Best FPS Game Of Every Year (2010–2019) And Their 2026 Spiritual Successors

The 2010s delivered some of the best first-person shooters the genre has ever seen. From 2010 to 2019, developers pushed gunplay, level design, and player freedom in ways that still inspire newer FPS games. That decade boosted the best of everything, from large-scale tactical warfare to stealth missions. Each year in the decade brought a standout FPS title that captured what players wanted at the time.

Looking back at these games now, their impact feels even clearer. Titles like Halo: Reach and Doom didn’t just succeed because they were popular; they refined how shooting feels in motion and how enemies react to it. This list pairs the best FPS game from each year between 2010 and 2019 with a strong spiritual successor released in 2025 or 2026.

Halo: Reach

Release Year: 2010

• An elite Spartan squad defends the human planet Reach from a massive alien invasion.
• Known for its large campaign battles, customizable Spartans, and deep multiplayer modes.

Halo: Reach is basically a prequel to the original Halo storyline. Instead of playing as Master Chief, players control Noble Six, a customizable Spartan soldier who joins an elite squad known as Noble Team during the Covenant assault on the planet Reach. Combat keeps the traditional Halo sandbox intact while adding new tools, such as armor abilities and reusable equipment like sprint boosts, jetpacks, or temporary camouflage. Instead of one-time gadgets, these abilities run on a cooldown and can be swapped during gameplay, allowing for different combat styles in both campaign and multiplayer.

Multiplayer in Halo: Reach was pretty ambitious. Competitive modes include classic playlists like Capture the Flag and Slayer, while cooperative Firefight mode lets players survive waves of enemies. The Forge editor even allows players to build their own maps and game modes. Because it combines a dramatic campaign with a huge amount of multiplayer content, Halo: Reach became one of the most complete FPS packages released in 2010. For players chasing that same Halo: Reach feeling in 2026, they can try out Halo: Campaign Evolved. It brings back the classic Halo formula with new features, sharper enemy AI, and expanded combat options.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Release Year: 2011

• Cyberpunk shooter where players investigate a biotech facility.
• Combines first-person shooting with stealth, hacking, and RPG-style upgrades.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution stands out for treating the shooter genre differently from most military FPS games. While a typical FPS focuses only on action, this game gives players the freedom to solve problems in several ways: combat, stealth, hacking, and social interaction. A player can sneak through ventilation shafts to avoid enemies, hack computers to unlock doors, persuade characters during conversations, or fight directly using firearms and gadgets.

The cyberpunk setting of Deus Ex: Human Revolution explores themes such as transhumanism, corporate power, and social division between augmented and non-augmented humans. While 2011 had several great shooters, Deus Ex: Human Revolution delivered something deeper than typical military FPS titles. For a newer alternative to Deus Ex: Human Revolution, players can check out Cyberpunk 2077. Updates have turned Cyberpunk 2077 into a strong and immersive FPS experience. It offers flexible builds, varied combat approaches, and detailed environments.

Far Cry 3

Release Year: 2012

• An open-world shooter where a tourist fights pirates on a dangerous tropical island.
• Combines exploration, crafting, stealth combat, and dynamic wildlife encounters.

Far Cry 3 is not only the best Far Cry game, but it’s also one of the best games of the 2010s. The game’s biggest strength lies in its open-world design. Players can roam jungles, mountains, and villages while completing missions in any order. Outposts can be captured through stealth or explosive gunfights, and wildlife hunting provides resources to craft equipment upgrades.

Combat in Far Cry 3 feels dynamic because the world reacts to the player’s actions. Enemies patrol roads, wildlife attacks unexpectedly and different weapons encourage different tactics. Players might silently clear an outpost with a bow or cause chaos using explosives and heavy weapons. Another reason the game became iconic is its villain, Vaas Montenegro, whose unpredictable personality and intense monologs left a lasting impression on players. If you are looking for a good Far Cry 3 alternative to play in 2026 outside the Far Cry series, you can consider Atomfall, an immersive post-apocalyptic open-world game.

