PS4, PS5, SW | Puzzle-Platformer / First-Person Shooter | ~10h | 23 lists

#84 Unreal Tournament 2004 (2004) (#497)

Epic Games | 3 | First-Person Shooter | ~14h | 9 lists

#85 Mirror's Edge (2008) (#498)

EA Digital Illusions CE | WIN, X360, PS3 | Action-Adventure / First-Person Shooter / Platform | ~6h | 12 lists

#86 Crysis (2007) (#501)

Crytek Frankfurt | WIN | First-Person Shooter / Stealth | ~9h | 12 lists

#87 Far Cry (2004) (#506)

Crytek, Crytek Frankfurt | WIN | First-Person Shooter | ~13h | 9 lists

#88 Medal of Honor: Allied Assault (2002) (#510)

2015 | MAC, WIN | First-Person Shooter | ~8h | 9 lists

#89 Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 (2008) (#513)

Bizarre Creations | X360 | Shooter | ~3h | 11 lists

#90 Borderlands (2009) (#518)

Feral Interactive, Gearbox Software | WIN, X360, PS3 | Action RPG / First-Person Shooter | ~22h | 11 lists

#91 Gears of War 3 (2011) (#519)

Epic Games | X360 | Third-Person Shooter | ~10h | 16 lists

#92 Doom Eternal (2020) (#530)

id Software | WIN, XB1, PS4 | First-Person Shooter | ~14h | 21 lists

#93 F.E.A.R. First Encounter Assault Recon (2005) (#558)

Monolith Productions | WIN, X360, PS3 | Horror / First-Person Shooter | ~8h | 7 lists

#94 Metal Slug (1996) (#559)

Nazca Corporation | NG, SAT, PS | Run and Gun | ~54m | 8 lists

#95 Vanquish (2010) (#565)

PlatinumGames | X360, PS3 | Third-Person Shooter | ~6h | 13 lists

#96 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege (2015) (#576)

Ubisoft Montreal | WIN, XB1, PS4 | Tactical Shooter | ~3h | 13 lists

#97 Killzone 2 (2009) (#577)

Guerrilla Games | PS3 | First-Person Shooter | ~8h | 8 lists

#98 S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl (2007) (#585)

GSC Game World | WIN | First-Person Shooter | ~15h | 6 lists

#99 Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast (2002) (#586)

Raven Software, Vicarious Visions, Westlake Interactive | MAC, WIN | Hack and Slash / First-Person Shooter / Third-Person Shooter | ~13h | 8 lists

#100 Descent (1995) (#592)

Interplay Productions, Parallax Software | DOS, MAC, PS | Shooter / First-Person Shooter | ~12h | 8 lists