2022 was a great 12 months for shooter followers. Whereas the launch of a brand new shooter title (FPS or in any other case) is fairly widespread yearly, the range we acquired in 2022 was incredible. From huge, on-line battle royales to smaller, quirky indie shooters and the whole lot in between, this 12 months actually did have a little bit one thing one thing for each sort of shooter fan throughout almost each platform on the market. I mentioned final 12 months we had been in a golden age of shooters, and 2022 proves that golden age continues on.
Right here’s our checklist of the ten finest 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 because of fixed updates, occasions, and battle passes. To assist set up the whole lot, we break up them up into the brand new stuff and the previous stuff!
The New Stuff
Blood West
Wow, there have been a whole lot of video games launched this 12 months that included the phrase “West” huh? Anyway, FPS paranormal western Blood West is likely one of the higher amongst that crowd because of 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. Great things, although be warned: You’ll die quite a bit at first.
Warhammer 40k Darktide
G/O Media could get a fee
The latest sport on this checklist (simply launched on November 30, 2022), Darktide is from the makers of the beloved Vermintide collection. And like these video games, Darktide can also be a co-op motion sport that positively feels a bit like Left 4 Lifeless. However not like Vermintide, Darktide is about within the futuristic Warhammer 40k universe, so change all of the rats, swords, and chainmail with rifles, area monsters, and robots. A satisfying co-op shooter that appears completely gritty and darkish and which is able to possible see extra updates to broaden and help the sport over the approaching months.
Nightmare Reaper
Technically this got here out in 2021, however it lastly left Early Entry this 12 months and that’s after I determined to test it out. And boy oh boy, I’m so joyful I performed it! Nightmare Reaper seems like comparable retro-inspired shooters which have develop into extra widespread lately, however it’s a lot extra. It’s a roguelike with good degree development, lots of of highly effective and zany weapons (like whips and spell books), and also you enhance your character by enjoying by way of Gameboy-like mini-games. It’s bizarre! It’s completely different! And it’s solely $25 on Steam. It’s best to play it.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands
I do know some of us 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 give attention to 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 enjoying it months after launch. Let’s simply hope the subsequent Borderlands sport launches in a significantly better state.
Cultic
Does the world want one other retro-inspired shooter? Properly, I can’t converse for the world, however I can say that I would like one, particularly one this good. And Cultic is superb. In case you had been a fan of Blood again within the day, it is advisable 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
Someday I’ll get higher at Warzone 2.0. I actually hope that day comes sooner quite than later as a result of even after I get my ass kicked within the newest Name of Responsibility 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 simple 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 enjoying 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 strong week or two after it launched earlier this 12 months. Typically, I used to be enjoying the identical degree time and again, attempting to good my runs to beat my buddies’ 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 sport. It simply makes use of playing cards to characterize its numerous weapons you decide up. So if that was your cause for skipping certainly one of 2022’s finest 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 some of the standard, colourful, and creative shooter franchises on the market with Splatoon. And the newest entry, launched earlier this 12 months on Change, 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 good 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 won’t be a sport that you just heard of in between all the massive shooters of 2022 like Wonderlands, Future 2, and Name of Responsibility. However in the event you love Half-Life 2 as a lot as I do, you owe it to your self to take a look at Adaca. In some ways, it looks like a love letter to Valve’s seminal shooter, with most of the similar sorts of puzzles and fight mechanics present in HL2. It additionally runs effectively on most PCs because of its sharp however easy artwork type. So you may possible 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? Properly, 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 trend cop attempting to assist individuals gown higher and sharper. To do that you employ “weapons” like a stitching machine, your belt, and an ink gun that shoots shade. Enemies are weak to some weapons and resistant to others which forces a whole lot of weapon swapping and thrilling decision-making throughout fight. Oh and bonus: I can verify this sport runs very effectively on Steam Deck.
The Outdated Stuff
And now, listed below are some older shooters which may not be as younger because the beforehand talked about whippersnappers, however are nonetheless price testing because of upgrades, changes, and content material added this 12 months. These will in all probability be price enjoying subsequent 12 months and the 12 months after that, too.
Future 2 – Witch Queen
2022’s Witch Queen enlargement for Future 2 is incredible. It offers the web shooter certainly one of its finest campaigns in years and provides a ton of latest weapons and enemies completely slotted into Future’s already in depth and strong 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 will you 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 terms 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 preferred map or locking away a favourite weapon behind the uncommon care package deal drop. That change is what retains Apex Legends feeling so contemporary 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 damage that Apex has a few of the finest gunplay of any trendy FPS, interval. That’s that Titanfall DNA gifting us from past the grave.
Fortnite
Like final 12 months, Fortnite has continued to broaden and evolve. And this 12 months, its updates helped it develop into certainly one of my favourite video games ever. I’ll admit, it took me a while to get really into Fortnite, however this 12 months it occurred because of the addition of modes that don’t require constructing. Now in Zero Construct, I’ve been in a position to focus extra on Fortnite’s fight and motion, that are higher than ever. Properly, except you ask the offended Fortnite gamers on Twitter who inform me each new season is dangerous, each change is rubbish and is definitely the most effective time within the sport’s historical past. However don’t discuss to these individuals. They suck. Simply play Fortnite and have enjoyable.