BioShock Infinite

Release Year: 2013

• Story-driven shooter where a detective searches for a mysterious young woman.
• Fast gunplay, supernatural abilities, and a strong narrative about politics, religion, and alternate realities.

BioShock Infinite pushed the FPS genre toward cinematic storytelling. It’s basically about Booker DeWitt, a former Pinkerton agent, trying to rescue a mysterious woman named Elizabeth from the airborne city of Columbia. BioShock Infinite does a good job combining traditional firearms with supernatural powers called Vigors, which allow players to launch fire attacks, control enemies, or create traps. The Sky-Line rail system adds vertical movement to battles, letting players zip across the environment while fighting enemies.

Elizabeth also changes the typical FPS companion system. Instead of being a burden, she actively helps during combat by throwing supplies and opening temporary rifts that summon weapons or cover. BioShock Infinite fans can also play RoboCop: Rogue City – Unfinished Business if they want a single-player FPS in 2026 with a story-based campaign. While technically DLC for RoboCop: Rogue City, Unfinished Business is a standalone expansion that doesn’t require you to play the base game first.

Wolfenstein: The New Order

Release Year: 2014

• Story-driven FPS set in an alternate timeline where the Nazis won World War 2.
• Run-and-gun shooting with modern storytelling.

Wolfenstein: The New Order revived the classic shooter series with a surprisingly good story and modern gameplay systems. The game is big on aggressive gunplay. Players can carry heavy weapons, dual-wield rifles or shotguns, and fight through large groups of enemies. Stealth is also an option in certain missions, allowing B.J. Blazkowicz to quietly eliminate officers before any alarms are triggered. This flexibility gives players multiple ways to approach encounters.

The game’s world mixes historical ideas with science fiction. Nazi forces use giant robots, advanced drones, and experimental weapons developed during the war. These technologies create unusual combat situations that go far beyond traditional World War 2 shooters. Another new FPS game that delivers a somewhat similar experience is Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. It’s a linear, story-driven campaign with grounded gunplay, scripted missions, and cinematic pacing.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege

Release Year: 2015

• Tactical 5v5 multiplayer shooter.
• Features destructible environments and operators with unique abilities.

Unlike many shooters that focus on large-scale battles, Rainbow Six Siege centers on small tactical matches. Teams of five players face off as either defenders inside buildings or attackers trying to force their way in. The attackers attempt to rescue hostages, secure objectives, or defuse bombs, while defenders prepare traps and fortifications to stop them. One of the most important mechanics in Rainbow Six Siege is environmental destruction. Walls, ceilings, floors, and barricades can be destroyed with explosives or special tools. Thanks to this system, safe positions rarely stay safe for long. A team defending a room might suddenly face attackers coming in through the ceiling or blasting open a new doorway.

Each player chooses an operator, a specialist with unique gadgets. Some operators deploy drones or cameras to gather information, while others carry breaching charges, defensive shields, or electronic jammers. These abilities create strong team coordination because players must combine different tools to succeed. For those looking for more of Rainbow Six Siege in 2026, there’s an update called Rainbow Six Siege X, and also a 2025 version that brings Siege’s 5v5 attacker vs. defender gameplay to mobile platforms. It features many of the classic mechanics Siege players expect, whether it’s operator roles with unique gadgets, intense planning, or a breach/defend structure.

DOOM

Release Year: 2016

• A reboot of the classic Doom series.
• Encourages aggressive combat through a system where enemies drop resources when defeated.

Doom (2016) is not just one of the best FPS games of 2016, but also one of the best FPS games ever made by id Software. The 2016 reboot of Doom returned the series to its roots while modernizing its design. Players control the Doom Slayer, a powerful warrior who wakes up in a Mars facility overrun by demons from Hell. The story remains simple, but the gameplay focuses heavily on intense action. Combat encourages constant movement. Instead of hiding behind cover, players survive by running, jumping, and attacking enemies aggressively. The Glory Kill mechanic allows the Doom Slayer to finish weakened enemies with brutal close-range attacks. These executions reward players with health and ammunition, encouraging them to stay in the fight and keep racking up kills to stay alive.

