2022 was a very good yr for shooter followers. Whereas the launch of a brand new shooter title (FPS or in any other case) is fairly frequent yearly, the range we acquired in 2022 was implausible. From large, on-line battle royales to smaller, quirky indie shooters and every little thing in between, this yr actually did have just a little one thing one thing for each type of shooter fan throughout almost each platform on the market. I mentioned final yr we have been in a golden age of shooters, and 2022 proves that golden age continues on.
Right here’s our listing of the ten greatest shooters from 2022. A few of these are brand-spankin’ new video games, and others have been round for a bit however are nonetheless as enjoyable as ever due to fixed updates, occasions, and battle passes. To assist arrange every little thing, we cut up them up into the brand new stuff and the previous stuff!
The New Stuff
Blood West
Wow, there have been a variety of video games launched this yr that included the phrase “West” huh? Anyway, FPS paranormal western Blood West is likely one of the higher amongst that crowd due to its retro-inspired visuals and satisfying mixture of fight, stealth, and exploration. It’s like an imsim + western with a little bit of old-school motion sprinkled on prime. Good things, although be warned: You’ll die quite a bit at first.
Warhammer 40k Darktide
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The most recent recreation on this listing (simply launched on November 30, 2022), Darktide is from the makers of the beloved Vermintide sequence. And like these video games, Darktide can also be a co-op motion recreation that undoubtedly feels a bit like Left 4 Useless. However not like Vermintide, Darktide is about within the futuristic Warhammer 40k universe, so exchange all of the rats, swords, and chainmail with rifles, house monsters, and robots. A satisfying co-op shooter that appears completely gritty and darkish and which is able to probably see extra updates to broaden and assist the sport over the approaching months.
Nightmare Reaper
Technically this got here out in 2021, however it lastly left Early Entry this yr and that’s once I determined to test it out. And boy oh boy, I’m so comfortable I performed it! Nightmare Reaper appears to be like like comparable retro-inspired shooters which have change into extra frequent in recent times, however it’s a lot extra. It’s a roguelike with good stage development, lots of of highly effective and zany weapons (like whips and spell books), and also you enhance your character by taking part in by way of Gameboy-like mini-games. It’s bizarre! It’s totally different! And it’s solely $25 on Steam. It is best to play it.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands
I do know some people didn’t like Wonderlands, the newest entry within the standard looter shooter franchise that’s Borderlands. However even when the humor is at instances grating and different instances downright dangerous, the remainder of the sport is simply an excessive amount of enjoyable for me to hate it. With a much bigger concentrate on melee, armor, magic, and RPG mechanics than previous video games, Wonderlands dug its claws into me (and my spouse, who I play co-op with) and we nonetheless are taking part in it months after launch. Let’s simply hope the subsequent Borderlands recreation launches in a a lot better state.
Cultic
Does the world want one other retro-inspired shooter? Nicely, I can’t communicate for the world, however I can say that I would like one, particularly one this good. And Cultic is excellent. Should you have been a fan of Blood again within the day, you should cease studying this proper now and play Cultic. It has the identical creepy, rural motion vibes of Blood, full with TNT, too. But, Cultic has its personal crunchy and retro look with open-ended ranges and tough-as-nails fight which may problem some, however will reward those that push by way of.
Warzone 2.0 / DMZ
In the future I’ll get higher at Warzone 2.0. I actually hope that day comes sooner somewhat than later as a result of even once I get my ass kicked within the newest Name of Obligation battle royale, I nonetheless get pleasure from its sense of scale and tempo. Numerous battle royale video games have 100 or fewer gamers; Warzone 2.0 has 150. And the world is each hyper-detailed but straightforward to discover and combat in. Truthfully, this would possibly find yourself being certainly one of my favourite shooters of 2023…particularly if I get higher at taking part in it.
Neon White
Few video games have sucked me in like Neon White. I sunk hours and hours into this fast-paced first-person platforming shooter for a stable week or two after it launched earlier this yr. Typically, I used to be taking part in the identical stage again and again, making an attempt to excellent my runs to beat my pals’ instances. It additionally helped that Neon White is fashionable as fuck and has a narrative that I actually like, with characters who stayed with me lengthy after I put the sport down. And no, this isn’t a card recreation. It simply makes use of playing cards to characterize its varied weapons you choose up. So if that was your purpose for skipping certainly one of 2022’s greatest video games, cease it and go shoot some demons.