Weapons include classic Doom weapons like shotguns, rocket launchers, plasma rifles, and the powerful BFG. Each weapon has upgrade paths that unlock new firing modes and improve combat performance. Levels are designed as large arenas filled with demons attacking from multiple directions, and players have to manage resources and switch weapons to survive these encounters. If anyone wants to see what a prequel to Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal feels like in 2026, Doom: The Dark Ages is readily available. It’s one of those FPS games that is fun from the get-go, with new weapons at the player’s disposal almost immediately.

Prey

Release Year: 2017

• A sci-fi shooter set on a space station invaded by alien creatures.
• Allows players to solve problems through combat, stealth, hacking, or special alien powers.

Prey does a great job combining FPS combat with deep, immersive sim design. Players have many ways to solve problems. Locked doors might be hacked using computers, broken open with weapons, or bypassed by crawling through ventilation shafts. That said, one of the most unusual things in the game involves alien abilities.

Protagonist Morgan Yu can unlock Typhon powers that grant abilities such as telekinesis, energy blasts, or even the ability to transform into everyday objects. This last power allows players to become small items like coffee mugs to avoid enemies, something that the alien enemies can do as well. The freedom of approach is what makes Prey special. Every player can tackle challenges differently depending on chosen upgrades and playstyle. Another FPS with a similar survival feel to Prey along with lots of action, is System Shock 2, which just received a 25th Anniversary Remastered edition in 2025.

Far Cry 5

Release Year: 2018

• An open-world shooter built around freeform combat using guns, vehicles, and explosives.
• Focuses on player-driven firefights where positioning, weapon choice, and timing shape every encounter.

Far Cry 5 works best when viewed through its shooting systems rather than just its open world. At its core, it’s an open-world FPS where almost every encounter can turn into a firefight shaped by the player’s decisions. The shooting in Far Cry 5 feels grounded, with noticeable recoil and impact that make every hit feel deliberate.

What makes Far Cry 5’s design stand out is how fights evolve. Enemy outposts are not just static objectives; they are combat puzzles. A player might begin silently using a suppressed rifle to take out guards one by one, but if things go wrong, the situation quickly turns into a loud gunfight with alarms, reinforcements, and chaos spreading across the area. The Guns for Hire system adds another layer to combat where companions support the player with sniper fire, heavy weapons, or distraction tactics, helping control the flow of battle without taking away the focus from shooting. Because of how flexible and reactive its gunfights feel, Far Cry 5 is one of the most satisfying FPS sandboxes of 2018. Even though it’s still in Early Access, Pioner gives players that same free-form shooter feel of Far Cry 5, with modern guns, open combat situations, and tactical choices about how to tackle threats.

Apex Legends

Release Year: 2019

• Fast-paced first-person battle royale with tight gunplay, movement, and squad-based combat.
• Big on accuracy, positioning, and timing during intense close- to mid-range firefights.

Apex Legends succeeds because it gets the core of its FPS gameplay right: movement, shooting, and decision-making under pressure all working together smoothly. Gunplay is one of its strongest features. Players who learn how each gun behaves gain a real advantage in fights. Close-range weapons like SMGs and shotguns reward quick reactions, while rifles dominate mid-range battles where aim control matters most.

Movement adds another layer to the shooting. Sliding, climbing, and quick directional changes allow players to stay mobile during fights. This creates a fast rhythm where standing still often leads to defeat. Winning a gunfight often depends on combining accurate shooting with smart movement rather than relying on aim alone. Abilities are important in Apex Legends, but they actually support gunplay instead of replacing it. For those looking for another competitive, squad-based FPS to play in 2026, Marathon might just be what they’re looking for.