Splatoon 3
Nintendo isn’t identified for its giant library of shooters, and that’s not prone to change anytime sooner or later. But it surely does have one of the vital standard, colourful, and creative shooter franchises on the market with Splatoon. And the newest entry, launched earlier this yr on Swap, is simply nearly as good because the previous two, however with new maps and extra polish. If solely this squid-infested, ink-splatting kaleidoscope of a web based shooter wasn’t such a ache to truly play on-line, it’d be a fair stronger shooter. However asking Nintendo for improved on-line play is like asking Nintendo to make extra shooters: Most likely a waste of time.
Adaca
A smaller indie shooter launched on PC, Adaca may not be a recreation that you simply heard of in between all the massive shooters of 2022 like Wonderlands, Future 2, and Name of Obligation. However in the event you love Half-Life 2 as a lot as I do, you owe it to your self to try Adaca. In some ways, it looks like a love letter to Valve’s seminal shooter, with lots of the identical varieties of puzzles and fight mechanics present in HL2. It additionally runs nicely on most PCs due to its sharp however easy artwork model. So you’ll be able to probably play Adaca proper now, even on that older PC you’ve been which means to improve in your basement.
Vogue Police Squad
What if Doom changed all its weapons, gore, and demons with fashion-inspired weapons and poorly dressed individuals? Nicely, you’d get Vogue Police Squad, a shooter that’s extra than simply one other retro-inspired journey. In Vogue Police Squad aka FPS (intelligent) you play as a vogue cop making an attempt to assist individuals gown higher and sharper. To do that you utilize “weapons” like a stitching machine, your belt, and an ink gun that shoots coloration. Enemies are weak to some weapons and proof against others which forces a variety of weapon swapping and thrilling decision-making throughout fight. Oh and bonus: I can verify this recreation runs very nicely on Steam Deck.
The Previous Stuff
And now, listed here are some older shooters which may not be as younger because the beforehand talked about whippersnappers, however are nonetheless price trying out due to upgrades, changes, and content material added this yr. These will most likely be price taking part in subsequent yr and the yr after that, too.
Future 2 – Witch Queen
2022’s Witch Queen growth for Future 2 is implausible. It offers the web shooter certainly one of its greatest campaigns in years and provides a ton of latest weapons and enemies completely slotted into Future’s already in depth and stable chestful of content material. On prime of that, over the course of 2022, Future 2 acquired some nice seasons and new occasions. Its most up-to-date season was a space-pirate-themed plunder for loot and riches involving spaceship-to-spaceship fights and treasure hunts throughout the galaxy. I imply, come on, how are you going to beat that?
Apex Legends
What started as a Titanfall spin-off is now a rock-solid battle royale with rotating modes, shifting metas, and a loyal playerbase. Apex Legends units the tone for lots of battle royales in the case of meta changes, as each time it introduces a brand new Legend it ostensibly breaks the established meta—however Respawn isn’t afraid of that. The corporate embraces change, whether or not that’s fucking with big swaths of a well-liked map or locking away a favourite weapon behind the uncommon care package deal drop. That change is what retains Apex Legends feeling so recent and thrilling almost 4 years after its launch (god the place has the time gone) and what will get me excited to see what’s in its future. It doesn’t harm that Apex has a number of the greatest gunplay of any trendy FPS, interval. That’s that Titanfall DNA gifting us from past the grave.
Fortnite
Like final yr, Fortnite has continued to broaden and evolve. And this yr, its updates helped it change into certainly one of my favourite video games ever. I’ll admit, it took me a while to get really into Fortnite, however this yr it occurred due to the addition of modes that don’t require constructing. Now in Zero Construct, I’ve been capable of focus extra on Fortnite’s fight and motion, that are higher than ever. Nicely, except you ask the offended Fortnite gamers on Twitter who inform me each new season is dangerous, each change is rubbish and is really the perfect time within the recreation’s historical past. However don’t speak to these individuals. They suck. Simply play Fortnite and have enjoyable.
